04 Dec 2024
London, 3 December 2024: Viking (NYSE: VIK) today announced it has taken delivery of the company's newest ocean ship, the Viking Vela®. The delivery ceremony took place this morning when the ship was presented at Fincantieri's shipyard in Ancona, Italy. Classified as a small ship, as are all Viking ocean ships, the Viking Vela has 499 staterooms that can host 998 guests. The Viking Vela joins the company's growing fleet of award-winning ocean ships and will spend her inaugural season sailing itineraries in the Mediterranean and in Northern Europe.
"We are proud to welcome the newest sister ship to our award-winning ocean fleet,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman and CEO of Viking. “Together with Fincantieri we have built the world's most elegant small ocean ships. With the arrival of our newest vessel, we look forward to introducing even more curious travellers to the Viking way of exploration.”
Viking is working on a project for a partial hybrid propulsion system for future ocean ships based on liquid hydrogen and fuel cells, which could allow the company to operate at zero-emission in the Norwegian Fjords and other sensitive environments. While the Viking Vela has a traditional propulsion platform, she is considered hydrogen-ready and can be retrofitted in the future.
The delivery of the Viking Vela follows a string of recent accolades for the company. Viking was recently named Best River Cruise Operator and Best Luxury Ocean Cruise Operator at the prestigious Times and The Sunday Times Travel Awards 2024. In the most recent Telegraph 2023 Travel Awards Viking was awarded Best Boutique Ocean Line. Viking was rated #1 for Oceans, #1 for Rivers and #1 for Expeditions by Condé Nast Traveler in the 2024 Readers' Choice Awards for the second consecutive year. This achievement marked the first time a travel company won these three categories in back-to-back years. Viking was also named Best Luxury Line, Best Line for Couples and Best Line in the Mediterranean in U.S. News & World Report's 2025 Best Cruise Lines ranking for the fourth consecutive year. Viking's ocean ships have been rated and “Recommended” as part of the Forbes Travel Guide 2024 Star Awards, an annual independent evaluation for luxury travel brands. Additionally, Viking received seven awards at the 2023 Cruise Critic Editors' Picks Awards—more than any other line—across the luxury, river and expedition categories.
Booking Details
To make a booking or for more information call 0800 458 69 00 or go to www.viking.com
ENDS
Viking media contacts:
Viking UK Press Office: ukpressoffice@viking.com
Bryony Gammon: bryony.gammon@viking.com
Carys Bedford: carys.bedford@viking.com
Emma Lepley: emma.lepley@viking.com
Telephone: +44 208 780 7945
About Viking
Viking (NYSE: VIK) offers culturally enriching, destination-focused river and ocean cruises for travellers curious about the world, its rich culture and varied history.
Viking takes its guests on curated, elegant voyages to some of the most iconic rivers in Europe, Africa and the Far East, allowing a unique window on inspiring destinations and rewarding experiences. Viking revolutionised river cruising with the introduction of its state-of-the-art Viking Longships which, since their introduction in 2012, now make up 80 percent of its river fleet.
In 2015 Viking debuted its maiden season of ocean cruising and in April 2023 Viking took delivery of its newest ocean ship, Viking Saturn, making it the largest small ship travel company. The sophisticated state-of-the-art Viking ocean ships can accommodate 930 guests on itineraries all across the world.
Viking has expanded its destination-focused travel experiences with the launch of new expedition voyages. Viking Expeditions began sailing in January 2022 with its first vessel, Viking Octantis, embarking on voyages to Antarctica and North America's Great Lakes. A second expedition vessel, Viking Polaris, launched in September 2022. Viking's custom-built vessel, Viking Mississippi, debuted offering voyages on the Lower and Upper Mississippi, between New Orleans and St. Paul.
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