Viking Ocean Cruises, sister company of Viking River Cruises , has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Fincantieri, an Italian shipbuilding firm, for construction of two new luxury 45,000-ton ocean cruise ships.
The memorandum also includes an option for a third vessel. The vessels each will carry 998 passengers in 499 cabins.
Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking, said: “We started Viking River Cruises to offer great destination experiences, and we are excited to bring this same destination focus back to ocean cruising. The ship designed by Fincantieri has a fresh and innovative design well suited to deliver the award-winning Viking experience.”
Giuseppe Bono, Fincantieri’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are delighted and honored having been selected by Viking Ocean Cruises to build such an innovative project.”
The first ship is scheduled for delivery in late 2014, the second one in late 2015.