Viking Ocean Cruises and Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri have signed an agreement for the construction of two additional cruise ships.
The new units, like the four sister ships which the ship owner has already ordered, will become part of Viking’s fleet respectively in mid-2018 and at the end of 2020, Fincantieri said.
The contract is expected to be operational once the technical and financial conditions will be defined. The value of the deal has not been disclosed.
In May 2013, Viking Cruises, which had specialized purely in river cruises, announced the launch of a new small-ship ocean cruising division, which began with the maiden season of Viking Star in spring of 2015, and features Baltic and Mediterranean itineraries.
In 2016 and 2017, the Viking Star will be joined by two sister ships, the Viking Sea and Viking Sky. Technical and financial conditions are still being defined for the fourth ship option.
These additional units, too, will be built for ocean cruises: at about 47,800 gross tons, having 465 cabins, and being able to accommodate 930 passengers on board with a total capacity of over 1,400 people, including the crew.
Fincantieri said that the ships will be built according to the latest navigation regulations and equipped with modern safety systems, including the “Safe return to port”.
The two new units will be designed by Fincantieri, while the interior fittings, will be assigned to Rottet Studio of Los Angeles and to SMC Design of London.
Fincantieri has built 70 cruise ships since 1990 (47 since 2002) and other 14 ships are currently being designed or built in the group’s yards.