The Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri secured an order from Viking for the construction of two expedition vessels. In addition, the two companies also signed an agreement for an option for two ocean ships.
The value of these agreements, subject to financing and other typical terms and conditions, is considered very important. For Fincantieri, a “very important” cruise agreement is an agreement valued at over €2bln.
The two expedition vessels, scheduled for delivery in 2030 and 2031, will be sister ships to Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, both built by Fincantieri’s Norwegian subsidiary Vard and delivered in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
The new units will be delivered from Fincantieri’s Palermo shipyard.
Each vessel will accommodate 378 guests in 189 staterooms and will be certified “Polar Class 6” for safe operations in polar regions.
The vessels, designed to navigate remote areas and the St. Lawrence River, will feature straight bows, extended hulls and cutting‑edge fin stabilizers, while ice-strengthened structures will enable safe sailing in extreme environments. In addition, U-tank stabilizers will significantly reduce rolling when the ship is stationary.
The two additional ocean ship options, both scheduled for delivery in 2034, will be placed in the upper premium ship segment and will follow the same design philosophy and technical standards as the vessels already built by Fincantieri or under construction in its Italian yards.
This latest order further reinforces a strong partnership dating back to 2012, which now encompasses a total of 26 ships.
Pierroberto Folgiero, chief executive officer and managing director of Fincantieri, commented: “This agreement with Viking represents a development of strong, strategic and industrial value for our Group. The decision to build these vessels in Palermo further consolidates the shipyard’s role as a fully integrated production center within our Italian industrial system, confirming the structural growth path undertaken in recent years.”
