Viking Ocean Cruises has signed a letter of intent with Vard Holdings, a subsidiary of the Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, for the design and construction of two cruise ships for, plus two more in option. The vessels, which will be delivered in Norway respectively in the second quarter of 2021 and in the second quarter of 2022, explains a note, will be the first that Vard will realize for Viking Ocean Cruises.

The value of the potential contract for the two vessels, which the parties undertake to finalize by the middle of this year, is about 460 million euros. The project will be developed by Vard Design in close collaboration with the customer, according to the highest safety standards and reduction of the environmental impact, factors that are increasingly important also in the cruise sector. The hulls will be laid down at Vard's Romanian yard. Upon completion, the units will be towed to its Norwegian facilities for final fitting and delivery. 

“It is our pleasure to work with Viking to develop a new series of cruise vessels. The company is well known for its expansion in river cruises and ocean cruises, and they are now looking to Norway for the design and construction of its new cruise fleet," said Vard CEO Roy Reite.

Starting from 2012, for the same shipowning group, Fincantieri has received orders for 10 units, 4 of which already delivered, with the remaining delivered by 2023. More recently, last March, Fincantieri, and Viking have reached an agreement for a further 6 ships, which extend the horizon of collaboration until 2027.