Viking has announced it will welcome an additional 10 Viking Longships to its river fleet in 2025 and 2026. To meet strong demand for European river voyages, eight of the new vessels will sail Viking’s itineraries on the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers, while two additional ships will join the fleet on France’s Seine River.
Five of the new vessels will be delivered in 2025, with the remaining five to be delivered in 2026. To officially mark the start of construction on all 10 ships, a keel laying ceremony was held this week at Neptun Werft shipyard in Rostock, Germany, where all Viking Longships have been built since their debut in 2012.
Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen. (Photo Credit: Viking)
“Ever since we started Viking 26 years ago, our mission has been to help our guests explore the world in comfort. We focus on the destination, and we build elegant, innovative ships,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking. “We look forward to welcoming these new Longships to our European fleet and introducing The Viking Way of exploration to even more guests in the coming years.
With a current fleet of 80 river ships and more than 50% of the market share for North American travellers, Viking is the industry’s leading river line. The Viking Longships, which comprise the vast majority of the company’s river fleet, host 190 or fewer guests.
Featuring an innovative patented design, the nearly identical vessels offer a wide variety of stateroom choices, the indoor/outdoor Aquavit Terrace and Viking’s signature Scandinavian design aesthetic. The new vessels will feature a hybrid propulsion system with batteries and be equipped for shore power to reduce reliance on fuel while in port. Onboard solar panels will further contribute to the ships’ energy efficiency.
Today’s announcement is the latest significant milestone for the company. Last month, Viking celebrated the float out of its newest ocean ship, the Viking Vela, which will debut in December 2024, and announced a new ship for the Mekong River in 2025, the Viking Tonle.
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