Viking Vela, the first of a new series of cruise ships that Fincantieri is building for the shipowner Viking, has been floated out today at the shipyard in Ancona. The delivery is scheduled for late 2024.
Bild: Fincantieri
The unit will be placed in the small cruise ship segment. She will have a gross tonnage of about 54,300 tons, will be equipped with 499 cabins and will be able to accommodate 998 passengers on board.
The Viking ships are built according to the latest navigation and safety regulations, are equipped with high-efficiency engines and systems that minimize the pollution of exhaust gases and that meet the strictest environmental regulations.
Mit dem Bau und dem Stapellauf der Viking Osiris, dem ersten von Grund auf von Viking gebauten Nilschiff, hat Viking sein Flusskreuzfahrtprogramm auf dem ägyptischen Nil aufgewertet. John Roberts berichtet.
Viking hat sein „Pharaonen & Pyramiden“-Programm, eine 12-tägige Route zu einigen der historischsten Stätten Ägyptens, schon seit Jahren mit Charterschiffen und den renovierten Schiffen MS Antares (62 Passagiere) und Viking Ra (48 Passagiere) durchgeführt. Mit der Viking Osiris erhalten die Kreuzfahrer jetzt jedoch ein geräumiges Schiff für 82 Passagiere, das vom Bug bis zum Heck den unverwechselbaren Viking-Touch hat. Die Viking Osiris verfügt über das elegante skandinavische Design und die Einrichtungen, die man auf den Fluss-, Hochsee- und Expeditionsschiffen der Reederei findet.
Foto: John RobertsFoto: John RobertsFoto: John RobertsAquavit Terrace, Foto: VIKING
Die öffentlichen Bereiche sind offen und luftig, lassen die Sonne herein und verbinden das Innere des Schiffes mit dem Ausblick nach draußen, während man auf dem Nil unterwegs ist. Das Schiff hat den Charakter eines Boutique-Hotels. Das ist beabsichtigt, sagt der Designer Richard Riveire, einer der Gründer von Rottet Studio, der an Dutzenden von Viking-Schiffen gearbeitet hat. Das Mitteldeck beherbergt die Lobby und den Gästeservicebereich. Die Gäste können durch die Glasdecke drei Etagen nach oben blicken. Dieses Atrium ist ein beeindruckend, es bietet Kunstwerke, einen Sitzbereich und eine Kaffee- und Gebäckstation.
Auf dem Oberdeck gibt es einen kleinen Laden, in dem Souvenirs und Kleidung mit dem Viking-Logo verkauft werden, sowie einen gemütlichen Sitzbereich im Atrium in der Mitte des Schiffes. An diesen Bereich schließt sich achtern das Restaurant an, das Hauptrestaurant mit einem gemischten Buffet- und Menüangebot zum Frühstück und Mittagessen und einer wechselnden Speisekarte mit einer Mischung aus Klassikern und regionalen Spezialitäten zum Abendessen.
Das Pool Deck ist der wichtigste Ort für soziale Aktivitäten auf der Viking Osiris. Hier oben treffen sich die Passagiere in der The Lounge, einem riesigen Bereich mit Sofas, Stühlen, Tischen, einer großen Bar, Piano-Unterhaltung und einer Tanzfläche im vorderen Teil des Schiffes. Dies ist der beste Ort für Cocktails und Gespräche mit neuen Freunden oder um einfach die Aussicht zu genießen. Hier werden Vorträge zur Bereicherung des Wissens angeboten, und der Raum ist mit Kunst und Fotos aus der Sammlung des Fifth Earl of Carnarvon ausgestattet, der Howard Carter bei der Suche nach dem Grab von König Tutanchamun vor einem Jahrhundert am meisten unterstützt hat….
Viking and Fincantieri cooperate on hydrogen fuel cell test
“Viking Neptune”, the newest ocean cruise ship which Fincantieri has built for the shipowner Viking, has been delivered today at the shipyard in Ancona. The unit is placed in the small cruise ship segment. As its sister ships, she is about 47,800 tons, with 465 cabins to accommodate up to 930 passengers.
“Viking Neptune”, ninth of this class, marks a quantum leap in the longstanding cooperation between Viking and Fincantieri for designing, delivering and operating environmentally considerate cruise vessels. The two companies, indeed, keep on cooperating for developing pioneering applications based on hydrogen fuel cells, aiming to achieve an increasing reduction of GHG emissions.
“Viking Neptune” embodies the first result of such cooperation, as a hydrogen fuel cell module, with a nominal power of 100 kW, has been fitted on board as a test. Such installation is particularly important for tuning technological devices and developing rules and regulations for use of hydrogen on board a cruise vessel.
„Viking Saturn“ und „Viking Neptune“ im Sommer 2022, (Archiv), Foto: Jens Meyer
This year Viking and Fincantieri have also strengthen their collaboration going beyond the joint R&D activity and aiming to develop large scale hydrogen applications, significantly contributing to the reduction of GHG emissions of the vessels. As a first step the two companies have designed an enlarged vessel configuration (to be applied to the vessels to be delivered after 2024), defining spaces and arrangements for accommodating the increased size of hydrogen tank, the fuel cell systems and relevant auxiliaries. The second step will be the development of a hydrogen-based generation system with a total power of about 6-7 MW, (the largest size ever tested on board a cruise vessel) and able to ensure smokeless port operation and slow steaming navigation. Such systems, once finalized, could be installed on the vessels under construction and, as far as possible, retrofitted on the vessels already delivered.
With such joint project of cooperation, Viking and Fincantieri aim to maintain a position of technological leadership and to contribute to the future development of even more environmentally considerate cruise vessels
Mit der Viking Saturn hat seit Donnerstag (23. Juni) die zehnte Einheit einer Serie von 47800-BRZ-Kreuzfahrtschiffen Wasser unter dem Kiel, die der Fincantieri-Werftbetrieb in Ancona für die Reederei Viking Cruises baut. In Anwesenheit des Reedereigründers und Vorsitzenden Torstein Hagen und Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO von Fincantieri, wurde das Baudock der Werft geflutet, nachdem zuvor Elena Del Mastro, eine Mitarbeiterin der Werft, als Taufpatin des Neubaus fungiert hatte.
Foto: Fincantieri
Wie die Vorbauten wurde die Viking Saturn von erfahrenen Schiffsarchitekten und Ingenieuren entworfen, darunter ein Team von Innenarchitekten aus den in Los Angeles ansässigen Rottet Studios und dem in London ansässigen SMC Design, die dem für 830 Gäste in 465 Kabinen ausgelegten Neubau ein skandinavisch inspiriertes Design verliehen haben, das sich durch raffinierte und zugleich funktionale Eleganz auszeichnet. Neben den Vollverandakabinen verfügt das Schiff über geräumige Suiten mit weitem Ausblick, zwei Pools, davon ein Infinity-Pool am Heck, zahlreiche Möglichkeiten zum Essen im Freien und ein nach der Wellness-Philosophie der skandinavischen Tradition gestaltetes Spa mit Sauna und Schneegrotte.
Foto: Fincantieri
Die Viking-Schiffe sind alle nach den neuesten Schifffahrtsvorschriften gebaut und mit den modernsten Sicherheitssystemen ausgestattet, einschließlich der „sicheren Rückkehr in den Hafen“(SRtP). Außerdem verfügen sie über energieeffiziente Motoren, eine optimierte Hydrodynamik und einen Rumpf, der den Verbrauch senkt, sowie über Systeme, die die Abgasverschmutzung minimieren und hohe Umweltvorschriften erfüllen.
Nachdem die Viking Mars am 12. Mai dieses Jahres als achte Einheit der Serie an den Auftraggeber abgeliefert worden war, befindet sich die im am 13. Januar d.J. aufgeschwommene Viking Neptune als 9. Schwesterschiff zur Übergabe im November derzeit am Ausrüstungskai der Werft. Mit der Ablieferung des Täuflings wird im Frühjahr 2023 gerechnet. JPM
Auf der Laship-Werft in Houma im amerikanischen Louisiana wurde jetzt die Viking Mississippi zu Wasser gelassen, das erste Flusskreuzfahrtschiff von Viking Cruises auf diesem Fluss. Das im skandinavischen Design entworfene Schiff soll in 193 Kabinen 393 Gästen Platz bieten.
Foto: VikingFoto: Viking
Torstein Hagen, CEO und Chairman von Viking, freute sich über den Neuzuwachs seiner Flotte. „Es ist ein stolzer Moment für uns. Unsere Gäste wollten schon seit langer Zeit einmal auf dem Mississippi reisen.“ Es wird, so Hagen, der erste Kreuzfahrtneubau auf dem Fluss sein. Ab dem Sommer sollen die ersten Reisen mit der Viking Mississippi beginnen.
Foto: Viking
Die Fahrten sollen auf dem Fluss durch sieben US-Staaten führen: Louisiana (Baton Rouge, New Orleans and St. Francisville), Mississippi (Natchez und Vicksburg), Tennessee (Memphis), Missouri (Hannibal, St. Louis), Iowa (Burlington, Davenport), Wisconsin (La Crosse), und Minnesota (Red Wing und St. Paul).
Viking Neptune”, the newest ocean cruise ship which Fincantieri is building for the shipowner Viking, has been floated outtoday at the shipyard in Ancona.
Foto: Fincantieri
The unit will be placed in the small cruise ship segment. As its sister ships, she is about 47,800 tons, 465 cabins with accommodation for 930 passengers.
Foto: Fincantieri
“Viking Neptune”, eighth of this class, has been designed by experienced naval architects and engineers, including an interior design team of London-based SMC Design, and Los Angeles-based Rottet Studios, who gave the ship a modern design of Scandinavian inspiration, characterized by sophisticated yet functional elegance. In addition to the all-veranda staterooms, the ship also has spacious suites with sweeping views, two pools, of which one infinity pool off the stern, abundant options for al fresco dining, and a spa designed according to the wellness philosophy of the Scandinavian tradition, with a sauna and a snow grotto.
The Viking units are all built according to the latest navigation regulations and equipped with the most modern safety systems, including the “safe return to port”. They also feature energy-efficient engines, optimized hydrodynamics and hull thereby reducing consumption, as well as systems which minimize pollution produced by exhaust gases, meeting the strictest environmental regulations.
Fincantieri started its partnership with Viking in 2012, trusting the shipowner who was entering the ocean cruise market as a start-up. Today, the cooperation which first began with an order for two ships, has reached a total of 20 units, including the order awarded to Vard for two expedition cruise ships, “Viking Octantis” and “Viking Polaris,” and the options. This is an all-time record, the largest number of units ordered to a shipbuilder by one sole shipowner.
Other 9 units, options included, will take to the sea from the Group’s Italian yards in the next years.
Fincantieri has delivered in Søviknes (Norway) “Viking Octantis”, the first of two expedition vessels for Viking.
“Viking Octantis”, as well as her sister ship “Viking Polaris”, to be delivered next year, can host 378 guests in 189 staterooms. The ships have the “Polar Class 6” certification for expeditions in the polar regions, and they have the size to navigate remote areas and the St. Lawrence River and provide superior handling and stability in rough seas. Straight bows, longer hulls and state-of-the-art fin stabilizers will allow the ships to glide over the waves for the calmest possible journey, ice-strengthened hulls will provide the safest way to explore and u-tank stabilizers will significantly decrease rolling by up to 50% when the ships are stationary.
Foto: Fincantieri
Designed by the same experienced nautical architects and engineers that designed Viking’s ocean ships, these new vessels feature modern Scandinavian design, intimate spaces and attention to detail, as well as public spaces that are favorites on Viking’s ocean ships and new spaces created specifically for expeditions.
Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri, commented: “This result reaffirms our ability to perform very well all over the world even in a situation as complex as the current one. Suffice it to say that “Viking Octantis” is the ninth cruise unit completed in 2021 in our domestic and foreign sites, without forgetting the deliveries for the US Navy, 2 this year, in the American shipyards. Fincantieri is a Group with a global vocation, which consolidates the leadership positions it has acquired and imposes its own successful production model on four continents”.
Fincantieri started its partnership with Viking in 2012, trusting the shipowner who was entering the ocean cruise market as a start-up. Today, the cooperation which first began with an order for two ships, has reached a total of 20 units, including “Viking Octantis” and “Viking Polaris” and the options. This is an all-time record, the largest number of units ordered to a shipbuilder by one sole shipowner.
Other 9 units, options included, will take to the sea from the Group’s Italian yards in the next years.
New 930-Guest Viking Venus Welcomed to Fleet with Celebration at Sea in the English Channel
Viking® (www.viking.com) today named its newest ocean ship, Viking Venus®, with a celebration at sea in the English Channel as the ship set sail for her inaugural voyage. As part of the intimate event, the ship’s ceremonial godmother, revered British journalist and broadcaster Anne Diamond, offered a blessing of good fortune and safe sailing for the ship—a naval tradition that dates back thousands of years.
Foto: VIKING
In addition to commemorating Viking Venus as the company’s newest ocean ship, today’s event was also an important milestone as Viking returns to service following 14 months of paused operations. This Saturday, May 22, guests will embark Viking Venus in Portsmouth for the first of five roundtrip sailings of the England’s Scenic Shores itinerary in May and June. Part of Viking’s Welcome Back collection, the eight-day voyages also call in Liverpool, the Isles of Scilly, Falmouth and Portland. Anne Diamond will also join guests for the first three sailings of England’s Scenic Shores and will serve as a guest lecturer with her presentation about the untold story of British radar inventors, including her father, during World War II. Anne’s presentation will also be featured on Viking.TV in the future. Following her time in England, Viking Venus will then sail to Malta, where she will homeport for new Welcome Back voyages in the Mediterranean this summer and fall.
Delivered in April 2021 at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Ancona, Italy, Viking Venus is the newest vessel to join Viking’s ocean fleet of identical sister ships, which also includes Viking Star®, Viking Sea®, Viking Sky®, Viking Orion® and Viking Jupiter®. Classified by Cruise Critic as “small ships,” Viking’s ocean vessels have a gross tonnage of 47,800 tons and with 465 all veranda staterooms that accommodate 930 guests, the ships feature clean, minimalist Scandinavian design, airy public spaces filled with natural light and abundant al fresco dining options.
“Today is one of the proudest days in Viking’s nearly 24-year history. When we became the first cruise line to suspend operations in March 2020, we certainly did not know it would be 14 months before guests would be welcomed back on board. Now, we are among the first to set sail again—and with our industry-leading health and safety protocols in place, we believe there is no safer way to travel the world than on a Viking voyage,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking. “On behalf of the entire Viking family, we are delighted to celebrate the naming of our newest ship in England. We are also grateful to her godmother, Anne Diamond, for her many journalistic and selfless contributions—as well as for her tireless efforts fostering a community on Viking.TV each week for more than a year.”
“It is a huge honor to be chosen as godmother to Viking Venus and to be officially part of the Viking family. Over my many years as a journalist I have reported and been part of many historic events, but I never dreamt I would be godmother to an ocean ship or that I would be celebrating the occasion with my family and friends on board the beautiful Viking Venus on the very first day that we are able to cruise again in the UK,” said Anne Diamond. “It is an unforgettable experience, especially as it marks Viking’s global restart. I am looking forward to many more voyages with Viking, including the upcoming sailings of the England’s Scenic Shores itinerary. I am also looking forward to another year interviewing some of the world’s most fascinating people on Viking.TV.”
Anne continued: “I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of the whole Viking family, to thank Torstein and Karine Hagen. They have worked tirelessly over the past 14 months to ensure that hope has stayed on the horizon and to keep their guests and crew connected and entertained. I find it both reassuring and inspirational to see the lengths to which Viking has gone to ensure that we can all start exploring the world again safely. Welcome back to everyone at Viking—here’s to brighter days ahead. As they say at sea, ‘I wish you, your guests and crew fair winds and following seas as you return to service.’”
Foto: VIKING
During the naming ceremony festivities this evening, the group of invited guests on board Viking Venus enjoyed scenic sailing along the coast of England, and exclusively recorded concerts from artists that included Sissel Kyrkjebø, one of the world’s leading crossover sopranos and godmother of Viking Jupiter; violinist Tor Jaran Apold; and acclaimed English boys choir LIBERA. In keeping with the naming custom, Anne assisted in breaking a bottle of Norwegian aquavit on the ship’s hull—using an historic Viking broad axe to cut a ribbon that symbolically held the bottle in place. The event also honored today, May 17, as Norwegian Constitution Day and paid tribute to the Nordic spirit of exploration. Additionally, after speeches by Chairman Hagen and Anne, guests were treated to the unveiling of a custom “Air Fountain” by artist Daniel Wurtzel, which was specifically designed and installed in the ship’s Atrium for the event. Best known for his kinetic sculptures and installations using air and lightweight materials that fly, Wurtzel has shown his artworks at the Musée Rodin, the Grand Palais in Paris, the Tate Modern Turbine Hall and the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.
Anne Diamond, Godmother of Viking Venus
Anne Diamond is best known for her pioneering work on morning shows in the United Kingdom during the 1980s—along with a legendary career in frontline television that has lasted for more than 40 years. From the fall of the Berlin Wall, Australia’s bicentenary and the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, to interviews with Bette Davis, Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh—Anne’s impressive journalistic journey has made her a household name. She has also been an inspirational campaigner, having pioneered the 1991 UK cot death campaign, following the death of her own son, Sebastian. The campaign saved over 20,000 babies’ lives and has inspired other life-saving campaigns worldwide. She is the only non-medic ever to hold the Medal of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
For more than a year, Anne has been a key figure on Viking’s award-winning enrichment channel, Viking.TV (www.viking.tv). Viking.TV went live in March 2020, in the early stages of the pandemic, and was conceived as a way to build community, stay connected and share positive experiences while people are staying home, rather than traveling. Every Thursday since the launch of Viking.TV, Anne has interviewed a wide spectrum of significant figures with relationships to Viking, including world-renowned cellist and humanitarian Yo-Yo Ma; Xander Parish, principal ballet dancer at the Mariinsky Theatre; the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon; the Duke of Devonshire; explorer Robin Hanbury-Tenison, OBE; former PBS MASTERPIECE Executive Producer Rebecca Eaton, OBE; Downton Abbey’s “Mrs. Patmore,” actress Lesley Nicol; polar explorers Liv Arnesen and Ann Bancroft; NASA astronauts Dr. Anna Fisher, Dr. Kathryn Sullivan and Dr. Richard Michael Linnehan; classical musicians Alma and Helen Deutscher; legendary British actor, broadcaster and writer Sir Michael Palin; celebrity chefs Eric Ripert, Andreas Viestad and Ainsley Harriot, MBE; bestselling authors Jeffrey Archer, Claire Cook, Robert Harris and Paul Schneider; and Kyle MacLachlan, Sofia Helin and Alexander Eik, the lead actors and the creator of the new PBS MASTERPIECE series, Atlantic Crossing.
Welcome Back Voyages
Today’s milestone follows Viking’s recent announcements about how it is restarting operations with Welcome Back ocean voyages exclusively for vaccinated guests in England, Iceland, Bermuda and Malta. The company is actively working on developing additional Welcome Back itineraries in a variety of other destinations, with the goal of announcing further 2021 sailings as soon as government approvals are given.
Those who sail these new voyages will also experience Viking’s industry-leading health and safety program. Grounded in scientific research, the Viking Health & Safety Program was developed in partnership with an international team of medical advisors, including Raquel C. Bono, M.D., Viking’s Chief Health Officer. Dr. Bono is a board-certified trauma surgeon and retired Vice Admiral of the United States Navy Medical Corps—and most recently led Washington State’s medical and healthcare systems response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizing a full-scale laboratory installed on every Viking ocean ship, all guests and crew will receive frequent quick and easy non-invasive saliva PCR tests. New air purification technology has also been installed on all Viking ships, which have always featured independent air handling units for all guest staterooms. And additional health checks, sanitization and physical distancing measures will provide further protection for Viking guests and crew at all points of the journey. A complete overview of the Viking Health & Safety Program can be found at: www.viking.com/health-safety.
Die Reederei Viking Ocean Cruises wird ab Juli wieder Flagge im Mittelmeer zeigen: Mit ihrem jüngsten Neubau, der erst am 15. April von der Fincantieri Werft in Ancona abgelieferten und am 17. Mai in England von der Journalistin Anne Diamond zu taufenden Viking Venus (BRZ: 47842) und dem 2016 erbauten Schwesterschiff Viking Sea sollen zwischen Juli und Anfang Oktober dieses Jahres von dem maltesischen Basishafen Valletta aus 11-tägige Rundreisen für geimpfte Gäste auf zwei verschiedenen Routen geboten werden.
Valletta, Foto: enapress.com
Wie das zur 1997 von Torstein Hagen gegründeten Reederei Viking Cruises gehörende und seit 2015 in der Hochseekreuzfahrt unter norwegischer Flagge tätige Unternehmen am 6. Mai mitteilte, werden im Rahmen der „Welcome Back“ Reise-Collection auf der neuen Route „Malta & Adriatic Jewels“ nach einem Übernacht-Aufenthalt in Valletta Montenegro und Kroatien mit Stopps in Kotor, Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar und Sibenik angelaufen, bevor es auf der Rückreise zum maltesischen Archipel mit einem Anlauf in Gozo zurück nach Valletta geht.
Santorin, Foto: enapress.com
Für Gäste der neuen Alternativ-Reise „Greek Isles Discovery“ gehrt es ebenfalls nach einem Übernacht-Aufenthalt in Valletta in Richtung Griechenland, wobei Kalamata, Piräus, Santorini, Rhodos und Souda Bay angelaufen wird, bevor die Reise wieder in Valletta endet. Dabei profitieren alle Gäste von dem „Health & Safety-Programm der Reederei, das u.a. tägliche PCR-Tests für Gäste und Crew-Mitglieder einschließt. Erst kürzlich hatte die Reederei die Aufnahme von „Welcome Back“-Reisen für England, Island und die Bermudas ab Mai angekündigt Weitere Reisen in diesem Jahr in diese und andere Destinationen sollen folgen, sobald die Freigabe durch die jeweiligen Regierungen vorliegt. JPM
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