Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard has launched Viking Ocean Cruises’ first ship, Viking Star, during a float out ceremony held outside Venice, Italy.
The new 930-passenger all-veranda Viking Star is the first of the three cruise ships on order with the shipyard. It has been designed by SMC Design of London, while its interior was managed by Rottet Studio in Los Angeles.
Following the float out, the ship will move into the fitting-out and interior build-out stages.
Viking Cruises chairman Torstein Hagen said the float out is one step closer to launching a new era of ocean cruising.
“Viking Star’s maiden season was sold out before she even touched water, which just demonstrates how enthusiastic our guests are for destination-focused ocean cruises,” Hagen said.
“It is this enthusiasm that has led us to place orders for two additional sister ships, Viking Sea and Viking Sky.”
Classified by Cruise Critic as a small ship, the 47,800t Viking Star will have 465 cabins and is planned to perform its maiden voyages in Scandinavia and the Baltic; and the Western and Eastern Mediterranean.
The new cruise ship features energy-efficient hybrid engines, hydro-dynamically optimised streamlined hulls and bows for maximum fuel efficiency, onboard solar panels and equipment to lower exhaust pollution, while meeting the environmental regulations.
Viking Sea and Viking Sky, the second and third ships in the series, are slated for delivery in the spring and summer of 2016 respectively.
Image: Viking Star cruise ship during float out. Photo: courtesy of Viking River Cruises.
