Fincantieri has entered into a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with VikingOcean Cruises for the construction of two new cruise ships, with an option for additional two at a later date.

This latest arrangement brings the total number of ocean ships ordered from Fincantieri by VikingOcean Cruises to eight, however financing and various other customary closing conditions still need to be fulfilled before the deal is complete.

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The planned newbuilds are set to be the sister ships of VikingOcean’s Viking Star-class vessels, and are scheduled for delivery by 2021 and 2022 respectively.

Fincantieri CEO Giuseppe Bono said: “The extraordinary moment of the cruise sector is continuing, and with this announcement Fincantieri reaffirms its worldwide leadership in the segment.

“The series, which began with the Viking Star prototype, reaches eight ships with these additional units, with the possibility to grow further thanks to the expansion plans of this dynamic cruise company.

"The series reaches eight ships with these additional units, with the possibility to grow further thanks to the expansion plans of this dynamic cruise company."

“As worldwide river cruise leader, Viking decided to enter the ocean cruise segment through a startup together with Fincantieri as shipbuilder, achieving a huge success.”

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Fincantieri delivered Viking Star, the first ship built for Viking Ocean Cruises, in 2015.

The second and the third ships of the same series, Viking Sea and Viking Sky, were launched from Fincantieri’s shipyard in Ancona, Italy in early 2016 and early this year respectively.

Viking Sun is the fourth ship being built by Fincantieri for VikingOcean and is expected to be delivered later this year, while the fifth ship, Viking Spirit, is planned to be delivered by next year.

The sixth, as-of-yet unnamed ship in the series is currently slated for delivery by 2019.

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