STX Europe unit STX France has signed a contract with Viking Ocean Cruises, a subsidiary of Viking River Cruises, to build a pair of luxury cruise ships and a next-generation offshore patrol vessel for the Finnish Border Guard.
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Viking Ocean Cruises is also considering to sign an option for a third ship.
Each of the vessels ordered by the company will have a length of 230m and a width of 26.5m, and will be able to accommodate 888 passengers in 444 cabins along with 444 crew members.
They will be similarly designed with destination cruising in mind, the company said.
Construction of the first vessel is expected to start in mid-September 2012, while construction of the second vessel is expected to start in mid-September 2013.
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By GlobalDataThe vessel pair will be delivered in early 2014 and early 2015, respectively. After delivery they will operate as part of Viking’s new Ocean Cruise brand.
The vessels will be operated on the Mediterranean and cater to Viking’s US, UK and Australian customers.
The contract is subject to financing.
Viking River Cruise currently operates a fleet of 23 river vessels. The company has ordered an additional eight river cruise vessels, which are under construction.
In addition STX Europe’s subsidiary STX Finland has signed a contract with the Finnish Border Guard for construction of a next-generation offshore patrol vessel.
The patrol vessel will have a length of 96 metres and width of 17 metres and will be capable of serving a large variety of functions.
The vessel will be built at the STX Rauma shipyard and is expected to be delivered to the Finnish Border Guard in November 2013.
After delivery the vessel will be used for open sea patrol ensuring border safety and serving defence purposes as well as for prevention of environmental damage, search and rescue, and different underwater assignments.
It will be equipped with machinery using liquefied natural gas (LNG) and marine diesel as fuel and equipped to operate in Baltic Sea ice conditions.
The vessel has been designed with energy and safe operation features to operate in 0different accident situations.
STX Finland EVP & COO Timo Suistio said, “Ships built for the Finnish Border Guard and Navy are an important part of STX Finland’s continuous development and introduction of new technologies.”
STX Finland has three shipyards in Finland which include Turku shipyard, Rauma shipyard and Arctech Helsinki Shipyard.
Image caption: STX Finland to build an environment friendly offshore patrol vessel for Finnish Border Guard equipped to operate in Baltic Sea ice conditions.
