After signing agreements in recent weeks for the construction of two cruise ships for Marella Cruises and other two cruise ships for Aida Cruises, preceded by a order for four large cruise ships for NCLH, the Fincantieri has signed another agreement for the construction of other two cruise ships for the American Viking, plus an option for a further two units. The Italian company specified that the value of the contract is between 500 million and a billion euros.

The new units, which will be delivered in 2031, having a gross tonnage of about 54,300 tons will be positioned in the segment of small cruise ships and will be able to accommodate 998 passengers in 499 cabins.

In addition to today's announcement of the new orders, Fincantieri and Viking have announced that the Viking Libra, the cruise currently under construction at the facility Fincantieri of Ancona with delivery to Viking scheduled for the end of 2026, will be the world's first cruise unit powered by hydrogen stored on board, used both for the propulsion and for the generation of electrical energy on board. Also Viking Libra, with a gross tonnage of about 54,300 tons and a length of 239 meters, it will be able to accommodate up to to 998 people in 499 cabins and, being able to sail and operating with zero emissions, will also be able to access the most environmentally sensitive.

Viking Libra will be equipped, in fact, with a new latest generation hydrogen propulsion system which, combined with advanced fuel cell technology, it will be capable of generating up to six megawatts of power, establishing a new standard for industry decarbonization efforts. Viking's later cruise ship, Viking Astrea, also currently under construction at the Ancona plant and delivery scheduled for 2027, it will be powered by hydrogen.

Viking Libra will be equipped with new solutions for the loading and storage of hydrogen directly on board thanks to to a containerized system designed to overcome the current supply chain criticalities. Hydrogen It will power a membrane fuel cell system polymer electrolyte (PEM), specifically optimized for cruise operations, designed and built by Isotta Fraschini Motori (IFM), a subsidiary of Fincantieri and specialized in in advanced fuel cell technologies.