Viking Ocean Cruises, which is an affiliate of Viking River Cruises, opted for a larger design as it switched the project from STX France to Fincantieri in Italy.
The two ships will be of about 45,000gross ton and will host 998 passengers in 499 cabins. The first ship is scheduled for delivery in late 2014, the second one in late 2015, Fincantieri said in a statement today as the two companies signed a memorandum of agreement regarding their construction.
On 21 December, STX France described the projected ships by saying that they will have a length of 230m and a width of 26.5m. They will each include 888 passengers in 444 cabins with a complement of 444 crew members. Their gross tonnage was given as 35,000 in the shipping media.
“The ship designed by Fincantieri has a fresh and innovative design well suited to our commitment to destination cruising," said Torstein Hagen, Chief Executive Officer and founder of Viking in the Fincantieri statement.
