In early April, Viking Line initiated an open competition to find a name for its new cruise ship. Altogether 22 486 suggestions were received from Sweden, Finland, Åland and the rest of the world. Following the challenging work carried out by the jury, Viking Line has selected ten finalist entries and now invites the public to vote for their favourite. The voting started on May 8.

The year 2021 will denote the beginning of a new era of cruise experiences on the Baltic Sea as Viking Line launches its new climate-smart ship. The ship, which will sail the route between Turku, Finland and Stockholm, Sweden, is currently under construction in Xiamen, China. Meanwhile, Viking line is seeking a name for the new ship with the help of cruise enthusiasts.

"The name of a ship is significant in reflecting both tradition and future expectations. Many of our ships have historically carried a name with an ending -ella to honour Mrs Ellen Eklund, the spouse of the company's founder Gunnar Eklund. However, we have broken with the tradition, most recently in 2013 with the Viking Grace, so we are not stuck with any particular type of name. It is incredibly delightful that as many as 22 486 individuals all over the world contributed to the name competition and we find all of the ten finalist entries as highly worthy alternatives," explains Gustaf Eklund, Head of Business Development at Viking Line, in charge of the development of the new vessel.

Yesterday, on May 8, Viking Line's name competition proceeded to the voting phase and the public is invited to vote for their favourite among the selected finalist entries. The voting is open until 19 May, and the name of the new ship will be announced on 27 May. The winning name will decorate the most climate-smart cruise ship sailing on the Baltic Sea, and the inventor of the name will be awarded a trip for two on her maiden voyage as the main prize in the competition.