Viking Glory was ceremoniously christened today with traditional festivities in the Port of Turku. Jewellery designer Isabel Lennse from Stockholm smashed the bottle of champagne against the vessel’s shining new hull. She is the wife of Jakob Johansson, a member of Viking Line’s Board of Directors and the company’s largest shareholder.

The name Glory was chosen in a vessel-naming contest held three years ago. A total of 22,500 names were submitted from Finland, Sweden and other countries. More than 450 participants suggested the name Glory.

“I am grateful to be the godmother of this beautiful vessel. Being godmother also reinforces my family’s long-standing commitment to Viking Line. It is important to me that Viking Glory is one of the world’s most climate-smart passenger ships – the archipelago is very dear to our family,” says Isabel Lennse.

For more than a century, a bottle of champagne has been crushed against the hull of a vessel to keep it safe as it journeys across the world’s seas. Some believe the sparkling wine will placate the sea gods. This time, the sea gods will taste champagne that Essi Avellan, Master of Wine, has developed for Viking Line in partnership with the world-famous champagne house Piper-Heidsieck.

In another tradition associated with the christening of ships, Viking Line is commemorating the ship’s godmother with a piece of jewellery. Isabel Lennse received a Glory pendant made of gold designed by goldsmith Maria Karlström from the Åland-based firm Guldviva expressly for the christening. This timeless piece of Glory jewellery, with its maritime theme, is sold in silver on board Viking Glory.

In conjunction with the christening of the ship, Stefan Lindfors’ sculpture Under Ytan (‘Under the Surface’) was also unveiled. The work is part of the sculpture trilogy Havets teater (‘The Theatre of the Sea’), which is an homage to life at sea.

For Viking Line, the christening of the company’s new flagship is the happy culmination of a years-long project largely carried out under exceptional circumstances. The total price of the vessel, which was ordered in April 2017, is about 225 million euros.

“We succeeded in bringing home Viking Glory although there was also doubt in the air. This fantastic vessel exceeds all my expectations. It represents a brand-new generation of vessels and highlights the company’s origins in the archipelago in a fine way,” said Viking Line’s CEO, Jan Hanses.