VIKING’S CHAIRMAN, TORSTEIN HAGEN, ORDERS TWO NEW “SPECIAL” OCEAN VESSELS, BUT WILL THEY BE ‘EXPEDITION’ DEPLOYED?
Viking Ocean Cruises, led by Chairman Torstein Hagen, and ship builder, VARD, recently announced they had signed a letter of intent for two “special” cruise ships with an option for two more. But we at CruisinWithTed.com, wonder why do they remain mum on the exact nature of this venture?
Roy Reite, CEO and Executive Director of VARD, commented: “It is our pleasure to work with Viking to develop a new series of cruise vessels. The company is well known for its expansion in river and ocean cruises, and they are now looking to Norway for the design and construction of its new cruise fleet. We are honored to be chosen as their partner in this exciting project, and look forward to continuing the excellent cooperation with the Viking team.”
“The vessels are developed by Vard Design in Norway in close cooperation with the customer,” said a press release. “High industry demand for the most environmentally friendly and safe operations is a key driver in the concept development process. Viking will be developing a series of advanced cruise vessels, designed to be among the most environmentally friendly ships.” Neither Vard nor Viking has said what sort of ships the vessels will be. But Vard specializes in expedition ships. The company currently is building expedition ships for Ponant and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.
This news is in addition to plans to grow the Viking Ocean fleet to 16 ships by 2027. Delivery dates are Q2 2021 and Q2 2022. The hulls will be built in Romania with final outfitting expected to take place in Norway. “
VARD’s majority shareholder is Fincantieri.
Even if your travel is already planned, its not too late to receive extra perks and amenities: Click here for Ted’s travel benefits, email hello@cruisinwithted.com, or call 954-290-8626.
Wait a minute, “special ships” hmmm…. What does this mean? Viking Cruises, with a global proliferation of river and growing fleet of ocean vessels now partnered with a Norwegian shipbuilder VARD which has more recently moved into the small ship ocean cruising business?
Vard did not describe the vessel type. However, the unit cost is roughly equal to the price that French luxury cruise line Ponant will pay to Vard for the world’s first icebreaking, LNG-fueled, hybrid-powered expedition cruise ship. Ponant’s 30,000 gross ton vessel will be built to take up to 270 passengers to the geographic North Pole. Vard disclosed the Ponant contract in December, and delivery is expected in 2021. LNG means Liquified Natural Gas, a more environmentally friendly fuel.
OK, you fill in the dots… Based on what we can see, Viking’s leader, Torsten Hagen, with a Forbes listed net worth over 2.2 billion dollars, makes a teaser ship-building announcement, coyly omitting the important details, until a more opportune time. The ships just happen to be built by the same company and at similar costs to highly touted expedition ships by other high end cruise lines. Tor already has an arsenal of ship plans for every major tributary known to man so it does not take a genius to figure out that the only areas left are the north and south poles and such remote venues as the Galapagos islands.
In the meantime, our vigilant team, at CruisinWithTed.com remain poised to pounce on any further peeps from our insider sources at Viking Cruise lines!
Read my informative blog on Ocean Cruise Packing and Preparation: OCEAN CRUISING ESSENTIAL PACKING TIPS.
MAKE YOUR VIKING CRUISE A TRULY MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE FROM START TO FINISH
We travel to explore, to learn, to understand. Viking Cruises’ intimate, inclusive cruise itineraries are designed to help you explore the nuances of your destination: its food, culture, people and customs; their impeccable on-board pampering will satisfy even the most discerning traveler. Add to this CruisinWithTed’s, Ted Karbowski’s white glove travel service, from your initial cruise planning through your cruise travel, and you have an irresistible combination.
When to Contact Us for Travel Assistance.
The best time to contact us is when you first start to plan your future travel. Go ahead and look over CruisinWithTed’s Exclusive Viking Website, for current itineraries and offers. Once you see a cruise that meets your interests, then contact us for help with your cruise. Remember to mention any promotions you might be aware of and any past guest or other offers for which you may qualify. Even if already booked you may qualify for Ted’s extra incentives! Call Ted at 954-290-8626 or a copy of your booking to: email hello@cruisinwithted.com or CruisinWithTed.com‘s free added incentives quote today
Find how Small-Ship Cruise Expert, CruisinWithTed.com can assist you with his decades of providing world travelers his special services on small ship and river cruising across the globe. Call Ted at 954-290-8626 or email hello@cruisinwithted.com.
REGISTER HERE TODAY, INCLUDE ANY TRAVEL INTERESTS AND EXISTING BOOKING NUMBERS FOR UP TO $500 PER PERSON IN NON CASH AMENITIES ON NEW AND EXISTING BOOKINGS.
