Viking takes delivery of its newest ship, the Viking Vela

Viking takes delivery of its newest ship, the Viking Vela
Edited by Travel Weekly


Viking has announced it has taken delivery of its newest ocean ship, the Viking Vela, when it was presented at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Ancona, Italy.

Classified as a small ship, as are all Viking ocean ships, the Viking Vela has 499 staterooms that hosts 998 guests. The ship joins the company’s growing fleet of award-winning ocean vessels and will spend her inaugural season sailing itineraries in the Mediterranean and in Northern Europe.

“We are proud to welcome the newest sister ship to our award-winning ocean fleet,” Viking chairman and CEO, Torstein Hagan, said. “Together with Fincantieri we have built the world’s most elegant small ocean ships. With the arrival of our newest vessel, we look forward to introducing even more curious travellers to the Viking way of exploration.”

Viking is working on a project for a partial hybrid propulsion system for future ocean ships based on liquid hydrogen and fuel cells, which could allow the company to operate at zero-emission in the Norwegian Fjords and other sensitive environments. While the Viking Vela has a traditional propulsion platform, she is considered hydrogen-ready and can be retrofitted in the future.

The delivery of the Viking Vela follows a string of recent accolades for the company. Viking was rated No.1 for Oceans, No.1 for Rivers and No.1 for Expeditions by Conde Nast Traveler in the 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards for the second consecutive year. This achievement marked the first time a travel company won these three categories in back-to-back years.

Viking was also named Best Luxury Line, Best Line for Couples and Best Line in the Mediterranean in US News & World Report’s 2025 Best Cruise Lines ranking for the fourth consecutive year. Viking’s ocean ships have been rated and “Recommended” as part of the Forbes Travel Guide 2024 Star Awards, an annual independent evaluation for luxury travel brands. Additionally, Viking received seven awards at the 2023 Cruise Critic Editors’ Picks Awards, more than any other line, across the luxury, river and expedition categories.

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