Fincantieri has added a pair of cruise ship contracts to those it has already signed with Viking Cruises, in a newbuilding deal worth several hundred million dollars.
The Italian yard giant announced on Friday that it has clinched a deal for two such vessels, due for delivery in 2028 and 2029, respectively.
“The value of this agreement, subject to financing and other terms and conditions, is considered as large,” Fincantieri said.
The shipyard classes only those cruise ship transactions as “large” that represent a value of between €500m ($534m) and €1bn.
Fincantieri said the new vessels will be in the “small cruise ship segment” with a gross tonnage of about 54,300 tonnes and an accommodation capacity of 998 passengers in 499 cabins.
Built to the latest environmental rules, navigation regulations and safety systems, the ships will be “based on the successful features of the previous ships, which Fincantieri has already built for this shipowner”.
TradeWinds reported in 2022 how Fincantieri obtained orders for six 47,800-gt expedition cruise ships for Torstein Hagen-led Viking Cruises in a deal worth €1.7bn at the time.
Deliveries of those ships are scheduled for 2026, 2027 and 2028.
That agreement followed another 10 units ordered by Viking in 2012 at the Italian shipyard.
Including the latest order and two purpose-built expedition units at Fincantieri subsidiary Vard, the two companies have cooperated in 20 newbuildings over the past 12 years.
The latest newbuildings provide further evidence of the cruise sector’s recovery after the coronavirus pandemic.
According to Friday’s statement, Fincantieri’s latest Viking pair will support eco-friendly fuels and zero-emission power generation systems.
“Together, Fincantieri and Viking are leading the shipping industry on the path to net zero,” commented the shipyard’s chief executive Pierroberto Folgiero.
