Fincantieri's Vard Holdings has announced its first order from Torstein Hagen's Viking Cruises.
A letter of intent has been signed for the design and construction of two "special" cruiseships, with an option for two more.
The vessels will be handed over in Norway in the second quarter of 2021 and the second quarter of 2022.
The expected value of the contract is NOK 4.5bn ($574m).
A final deal should be inked by mid-2018. The hulls will be built in Romania.
Vard CEO Roy Reite said: “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 cruises and ocean cruises, and they are now looking to Norway for the design and construction of its new cruise fleet."
'Highest safety standards'
Vard added in a statement: "The project, totally innovative, will be developed by Vard Design in close cooperation with the customer, according to the highest safety and reduction of the environmental impact standards, drivers which have increasingly greater weight also in the cruise sector."
Viking is no stranger to the wider Fincantieri group, having ordered 16 ships there since 2012.
The latest deal for six ships was signed last month, with deliveries stretching out to 2027.
Viking, which is planning to build the world's first emission-free cruiseship, went into ocean cruising in 2013.
