Viking celebrates partnership with Fincantieri by naming newest Ocean Shi from Investing.com

The 998-guest Viking Vela was named in Fincantieri’s hometown of Trieste, Italy

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Viking ® (www.viking.com) (NYSE: VIK) today named its newest ocean liner, Viking Vela ®, with a traditional ceremony in Trieste, Italy. Appointment Viking Vela it also served as a celebration of Viking’s long-term partnership with Fincantieri, which is one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups based in Trieste. With its rich maritime history, Trieste is considered the terminus of the Maritime Silk Road and is now Italy’s most important trading port. Serves as the ceremonial godmother of Viking Vela was Ivana Elice, vice president and project manager of the Fincantieri Cruise Business Unit, who oversaw the design and engineering of Viking’s ocean liners for 12 years.

This announcement contains multimedia. See the full press release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241205777496/en/

We are proud to say hello Viking Vela to our growing, award-winning fleet. With Fincantieri as our partner, we believe we have built the world’s most elegant fleet of small ocean liners, said Torstein Hagen, Viking President and CEO. We thank Ivana Elice for godmother Viking Vela. In her role at Fincantieri, she has looked after our ocean liners during their construction as godfather and we greatly value her contribution as a member of the extended Viking family.

In keeping with naming tradition, during the ceremony, Ivana was presented with the historic Viking ax by Ann Ziff, respected philanthropist, president of the Metropolitan Opera (NASDAQ: ) and godmother Viking Saturn ®. The same ax was previously used in naming Viking Saturn in June 2023. After presenting the ax, Ivana pressed a button that allowed a bottle of Norwegian aquavit to smash against the ship’s hull. Guests also enjoyed performances by Sissel Kyrkjebø, one of the world’s leading crossover sopranos and godmother Viking Jupiter ®, and acclaimed Italian singer Alessandro Safina, who paid tribute to the cultures of Norway and Italy with a song.

Ivana Elica, godmother of Fr Viking Vela

Ivana Elice, Vice President and Project Manager of the Fincantieri Cruise Business Unit, has enjoyed a distinguished career in marine and mechanical engineering, helping to support the expansion of Viking’s ocean fleet over the past 12 years. In 2012, Fincantieri appointed Ms. Elice to oversee the construction of Viking’s first ocean liner, Viking star ®, and she continued to serve as a valuable support to Viking’s expanding fleet of sister ships. She joined Fincantieri in 1985 after graduating from the University of Genoa with a master’s degree in shipbuilding and mechanical engineering. Her initial role as a noise and vibration specialist within the company’s marine division involved assisting with the design of surface ships and submarines. Since 1993, she has held several positions within Fincantieri’s commercial department in the areas of hydrodynamics, shipbuilding, production engineering and more.

The Viking Vela

The Viking Vela is the newest ship in Viking’s award-winning ocean-going fleet of sister ships. Classified as a small ship, like all Viking ocean liners, Viking Vela has a gross tonnage of 54,300 tons, with 499 cabins that can host 998 guests; the ships feature all cabins with verandas, elegant Scandinavian design, light-filled public spaces and plenty of outdoor dining options. The Viking Vela she will spend her first season sailing off-season itineraries in the Mediterranean before continuing to Northern Europe.

Viking is working on a project for a partial hybrid propulsion system for future ocean liners based on liquid hydrogen and fuel cells, which could allow the company to operate with zero emissions in Norwegian fjords and other sensitive environments. The Viking Vela has been designed with the future in mind, ensuring it can be retrofitted to incorporate these new technologies as they become available.

Appointment Viking Vela following a number of recent accolades for the company. Viking is rated no. 1 for oceans, no. 1 for rivers and no. 1 for expeditions Condé Nast Traveler for the second consecutive year at the Readers’ Choice Awards 2024. This achievement marked the first time a travel company had won these three categories in back-to-back years. Viking was also named the best luxury line, the best line for couples and the best line in the Mediterranean in US news and world reports For the fourth year in a row, the ranking of the best cruise companies in 2025. Viking’s ocean liners have been rated and recommended as part of the Forbes Travel Guide 2024 Star Awards, an annual independent rating of luxury travel brands. In addition, Viking received seven 2023 Cruise Critics Editors’ Choice Awards “more than any other line” in the luxury, river and expedition categories.

Media assets

For more information on Viking, or for images and b-roll, contact [email protected]

About Viking

Viking (NYSE: VIK) was founded in 1997 and offers destination-focused voyages on rivers, oceans and lakes around the world. Designed for curious travelers with interests in science, history, culture and cuisine, President and CEO Torstein Hagen often says Viking offers experiences for the thinking person™. Viking has more than 450 awards, including #1 for rivers, #1 for oceans and #1 for expeditions by Condé Nast Traveler in the 2023 and 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards, Viking was also rated the world’s best for rivers, oceans and expeditions Travel + free time. No other travel company has received the same honors from both publications at the same time. For additional information, contact Viking at 1-800-2-VIKING (1-800-284-5464) or visit www.viking.com. For Viking’s award-winning enrichment channel, visit www.viking.tv.

See the original version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241205777496/en/

Email: [email protected]

Source: Viking