As first reported at the christening of Viking’s latest ocean ship – Viking Saturn – the company has begun construction on another 10 European riverboats at Neptun Werft shipyard in Rostock, Germany.
To meet demand, five signature Viking Longships are slated for launch in 2025, and five more are scheduled for 2026 delivery.
“Ever since we started Viking 26 years ago, our mission has been to help our guests explore the world in comfort,” said Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking. “We focus on the destination, and we build elegant, innovative ships. We look forward to welcoming these new Longships to our European fleet and introducing ‘The Viking Way’ of exploration to even more guests in the coming years.”
Ever since we started Viking 26 years ago, our mission has been to help our guests explore the world in comfort. We focus on the destination, and we build elegant, innovative ships.
Of the 10 riverboats, eight will cater to popular routes on the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers, and two will cover the Seine River.
Viking already touts 80 international riverboats, most of which are Longship varieties, claiming more than 50% of the North American market share.
The Viking Longships are well known for their capacities (at 190 guests), contemporary Scandinavian design and venues such as the al fresco Aquavit Terrace at the unique square-shaped bows. An offset-cabin corridor further facilities a wide variety of stateroom and suite categories. And a hybrid propulsion system can utilize battery power as well as shoreside electricity to reduce fuel consumption. Installed solar panels further augment the fleet’s onboard energy.
In addition to the 10 European riverboats, Viking is also prepping a second for the Mekong in 2025, as well as another two each for the Nile in 2024 and 2025.
