Viking Line announced that building of its new passenger cruise ship had commenced at Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry Co Ltd shipyard (China).
The LNG-fuelled ship (Viking Glory) is bigger than Viking Grace, the world's first LNG-powered large passenger cruise ship, but is calculated to use up to 10% less fuel.
The first steel was cut in the traditional ceremony, with launch due for early 2021 on Turku-Aland-Stockholm route. The ship is designed to provide unobstructed view of the archipelago via large panoramic windows that allow guests to experience it in a new way.
Koncept Stockholm created the interior design of the ferry. With the help of the architects, Viking claims that it's striving to enhance onboard travel experiences for the satisfaction of cruisers, families with kids and conference guests alike, while meeting the demands of freight transport.
The newbuild is capable of carrying up to 2800 passengers, features 922 cabins, 200 crew and has cargo capacity of 1500 lanemetres. It is has GT tonnage of 63 000 tons and length 218 m. Project's collaborative partners include Wartsila, ABB Marine, Koncept Sweden, Kone, Almaco and Deltamarin.