Viking took delivery of its newest ocean ship, Viking Vela, during a ceremony on Tuesday. The delivery ceremony took place at the Fincantieri shipyard in Ancona, Italy.
Viking Vela can hold 998 guests in 499 staterooms. The vessel will spend her inaugural season operating voyages in the Mediterranean and northern Europe.
“We are proud to welcome the newest sister ship to our award-winning ocean fleet,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman and CEO of Viking. “Together with Fincantieri we have built the world’s most elegant small ocean ships. With the arrival of our newest vessel, we look forward to introducing even more curious travelers to the Viking way of exploration.”
Viking is working on a project for a partial hybrid propulsion system for future ocean ships. It’s based on liquid hydrogen and fuel cells, which could allow the line to operate at zero-emission in the Norwegian fjords and other sensitive environments. While Viking Vela has a traditional propulsion platform, she is considered hydrogen-ready and can be retrofitted in the future.
Recent Accolades
The delivery of Viking Vela follows a number of recent accolades for Viking. The line was rated #1 for Oceans, #1 for Rivers, and #1 for Expeditions by Condé Nast Traveler in the 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards for the second consecutive year. This achievement marked the first time a travel company won these three categories in back-to-back years.
Viking was also named Best Luxury Line, Best Line for Couples, and Best Line in the Mediterranean in U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 Best Cruise Lines ranking for the fourth consecutive year.
The line’s ocean ships have been rated and “Recommended” as part of the Forbes Travel Guide 2024 Star Awards, an annual independent evaluation for luxury travel brands. Additionally, Viking received seven awards at the 2023 Cruise Critic Editors’ Picks Awards—more than any other line—across the luxury, river, and expedition categories.
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