Viking has named nine new river cruise ships — including the company’s 100th ship — during a simultaneous ceremony in Basel, Switzerland. The ships will sail along the Rhine, Main, Danube, Seine, Douro, Mekong and Nile rivers.
The Viking Annar, Viking Dagur, Viking Eldir and the Viking Honir will sail itineraries along the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers. The Viking Nerthus, Viking Gyda and Viking Tonle sail the Seine, Douro and Mekong rivers, respectively. The Viking Thoth and Viking Amun will sail on the Nile River.
The ceremony also marked a major milestone: Viking now has more than 100 ships across its river, ocean and expedition fleet, more than any other cruise line.
Torstein Hagen, Chairman and CEO of Viking: ‘Over the last 28 years, we have grown from four ships to more than 100 — a fleet size that no other line has achieved — and we have done so because of our innovative approach. First, we modernised river voyages; then we reinvented ocean voyages and perfected the expedition experience.’
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Naming ceremony
It is a maritime tradition for each new ship to have a ceremonial godmother. Viking has adapted this custom and, for its ships in Egypt, extended it to include godfathers. For its nine newest river ships, the company invited colleagues and partners in the extended Viking family to serve as godparents, including:
- Allison Becker, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Viking — Godmother of the Viking Nerthus
- Sara Conley, Senior Vice President of Brand, Creative and Communications, Viking — Godmother of the Viking Dagur
- Chitra Goswami, Senior Vice President of Finance, Viking — Godmother of the Viking Gyda
- Yumi Kim, Senior Vice President of Finance, Europe, Viking — Godmother of the Viking Eldir
- Michelle Patterson, Senior Vice President, Corporate Controller, Viking — Godmother of the Viking Annar
- Laura Perlman, Senior Vice President of Marketing Planning, International & Product, Viking — Godmother of the Viking Tonle
- Michele Saegesser, Vice President, Trade Development and Training, Viking — Godmother of the Viking Honir
- Youssef Fouad Amin, Chief Executive Officer & Chairman, Sherry Nile Cruises — Godfather of the Viking Thoth
- Sherif El Banna, Chief Executive Officer, Cosmos Egypt — Godfather of the Viking Amun
The naming ceremony took place in Basel on board the Viking Honir and was connected virtually to the eight other new ships, which were located across five other countries around the world. The Viking Nerthus was in Paris, France; the Viking Dagur, the Viking Eldir and the Viking Annar were in Rostock, Germany; the Viking Gyda was in Porto, Portugal; the Viking Tonle was in Mỹ Tho, Vietnam; and the Viking Thoth and the Viking Amun were in Luxor, Egypt.
Picture: A Viking river cruise ship on the river Rhine (photo by Viking).
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