Image credit: Viking Cruises

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Viking Ocean Cruises - the subsidiary of Viking Cruises - has reached an agreement with Fincantieri to construct six vessels, which will bring the total number of units built by the Italian shipyard for the cruise ship operator to 16.

The newbuilds, which are scheduled to be delivered between 2024 and 2027, are to be based on the characteristics of previous ships developed by Fincantieri for the Switzerland-based firm, and "updated and revised according to the most recent technologies available on the market".

Fincantieri has so far delivered four ships to Viking Ocean Cruises. The first of the series, Viking Star, was built in Marghera and delivered in 2015; the second and the third, Viking Sea and Viking Sky, took to the sea from the Ancona shipyard in 2016 and 2017 respectively, whilst the Viking Sun was the last to be delivered in September.

The new Viking Ocean Cruises ships feature fuel-efficient engines and an exhaust gas cleaning system, or scrubber, to meet environmental regulations.

The additional six previously ordered units in the portfolio are scheduled to be delivered in 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 (two units) and 2023.

Commenting on the latest agreement between the two firms, Giuseppe Bono, chief executive officer of Fincantieri, said: "We are proud to have had the confidence of a start-up that has been so successful. In 2012, in fact, the collaboration between us and this prestigious owner started with two ships, and today we have even reached 16 units. It is an absolute record, the largest number of ships for a shipyard on behalf of a single shipowner."

Bono added: "The agreement also confirms the exceptional momentum of demand in this sector, which allows Fincantieri to consolidate its global leadership, laying the foundations for increasing the order backlog with loads that already give today peace of mind for the next ten years".