ROYAL VIKING

Malta Drydocks Granted Crown Odyssey Refit

Malta Drydocks has won a contract to refit the 34,250-ton Orient Lines luxury cruise liner Crown Odyssey. The ship is to be docked between April 25 and May 4 for what has been described as a "substantial" refit, including pipe works and machinery and an overhaul of propellers, shafts and stabilizers. The Crown Odyssey will be the first cruise liner at Malta Drydocks this year and the first time Orient Lines is sending a vessel to Malta Drydocks, dockyard officials said. The contract was won despite stiff competition from ship repairers in Portugal and Italy. Over the past few years Malta Drydocks carried out work on Cunard's Royal Viking Sun, Sagafjord, Vistafjord and Sea Goddess II, the Renaissance Four of Renaissance Cruises, Carousel and Seawing, operated by Airtours and Island Breeze of Premier Cruises. The value of the new contract has not been disclosed.

McGinnis Appointed VP Of Marketing

American Classic Voyages Co. has appointed Scott G. McGinnis vice president of marketing for its Delta Queen product group, which includes Delta Queen Steamboat Company and Delta Queen Coastal Voyages. McGinnis is responsible for all marketing activity on behalf of Delta Queen Steamboat Company's four riverboats, which cruise throughout the U.S. Heartland, South and Pacific Northwest, and Delta Queen Coastal Voyages' two ships

Viking River Cruises Sets World Record: 10 Ships Inaugurated in One Day

Viking River Cruises (www.vikingrivercruises.com) set a world record with the christening of 10 new Viking Longships. Reported to be the first-of-its-kind simultaneous christening ceremony in Amsterdam debuted the ships: Viking Aegir, Viking Atla, Viking Bragi, Viking Embla, Viking Forseti, Viking Jarl, Viking Rinda, Viking Skadi, Viking Tor and Viking Var – and was certified by a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS adjudicator as ‘The Most Ships Inaugurated in One Day by One Company.’

E.R. Schiffahrt Goes Global with Viking

Viking Life-Saving Equipment and E.R. Schiffahrt have teamed up to design a fully customized, global servicing arrangement based on Viking’s Shipowner Agreements. The contract covers liferafts, lifeboats, immersion suits, lifejackets and marine fire systems and equipment such as fire extinguishers on more than 30 vessels of the shipowner’s fleet. The plan is for Viking to manage not just service notifications, but also the coordination of all servicing. 

Cruise Ships on the River – 'Viking Longship' Christening

River cruise line,Viking River Cruises, names first of four new luxury river cruise boats in Amsterdam Viking River Cruises christened the first four of its new Viking Longships in Amsterdam, in the presence of appointed celebrity 'Godparents' for all four new ships. Accommodating 190 passengers, the new Viking Longships are 443 feet (135 meters) long and feature 95 staterooms per ship and are scheduled to sail four of Viking's most popular European itineraries, including the River Danube

AGA to Supply LNG for Viking Line Ferry

Viking Line Abp has signed an agreement with AGA Gas AB on supplying liquefied natural gas (LNG) for Viking Line’s new passenger ferry. Viking Line’s newbuilding “NB 1376”, recently named the M/S Viking Grace, will provide service on the Stockholm (Sweden) – Åland Islands (Finland) – Turku (Finland) route beginning in January 2013. The vessel, currently under construction at the STX Europe shipyard in Turku

SEA LEVEL MARINE Wraps Up Busy Year

Royal Caribbean Cruises’ Liberty of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas Receive Rollback Renovations; Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Serenity Receives Complete Cabin Refit; Sea Level Awarded Splendour of the Seas Viking Crown Lounge Contract from Royal Caribbean Cruises Miami-based SEA LEVEL MARINE, full-service marine outfitting contractor, celebrates completion of the renovation of Britto Art Gallery, Cupcake Cupboard, Nursery

Proposed Ship Move Stirs Outrage

The University of Oslo has decided to move three grand Viking ships, probably by truck and barge, to a new museum across town despite dire claims that the thousand-year-old oak vessels could fall apart en route, according to a report on the New York Times News Service. A retired curator of Oslo's current Viking Ship Museum -- Arne Emil Christensen -- reportedly has said the delicately preserved ships, two of which are nearly 80 feet long

Aker Yards and Viking Sign LOI

The LOI for a fast passenger/car ferry signed on November 21 by Aker Yards and Viking Line Abp was today confirmed as a firm contract worth approximately 120-130 million euro. The contract includes options for two similar vessels. The vessel intended for the Helsinki-Tallinn route will be 185 m long and 27.7 m wide, taking 2,500 passengers. The vessel will reach a speed of 25 knots driven by 40 MW engines.

News: Jahre Viking to Get $22 Million Make Over

Dubai Drydocks has won a $22m contract from Norway's First Olsen Tankers to convert the world's largest ship, the 564,763 dwt ULCC Jahre Viking, to a specialized 4.2 billion barrel Floating Storage unit for a five-year charter by Maersk Oil for the Al Shaheen oil field off the coast of Qatar. The vessel has already arrived in Dubai with the conversion program due to be completed by June 2004. This is likely to be the final phase in a chequered history for this ship