Viking Line Inks Shipbuilding Deal with Xiamen

Finland based Viking Line said it has signed a conditional contract with Chinese shipyard Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry Co. for the construction of a new passenger cruise ship for delivery in 2020.

 

A final agreement is subject to the approval of the board of directors of both parties, as well as financial arrangements entered. The total contract amount is about €194 million and includes an option on another vessel.

 

The new 218-meter-long vessel with a gross registered tonnage of 63,000 metric tons would enter service on the Turku, Finland – Åland Islands–Stockholm, Sweden route. Passenger capacity will be 2,800 people, and the length of its cargo lanes will be 1,500 meters.

 

Viking Line said it plans to engage several Finnish and other European suppliers, as well as Scandinavian architects for the interior design.

 

Environmental considerations and energy efficiency will be a priority for the vessel’s planning and construction, Viking Line said. The press release announcing the shipbuilding contract included an image of a cruise very with two large vertical rotor sails.