Joining the list of cruise lines shifting to hydrogen fuel, Viking Cruise has placed an order for four hydrogen-powered cruise ships. Fincantieri, the Italian shipbuilder has confirmed the news and said that the first green ship will be rolling out in 2026, the next in 2027 and the final two ships will be delivered in 2028.
Viking’s CEO, Torstein Hagen said that the news ships will be partially powered by hydrogen. He explained that the hydrogen fuel will be used to power the ships for a limited period, such as while sailing in Norwegian Fjords. It has to be noted that Norwegian government has already announced a ban on the fossil fuel ships from Fjords starting from 2026
It has been reported that the new ships will be based upon the successful features of previous ships and will have the latest technologies onboard. Fincantieri commented that the new Viking ships will be developed based on the latest navigation regulations and have advanced safety systems. It has also been reported that these four ships will be larger than any of the existing Viking cruise ships to accommodate the new power plant. As a consequence, the newer vessels will also have more room for passengers. The current ships are 745 feet long, weigh 47,800 gross tons, and can accommodate 930 passengers. Fincanitieri has developed a number of ships for Viking, recently the shipyard delivered Viking Mars and will deliver Viking Neptune by the end of the year.
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