By
Rebecca Gibson |
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri launched Viking Ocean Cruises’ Viking Star at its Marghera yard in Venice on 23 June.
Launched around 20 days ahead of the previously announced mid-July date, Viking Star will now enter the fitting-out stage. The 930-passenger ship, which is due for delivery in March 2015, is the first of three Viking cruise ships on order at Fincantieri. Construction work has already begun on her sister ships Viking Sky and Viking Sea, which are both scheduled for delivery in spring 2016.
London-based SMC Design and Los Angeles-based Rottet Studios have designed the vessels’ interiors, which will feature a pool with retractable dome, a glass-backed infinity pool cantilevered off the stern; a two-deck Explorers’ Lounge at the bow; the Wintergarden; and a spa with a sauna and a traditional ‘snow grotto’.
A range of indoor and outdoor dining venues with global cuisine will also be available. Passengers will be able to enjoy music in the three-deck atrium, the Viking Piano Lounge Explorers’ Lounge and Wintergarden, as well as enrichment lectures in the Star Theatre and onboard cooking sessions.
Featuring modern Scandinavian designs, the new 14-deck ships will have five stateroom categories, all with private verandas, and 14 Explorer Suites.
Engineered to a small scale, the ships will be able to directly access most ports, providing an easy and efficient embarkation and debarkation process. They all feature energy-efficient hybrid engines, hydro-dynamically optimised streamlined hulls and bows for maximum fuel efficiency. In addition, onboard solar panels and equipment that minimises exhaust pollution will enable the vessels to meet strict environmental regulations.
Viking Star, Viking Sky and Viking Sea will all sail in Scandinavia and the Baltic, as well as the Western and Eastern Mediterranean.