Viking has announced plans to introduce an additional 10 vessels to its river fleet in the coming years.

In a bid to meet strong demand for European river voyages, eight of the new vessels will sail the line’s itineraries on the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers, while two additional longships will join the fleet on the Seine River.

The total order is also inclusive of one longship for the Seine which was announced in February 2023. Five of the new vessels will be delivered in 2025, with the remaining five to be delivered in 2026.

To mark the start of construction on all 10 ships, a keel laying ceremony was held at the Neptun Werft shipyard in Rostock, Germany, on Tuesday (5 December).

New Viking vessels to help meet ‘strong’ demand

“Ever since we started Viking 26 years ago, our mission has been to help our guests explore the world in comfort. We focus on the destination, and we build elegant, innovative ships,” said chair Torstein Hagen.

“We look forward to welcoming these new Longships to our European fleet and introducing The Viking Way of exploration to even more guests in the coming years.”

Last month, the company marked the float out of its newest ocean ship, Viking Vela, which will debut in December 2024, and announced a new ship for the Mekong River in 2025, Viking Tonle.