AMSTERDAM — Viking Cruises held a naming ceremony for 12 new
river vessels that will increase its leading share of the fast-growing river
cruise segment.
Eight of the ships were named in Amsterdam under gray,
drizzling skies, while another four were named in Rostock, Germany, at the
Neptun Werft shipyard.
After the eighth champagne bottle crashed against the side
of a 190-passenger Viking Longship, fireworks and a blaring of ship’s horns
celebrated the occasion.
At a press conference prior to the christening, Viking CEO
Torstein Hagen said the line would order another six ships for delivery in
2016.
Hagen said Viking's river business for 2015 was “a little
less than expected” and would grow only about 10%, partly because of a 50% drop
in demand for river cruises in Russia, where Viking has laid up three of its
five ships. Hagen also cited the outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa
last year and terrorism events in Paris and Tunisia for the weaker demand.
Of the ships christened at the event, 10 are Longships and
two are what Hagen termed “baby Longships” of similar design but able to carry
98 passengers and built 25% lighter so they can ply Germany’s relatively
shallow Elbe River. Their addition brings to 60 the number of vessels currently
in Viking’s fleet.
In Amsterdam, Viking’s eight ships were lined up four
abreast on each side of a barge. The festive mood was dampened by rain that
moved in an hour or two before the christening. “With 12 Norse gods, we forgot
to invite the one that fixes the weather,” quipped Hagen, referring to Viking’s
practice of naming its vessels for figures in Norse mythology.
This year, 12 nonexecutive Viking employees served as godmothers
for the ships. “These are the godmothers on behalf of everyone working at
Viking,” Hagen said.
It is the fourth consecutive mass naming of ships for
Viking, which introduced six new ships in 2012, 10 in 2013, and 18 in 2014.
Hagen said the line has 50% of the North American river cruise market and has
spent more than $600 million since 2001 to promote the product.
The new ships will be deployed on Viking’s main itineraries
along the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers, except for the two ships bound for the
Elbe.
Viking is entering the ocean cruise business this year, and
Hagen said it would take delivery of the 930-passenger Viking Star over the
weekend and conduct an initial shakedown cruise from April 3 to 11.