Viking has celebrated the naming of its nine newest river ships – including the company’s 100th ship – during a simultaneous ceremony in Basel, Switzerland. Of the nine new river ships, the Viking Annar, the Viking Dagur, the Viking Eldir and the Viking Honir will sail Viking’s most popular itineraries along the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers. The Viking Nerthus, the Viking Gyda and the Viking Tonle sail the Seine, Douro and Mekong rivers, respectively. The two other new ships named, the Viking Thoth and the Viking Amun, sail the Nile River. The ceremony also marked a major milestone, Viking now has more than 100 ships across its award-winning river, ocean and expedition fleet, more than any other cruise line. This achievement reflects the company’s history of industry-leading innovations.
“We are proud to name our newest river ships and to honor the nine distinguished members of our extended Viking family serving as their godparents,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman and CEO of Viking. “We have always been quite a bit different from others in the travel industry – we like to be contrarian. Over the last 28 years, we have grown from four ships to more than 100 – a fleet size that no other line has achieved – and we have done so because of our innovative approach. First, we modernized river voyages; then we reinvented ocean voyages and perfected the expedition experience. We look forward to continuing our leadership in experiential travel in the years to come.”
Viking Naming Ceremony
For thousands of years, it has been an ancient maritime tradition for each new ship to have a ceremonial godmother. Viking has adapted this custom and, for its ships in Egypt, extended it to include godfathers. Viking’s tradition is to appoint individuals who have made an impact – either in the world, or in the life of Viking. For its nine newest river ships, the company invited colleagues and partners in the extended Viking family to serve as godparents.
The naming ceremony took place in Basel on board the Viking Honir and was connected virtually to the eight other new ships, which were located across five other countries around the world. The Viking Nerthus was in Paris, France; the Viking Dagur, the Viking Eldir and the Viking Annar were in Rostock, Germany; the Viking Gyda was in Porto, Portugal; the Viking Tonle was in Mỹ Tho, Vietnam; and the Viking Thoth and the Viking Amun were in Luxor, Egypt.
Guests at the naming event enjoyed performances by Sissel Kyrkjebø, one of the world’s leading crossover sopranos and godmother of the Viking Jupiter; Norwegian violinist Tor Jaran Apold; the Viennese Residence Orchestra; and a Basel girls’ choir.
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