Fincantieri Delivers Viking Mira for June Mediterranean Debut

Fincantieri delivered Viking Mira to Viking at its Ancona shipyard on May 26, handing over a 54,300-GT ocean newbuild with 499 cabins for up to 998 passengers. Viking has since named the ship in Venice ahead of its first scheduled Mediterranean sailing in early June.

The delivery extends a Fincantieri-Viking shipbuilding relationship that began in 2012 and now covers 26 vessels. Viking Mira is the 13th ship in Viking’s ocean series, which began with Viking Star in 2015, and joins a Viking ocean fleet built by Fincantieri.

Handover extends Viking’s Ancona pipeline

The Ancona delivery ceremony was attended by Jeff Dash, executive vice president and head of business development at Viking; Giorgio Gomiero, senior vice president of operations at Fincantieri; and Gilberto Tobaldi, director of the Ancona shipyard.

Fincantieri places Viking Mira in the small-cruise-ship segment. The vessel is about 781 to 784 feet long, with a beam of about 101 to 102 feet, and carries a crew complement of roughly 465 to 470. Passenger features include all-veranda staterooms and al fresco dining options.

Fincantieri said the Ancona yard has undergone infrastructure, technology and logistics investments backed by the company and the public port system.

In March, Fincantieri and Viking announced an order for two expedition cruise ships scheduled for delivery in 2030 and 2031, plus an option for two additional ocean-going ships with estimated delivery in 2034.

Another Viking ocean ship, Viking Libra, is also under construction at Ancona. Viking and Fincantieri have described that vessel as a hydrogen-powered cruise ship designed for 998 guests in 499 staterooms, with a liquefied hydrogen and fuel-cell system developed with Fincantieri subsidiary Isotta Fraschini Motori and capable of producing up to 6 MW of power.

Naming ceremony and first-season deployment

Viking officially named Viking Mira in Venice on June 1, with Rebecca “Becky” Webb Wilson serving as ceremonial godmother. During the ceremony, Wilson used a Viking broad axe to cut a ribbon that released a bottle of Norwegian aquavit against the hull.

“We are proud to welcome the new Viking Mira to our award-winning fleet of elegant sister ships,” Torstein Hagen, Viking executive chairman, said. Referring to Wilson, Hagen added: “Her lifelong commitment to public service, exploration and cultural understanding is an inspiration to all of us.”

Wilson is an attorney, author, photographer and philanthropist. Her background includes work as an assistant U.S. attorney and leadership roles with education, healthcare and civic organizations; she also founded youth leadership initiatives including Bridge Builders, which has had more than 20,000 participants.

Viking Mira is scheduled to open its maiden season on June 5 with a seven-night Western Mediterranean cruise from Civitavecchia to Barcelona, including Livorno, Cannes, Marseille and Sete. On June 12, the ship is due to reposition from Barcelona to Reykjavik on a 14-night sailing with calls including Valencia, Malaga, La Coruna, Lisbon, Porto, Dublin and Liverpool.

The ship’s Northern Europe program includes two July departures of Viking’s 14-night “Into the Midnight Sun” itinerary between Bergen and Greenwich, followed by “Viking Shores & Fjords” sailings between Bergen and Amsterdam in August. Before returning to the Mediterranean for the fall, Viking Mira is scheduled to sail a 14-night British Isles Explorer voyage from Bergen to Greenwich on Sept. 12, calling in the Shetland Isles, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, England and Ireland.