Viking celebrates the naming of its nine new riverboats, including the company's 100th ship, during a simultaneous ceremony held in Basel, Switzerland.
Of the nine new riverboats, the Viking Annar, Viking Dagur, Viking Eldir and Viking Honir will sail the company's most popular routes on the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers.
The Viking Nerthus, Viking Gyda and Viking Tonle will travel along the Seine, Douro and Mekong rivers, respectively.
The other two ships named today — the Viking Thoth and the Viking Amun — will sail the Nile River.
The ceremony also marked a significant historical milestone: Viking now boasts over 100 ships in its award-winning river, ocean, and expedition fleet—more than any other cruise line. This achievement reflects the company's long history of innovation and leadership in the industry.
“Today we are proud to name our newest river cruise ships and pay tribute to the nine distinguished members of our Viking family who are serving as their godparents,” said Torstein Hagen, Viking’s president and CEO. “We’ve always been a bit different from the rest of the travel industry—we like to be contrarians. In the last 28 years, we’ve grown from four ships to more than 100, a number no other company has ever reached, and we’ve done it all thanks to our innovative approach. First, we modernized river cruising, then we reinvented ocean cruising, and now we’ve perfected the expedition experience. We look forward to continuing to lead the way in experiential travel for years to come.”
The Viking Ship Christening Ceremony
For thousands of years, it has been a maritime tradition for each new ship to have a ceremonial godmother. Viking has adapted this custom and even expanded it to include godfathers in the case of its ships in Egypt.
Viking's tradition is to appoint as godparents individuals who have had a significant impact, either on the world or on the company's own history.
For its nine new riverboats, the company invited colleagues and partners from the Viking family to assume this honor:
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Allison Becker, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Viking — Godmother of the Viking Nerthus
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Sara Conley, Senior Vice President of Brand, Creative and Communications at Viking — Godmother of the Viking Dagur
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Chitra Goswami, Senior Vice President of Finance at Viking — Godmother of the Viking Gyda
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Yumi Kim, Senior Vice President of Finance for Europe — Godmother of the Viking Eldir
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Michelle Patterson, Senior Vice President, Corporate Controller — Godmother of the Viking Annar
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Laura Perlman, Senior Vice President of International Marketing Planning and Product — Godmother of the Viking Tonle
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Michele Saegesser, Vice President of Business Development and Training — Godmother of the Viking Honir
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Youssef Fouad Amin, CEO and Chairman of Sherry Nile Cruises — Godfather of the Viking Thoth
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Sherif El Banna, CEO of Cosmos Egypt — Godfather of the Viking Amun
The ceremony took place aboard the Viking Honir in Basel and was broadcast virtually to the other eight new ships, located in five different countries. The Viking Nerthus was in Paris, France; the Viking Dagur, Viking Eldir, and Viking Annar in Rostock, Germany; the Viking Gyda in Porto, Portugal; the Viking Tonle in Mỹ Tho, Vietnam; and the Viking Thoth and Viking Amun in Luxor, Egypt.
Attendees enjoyed musical performances by Sissel Kyrkjebø, one of the world's most renowned crossover sopranos and godmother of the Viking Jupiter®; Norwegian violinist Tor Jaran Apold; the Vienna Residence Orchestra; and a Basel women's choir.
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