Viking has formally christened its latest ocean vessel, the Viking Vela®, in a standard naming ceremony held in Trieste, Italy. This occasion additionally marked a milestone in Viking’s enduring collaboration with Fincantieri, one of many world’s largest shipbuilding corporations, headquartered in Trieste. Recognized for its deep maritime heritage, Trieste is thought to be the historic terminus of the maritime Silk Street and now stands as Italy’s main industrial port. Ivana Elice, Vice President and Undertaking Supervisor of Fincantieri’s Cruise Enterprise Unit, who has performed a pivotal position within the design and engineering of Viking’s ocean fleet for the previous 12 years, served because the ceremonial godmother of the Viking Vela.
“We are proud to welcome the Viking Vela to our growing, award-winning fleet. With Fincantieri as our partner, we believe we have built the world’s most elegant fleet of small ocean ships,” mentioned Torstein Hagen, Chairman and CEO of Viking. “We thank Ivana Elice for being godmother of the Viking Vela. In her role at Fincantieri, she has cared for our ocean ships during their construction just as a godmother would, and we are very appreciative of her contributions as a member of the extended Viking family.”
In line with Viking’s long-standing naming custom, Ivana Elice was honored at a particular ceremony the place she obtained a historic Viking broad axe from Ann Ziff, the famend philanthropist, Chairman of the Metropolitan Opera, and godmother of the Viking Saturn®. This identical axe had been used throughout the ship’s naming ceremony in June 2023. Following the presentation, Ivana pressed a ceremonial button, which brought on a bottle of Norwegian aquavit to shatter towards the ship’s hull, marking a memorable second. The occasion additionally featured dwell performances by Sissel Kyrkjebø, the celebrated soprano and godmother of the Viking Jupiter®, together with Alessandro Safina, the acclaimed Italian tenor, who delivered a transferring tribute to each Norwegian and Italian cultures by his songs.
Ivana Elice, Godmother of the Viking Vela
Ivana Elice, Vice President and Undertaking Supervisor of Fincantieri’s Cruise Enterprise Unit, has had a formidable profession in naval and mechanical engineering, enjoying a pivotal position within the progress of Viking’s ocean fleet during the last 12 years. Appointed by Fincantieri in 2012 to supervise the development of Viking’s inaugural ocean ship, the Viking Star®, Ivana’s experience has continued to information the event of Viking’s fleet of sister ships. A graduate of the College of Genoa with a grasp’s diploma in naval structure and mechanical engineering, she joined Fincantieri in 1985. Ivana initially specialised in noise and vibration management throughout the firm’s Naval Vessel Division earlier than increasing her position to incorporate hydrodynamics, shipbuilding, and manufacturing engineering in Fincantieri’s Service provider Division since 1993.
Introducing the Viking Vela
The Viking Vela is the most recent addition to Viking’s prestigious fleet of sister ships. Categorized as a small ship, the Viking Vela boasts a gross tonnage of 54,300 tons and presents 499 staterooms accommodating as much as 998 company. The ship options all-veranda staterooms, with a Scandinavian-inspired design, expansive public areas, and a wealth of outside eating choices. Throughout her inaugural season, the Viking Vela will cruise by the Mediterranean’s quieter areas earlier than heading to Northern Europe for the summer time season.
Viking can also be exploring progressive inexperienced applied sciences, engaged on a hybrid propulsion system using liquid hydrogen and gasoline cells for future ships. This initiative might allow Viking to function with zero emissions in environmentally delicate areas just like the Norwegian Fjords. The Viking Vela has been designed with these forward-thinking developments in thoughts, guaranteeing she could be retrofitted to accommodate these applied sciences as they turn into out there.
The naming of the Viking Vela marks one other achievement for Viking, following a collection of prestigious accolades. For the second consecutive yr, Viking was named the highest model in Oceans, Rivers, and Expeditions within the 2024 Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Selection Awards. That is the primary time a journey firm has claimed the highest spot in all three classes in back-to-back years. Moreover, Viking earned prime rankings in U.S. Information & World Report’s 2025 Finest Cruise Strains survey, securing titles comparable to Finest Luxurious Line, Finest Line for {Couples}, and Finest Line within the Mediterranean for the fourth yr in a row. Viking’s ocean ships have additionally been awarded “Recommended” standing within the Forbes Journey Information 2024 Star Awards, and the corporate obtained seven awards on the 2023 Cruise Critic Editors’ Picks Awards, greater than every other cruise line.
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