World’s First Hydrogen-Powered Cruise Ship F...

Viking Libra, the world’s first hydrogen-powered cruise ship, touched water for the primary time when the vessel was floated out of dry dock yesterday.

The float-out occurred on the Fincantieri shipyard in Ancona, Italy. Viking Libra is scheduled to enter service in November 2026 and sail her inaugural season within the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.

The float-out ceremony marked a building milestone for the brand new ship because it strikes to its remaining stage of building, the outfitting and inside build-out.

The ceremony was attended by Fincantieri’s Gilberto Tobaldi, Director of the Ancona Shipyard, in addition to members of the Viking staff, together with Karine Hagen, Government Vice President of Product, and Enrico Prunotto, Senior Vice President of Ocean Passenger Operations, who thanked the shipyard on behalf of Viking.

Viking Libra is a 54,300 gross ton ship that may have 499 cabins that carry as much as 998 friends. The ship’s propulsion system is predicated partially on liquefied hydrogen and gas cells.

This hybrid propulsion system will make her able to navigating and working with zero emissions, which might permit her to entry even essentially the most environmentally delicate areas.

Enabled by Isotta Fraschini Motori (IFM), Fincantieri’s subsidiary specializing in superior gas cell expertise, the ship’s state-of-the-art propulsion system shall be able to producing as much as six megawatts of energy.

The cruise line’s subsequent new ship after Libra, Viking Astrea, may even be a hydrogen-powered vessel and is scheduled to enter service in 2027.

Torstein Hagen, Chairman and CEO of Viking, stated the next:

“The float out of the Viking Libra represents one other milestone for Viking and our continued partnership with Fincantieri. From the start, our strategy to ship design has targeted on decreasing gas consumption, and the Viking Libra is our most environmentally pleasant vessel but. Investing in hydrogen was a principled selection for Viking, providing a real zero‑emission answer, and we sit up for welcoming the world’s first hydrogen‑powered cruise ship to our fleet.”