Fincantieri Delivers Viking's First Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cruise Ship
Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri announced it has delivered the first vessel for luxury cruise operator Viking equipped with an emissions reducing hydrogen fuel cell system.
Identical to Viking’s other ocean ships, the 47,800 ton Viking Neptune is fitted with a small hydrogen fuel system, making it the cruise industry’s first ship to test the use of hydrogen power for on board operations.
“We are especially proud to welcome this newest sister ship to our ocean fleet, as it also marks a significant advancement in testing hydrogen as a future fuel for our vessels,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking.
Viking said it will use the small 100 kW system as a test to determine how hydrogen fuel could be used at a larger scale in future newbuilds.
Fincantieri and Viking have designed an enlarged vessel configuration to be applied to the operator's new vessels delivered after 2024, with defined spaces and arrangements for accommodating a larger hydrogen tank, the fuel cell systems and other necessary equipment.
Next, the companies will develop a hydrogen-based generation system with a total power of about 6-7 megawatts (MW), which would enable zero emissions operations in port and slow steaming navigation. Such systems, once finalized, could be installed on Viking's vessels currently under construction and retrofitted on certain vessels that have already been delivered, Fincantieri said.
Viking Neptune, which can accommodate 930 passengers in 465 staterooms, will spend its inaugural season sailing itineraries in the Mediterranean before embarking on the company’s 2022-2023 Viking World Cruise, a journey from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. to London that spans 138-days, 28 countries and 57 ports, with overnight stays in 11 cities.
“We look forward to welcoming guests on board the Viking Neptune next week,” Hagen said. “She is the 15th new ship we have added to our overall fleet this year, another significant milestone as we continue the celebration of our 25th anniversary.”
Viking Expeditions launched in January with the purpose-built Viking Octantis; her sister ship, the Viking Polaris, debuted in September. Earlier in the year, the company also welcomed eight new Viking Longships on the rivers of Europe, new purpose-built vessels for the Nile, Mekong and Mississippi Rivers, as well as another new ocean ship, the Viking Mars.
