Viking Cruises has signed a letter of intent for the design and construction of two new cruise vessels.
The contract with Fincantieri subsidiary Vard Holdings Limited, worth potentially £401m, also includes an option for two more vessels.
Vard and Viking’s deal is not related to last month’s announcement that the cruise line planned to launch six additional ships between 2024 and 2027.
Viking will work closely with Vard Design in Norway to develop the vessels, the shipyard said in a statement.
Delivery of the vessels are scheduled from Vard in Norway in 2021 and 2022. The hulls will be built by Vard in Romania.
Roy Reite, Vard’s chief executive and executive director, said: “It is our pleasure to work with Viking to develop a series of cruise vessels.
“The company is well known for its expansion in river cruises and ocean cruises. We are honoured to be chosen as their partner in this exciting partner and look forward to continuing the excellent cooperation with the Viking team.”