Viking River cruises is poised to confirm details of its long-awaited move into ocean cruising.
US reports suggest to new ocean cruise line will initially operate two new 900-passenger ships.
The first is expected to enter service in 2015 at a cost of up to $400 million, according to a report in the San Fernando Valley Business Journal in California.
Details are expected to be announced at a launch event on Thursday in Beverly Hills, including the name of the new venture by the world’s largest river cruise operator.
Viking’s ocean-going offshoot is likely to be positioned to rival the likes of Azamara Club Cruises and Oceania Cruises in the premium sector.
Company chairman Torstein Hagen launched 10 new ‘longship’ riverboats in Amsterdam in March.