Viking Reaches Fleet of 100 with Naming of Nine New Longships

Viking named nine new longships on Tuesday, bringing its total fleet to more than 100 in what the company called the largest cruise line by number of ships in the world.

The naming ceremony, which took place on the brand-new Viking Honir in Basel, Switzerland, with new ships broadcast from five other countries, was the culmination of long-held expansion plans. Viking christened each new vessel with its respective godparent and each ship’s captain on hand, smashing a bottle of aquavit on the bow in a nod to its Norwegian roots.

Viking, which got its start in 1997 with just four river ships, now sails with 88 river ships, 12 ocean ships, two expedition ships, and one time-chartered river ship. And the company is not planning on stopping anytime soon.

“Right now, our job is to build ships to meet the demand,” Torstein Hagen, the chairman and CEO of Viking, told Travel Market Report, adding, “I think our rate of growth is probably higher than the demand for ocean cruises, but it’s not higher than the demand for ocean cruises for thinking people… For the people who want this type of experience — the quiet, serene experience — I think that’s unexplored.”

Looking ahead, Viking plans to add as many as 31 river ships to its fleet by 2030 and as many as 14 ocean ships by 2033. And they’re selling out. In fact, Viking is already 64% sold for 2026, as of Sept. 21.

The newest additions to the fleet include the Viking Nerthus, which will sail along the Seine in France; the Viking Gyda, which will sail along the Douro River in Portugal; the Viking Tonle, which will sail on the Mekong River in Asia; the Viking Thoth and the Viking Amun, which will each sail on the Nile River in Egypt; and the Viking Annar, the Viking Dagur, the Viking Eldir, and the Viking Honir, which will sail the company’s most popular itineraries on the Rhine, Main, and Danube rivers. 

Beyond these, Viking is adding ships all over the world. The company now sails eight ships in Egypt, for example, with plans to deliver four more by 2027, and will add two ships on the Brahmaputra River in India in 2027 and 2028.

For its ocean cruises, most sail to Europe (the region made up 55% of all passenger capacity in 2025) with the Caribbean accounting for only 4%. Ultimately, Hagen said he thinks the deployment sets the company apart.

“We really in many ways don’t like the word ‘cruises’ because we’re so different from the umbrella drinks and all that,” he said. “We’re not floating amusement parks. We are really a place for people to learn.”