Viking has now named its newest ocean ship and the ship’s ceremonial godmother. The traditional ceremony for Viking Vela was hosted at shipbuilder Fincantieri in Trieste, Italy.

Serving as ceremonial godmother of the Viking Vela is Ivana Elice, Vice President and Project Manager of the Fincantieri Cruise Business Unit, who has overseen the design and engineering of Viking’s ocean ships for 12 years.

The event also served as a celebration of Viking’s longtime partnership with Fincantieri, one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups which is based in Trieste.

With its rich maritime history, Trieste is considered the endpoint to the maritime Silk Road and is now Italy’s most important commercial port.

“We are proud to welcome the Viking Vela to our growing, award-winning fleet,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman and CEO of Viking.

“With Fincantieri as our partner, we believe we have built the world’s most elegant fleet of small ocean ships,” Hagen said.

“We thank Ivana Elice for being godmother of the Viking Vela. In her role at Fincantieri, she has cared for our ocean ships during their construction just as a godmother would, and we are very appreciative of her contributions as a member of the extended Viking family.”

In keeping with the naming tradition, during the ceremony, Ivana was presented with a historic Viking broad axe by Ann Ziff, the esteemed philanthropist, Chairman of the Metropolitan Opera and godmother of the Viking Saturn.

The same axe was previously used in the naming of the Viking Saturn in June 2023. Aber the axe presentation, Ivana pressed a button that allowed a bottle of Norwegian aquavit to break on the ship’s hull.

Guests also enjoyed performances by Sissel Kyrkjebø, one of the world’s leading crossover sopranos and godmother of the Viking Jupiter, and acclaimed Italian singer Alessandro Safina, who paid tribute to the cultures of both Norway and Italy in song.

                                                    Ivana Elice, Godmother of Viking Vela

Ivana Elice, Vice President and Project Manager of the Fincantieri Cruise Business Unit, has enjoyed a distinguished career in naval and mechanical engineering, helping support the expansion of the Viking ocean fleet for the past 12 years.

In 2012, she was appointed by Fincantieri to oversee the build of Viking’s first ocean ship, the Viking Star, and she has continued to serve as valuable support for the expansion of Viking’s fleet of sister ships.

She joined Fincantieri in 1985 after graduating from the University of Genoa with a master’s degree in naval architecture and mechanical engineering. Her initial role as a noise and vibration specialist within the company’s Naval Vessel Division involved assisting with the design of surface ships and submarines. Since 1993, she has held several positions within Fincantieri’s Merchant Division in the areas of hydrodynamics, ship construction, production engineering and more.

                                                             The Viking Vela

The Viking Vela is the newest ship in Viking’s award-winning ocean fleet of sister ships. Classified as a small ship, as are all Viking ocean ships, the Viking Vela has a gross tonnage of 54,300 tons, with 499 staterooms that can host 998 guests; the ships feature all veranda staterooms, elegant Scandinavian design, light-filled public spaces and abundant al fresco dining options.

The Viking Vela will spend her inaugural season sailing itineraries during the “quiet season” in the Mediterranean before continuing to Northern Europe.

Viking is working on a project for a partial hybrid propulsion system for future ocean ships based on liquid hydrogen and fuel cells, which could allow the company to operate at zero-emission in the Norwegian Fjords and other sensitive environments. The Viking Vela has been designed with the future in mind, ensuring she can be retrofitted to incorporate these new technologies as they become available.

                                                  About Viking

Viking was founded in 1997 and provides destination-focused journeys on rivers, oceans and lakes around the world.

Designed for curious travelers with interests in science, history, culture and cuisine, Chairman and CEO Torstein Hagen often says Viking offers experiences “For The Thinking Person.”

Photos courtesy of Viking

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