Celebratory naming ceremony for the newly built Viking ships in Amsterdam

The naming ceremony for the two river cruisers VIKING BEYLA and VIKING ASTRILD, built by the NEPTUN WERFT shipyard, was held on 24 March. The godmothers of the ships' christening were Ms Adriana Filkaszova and Ms Sinemie Theodora Bakker, both of them long-serving employees of the shipping company.
These are the first ships to be built by NEPTUN WERFT for the particularly demanding Elbe route. VIKING BEYLA and VIKING ASTRILD are now the 59th and 60th river cruisers to be built at the NEPTUN WERFT shipyard in Rostock-Warnemünde since 2002.
The new vessels are the result of a consistent redesign, in which the focus was on reducing the weight of all the components. The objective was to develop a modern river cruiser with a very low draught for use on the Elbe, without forfeiting anything in terms of the comfort and high standards associated with the shipping company. A number of innovative materials were employed to minimise the weight of the ship; this represents the first time that these materials have been encountered in inland shipping in this configuration. All of the components were analysed and constructed for optimum weight characteristics, while several materials had to undergo extensive tests and trials in order to obtain the permit for their use. A large testing area was constructed at the shipyard, in which the new components were tested, and new machining and processing guidelines drawn up.
To ensure that Viking's very high standards would also be satisfied by these passenger ships, know-how gained previously with Viking ships on the rivers of Europe was incorporated in the development of this new ship type.
In the case of the VIKING BEYLA with yard number S. 559, the lead ship development and first-time use of innovative components were funded with innovation aid from the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) and the federal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

Main dimensions:

• Length 109.90 m
• Breadth (max.) 11.45 m
• Draught (approx.) 0.95 m
• Draught (max.) 1.15 m
• Height above waterline (approx.) 5.20 m
• Deadweight (approx.) 120 t
• Passenger cabins 49
• Number of passengers (max.) 98
• Crew cabins 18
• Crew size 28 Motors 3 x 588 kW
• Speed approx. 19.0 km/h

Navigable areas:

All major European rivers, although particular consideration was given to the special demands of the Elbe; the ship was designed and built in accordance with the latest regulations and fulfils all current safety and sta

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