Viking Vesta Christened During Ceremony in Croatia

Viking officially named its latest ocean vessel, the Viking Vesta, over the weekend in a traditional naming event held in Split, Croatia. The ship was recently handed over to Viking by the shipbuilder Fincantieri.

Norwegian journalist Lene Tangevald-Jensen took on the role of ceremonial godmother for the new ship, as announced in a press statement.

Following its naming, the Viking Vesta will sail through the Mediterranean and Northern Europe as part of its maiden season.

“As we celebrate 10 years of ocean voyages in 2025, we are pleased to welcome the new Viking Vesta to our award-winning fleet of elegant sister ships,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman and CEO of Viking.

“We are also very grateful to Lene for serving as godmother. In addition to her personal and professional accomplishments, Lene embodies the values that are very important to me and to Viking—she is kind, honest, hardworking and, of course, curious. I am proud to count her as a friend and a valued member of the extended Viking family.”

True to Viking tradition, the ceremony included a symbolic moment in which Lene used a Viking-style broad axe to cut a ribbon, releasing a bottle of Norwegian aquavit that smashed against the hull to complete the christening.

Guests were also treated to musical performances by acclaimed crossover soprano Sissel Kyrkjebø—godmother of the Viking Jupiter—and celebrated Norwegian violinist Tor Jaran Apold.