Viking Adds 4th Egyptian River Ship, Teases ‘Slew Of New Nile Ships’

27.08.2023 - 17:29 / forbes.com / Torstein Hagen

Following a celebration and naming ceremony in Aswan, Egypt, Viking added its fourth river ship in the country, Viking Aton. The ship was named for its godfather, Richard Riveire, principal of an award-winning interior design firm and the designer of several river, ocean and expedition ships. Viking’s ship will set a new standard in the Nile River cruise industry, in part because its ship cost almost three times as much as others and have a special square bow design that adds space while being efficient.

On European rivers, Viking has more than 51% of the market share among competitors with more than 82% of passengers coming from the U.S. This growth on the Nile positions it for similar success. Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking, explains how this is just the beginning for Viking, teasing a “slew of new” ships in the coming years for Egypt.

We have two ships under construction now, but expect that the options are endless and are planning for many, many more. The opportunity is there, and technically, we can operate year round in Egypt. For 2024, the sailings are almost entirely sold out with 2025 more than a third sold, at the moment. For Viking, the Nile is the fastest selling product. This puts Viking in a strong position compared to the competition, but also fits with the tourism growth goals of the tourism ministry.

Viking started in Egypt in 2008 with two charter ships, but then the country underwent a revolution in 2011. Instead of leaving the market, Viking doubled down to show commitment to the country by adding ships in 2018, and today, the projection for growth it quite strong. Today, it is one of the only cruise lines to both own and operate its ships on the Nile.

Nile ships have to be certain length and certain depth because the river is shallow at around 30 feet at its deepest. Aton is identical in size to sibling Viking Osiris with 41 staterooms. Past Viking guests will recognize the signature Scandinavian design aboard, but there are also Egyptian art and photography filling the ship.

The new ships will operate with around half the crew coming from other existing ships to help guide the process for the local crew to meet the line’s high standards. This is part of the startup process, but will eventually revert to a mostly Egyptian crew.

Expedition ships typically take two years to design and then two years to build while the Nile ships take 1.5 years to design and about as long to build. Since the Nile construction standards are quite specific, we use an existing ship’s hull and then build an entirely new ship on top of it. The next two ships will join in 2024 and 2025.

These ships take passengers to iconic sights like the Great Pyramids of Giza as well as special access to the tomb of