LOS ANGELES — Viking has taken delivery of its newest ocean ship, the Viking Vela. 

During a delivery ceremony at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Ancona, Italy on Dec. 3, the cruise line officially welcomed the 499-room ship into its fleet. Classified as a small ship, as are all Viking ocean ships, the Viking Vella accommodates 998 guests and will spend its inaugural season sailing itineraries in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.

“We are proud to welcome the newest sister ship to our award-winning ocean fleet,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman and CEO of Viking. “Together with Finantieri, we have built the world’s most elegant small ocean ships. With the arrival of our newest vessel, we look forward to introducing even more curious travellers to the Viking way of exploration.

Viking is currently 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. While the Viking Vela has a traditional propulsion platform, it is considered hydrogen-ready and can be retrofitted in the future.