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Fincantieri and Viking Unveil World's First H2-Powered Cruise Ship

H2 cruise ship
Courtesy Fincantieri

Published Apr 8, 2025 12:24 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

Fincantieri and Viking have announced the world's first hydrogen-powered cruise ship designed to use the alternative fuel for both propulsion and auxiliary power. The future Viking Libra is already under construction at the Ancona yard in Italy, and will deliver towards the end of 2026. 

Viking Libra is a small 54,000 GT vessel with room for about 1,000 guests. With H2 fuel cell power, it will be able to operate with zero carbon emissions, which will soon be a regulatory requirement for operations in Norway's World Heritage fjords (a major attraction in Viking's core Scandinavian market). 

It will be fitted with fuel cells producing up to six megawatts of power, equivalent to roughly 8,000 horsepower of generator capacity. The PEM fuel cell technology and related equipment are supplied by the Fincantieri subsidiary Isotta Fraschini; to solve the supply chain problems of hydrogen bunkering, it uses a containerized fuel storage system to load and store the fuel.

Viking chief Torsten Hagen (left) unveils Viking Libra at Seatrade Cruise Global 2025 (Allan Jordan / TME)

 “LNG is not a way to the future, but . . . this new solution is a good bet for the future," said Viking chairman and CEO Torsten Hagen in a presentation at Seatrade Cruise Global.  

Viking said that price is an issue for H2-powered operation, but they believe that the price will come down in the future, and they want to illustrate a path forward for the industry. The containerized approach addresses the challenges of storage and distribution, and makes it possible to add incremental power capacity with more 1.5 MW units.

"Viking made the principled decision to invest in hydrogen, which offers a true zero-emission solution," said Hagen. "We look forward to welcoming the world's first hydrogen-powered cruise ship to our fleet." 

A follow-on vessel, Viking Astrea, will also be fitted for hydrogen power and is already under construction at Ancona. In a parallel announcement, Fincantieri said that it has signed a 2+2 contract with Viking for additional vessels, starting with a firm orders for two hulls to deliver in 2031. 

"We are driving a systemic evolution by integrating cutting-edge technologies, fostering supply chain innovation, and creating a model for the widespread adoption of hydrogen," said Fincantieri CEO Pierroberto Folgiero in a statement. 

Allan Jordan / TME