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Viking, the world's longstanding leader in river exploration is breaking new ground yet again.

Naming nine new river ships, including the company's 100th.

On October 21st, 2025.

The ceremony unfolded in Basel, Switzerland, Viking's operations head office for nearly 30 years.

The event also included satellite links to our new ships in five other countries, including France, Germany, Portugal, Vietnam, and Egypt, with nine distinguished members of our extended Viking family serving as their ceremonial godparents.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to today's celebration, a momentous one for our entire Viking family.

Some of you have shared in past events around the globe, either here in Basel, along the Rhine, or on the banks of the Nile in Luxor or another iconic locations.

If you have joined us before, you will recognize some familiar traditions as we proceed.

But before we do, on behalf of the entire Viking family, I would like to say a big thank you to the city of Basel for allowing us to host today's event in the middle of this beautiful city.

Before we start naming our ships, I welcome.

Kaspar Sutter, the elected head of the Department of Economic, Social, and Environmental Affairs of the Canton of Basel-Stadt since 2021.

That's economic minister.

I'm very proud that the Viking's operational and nautical headquarters is based in Basel.

With the strong entrepreneurial spirit and strategic vision, Viking has grown into an industry leader creating many jobs, both at sea and on land.

And every year , Viking invests several million Swiss francs in education and professional development.

We are proud and very happy to have you here and now I wish us all a wonderful naming event, .... and Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Sutter.

Over the years there have been many Viking naming events, but today's celebration is, frankly, it's monumental.

This year Viking celebrates its 28th year in operation, growing from humble beginnings in 1997 when it had a fleet of just four river ships to today where Viking is recognized as a global leader in experiential travel.

Earlier this year, we took delivery of our newest ocean ship, the 12th of its kind, the Viking Vesta.

And today we welcome nine new river vessels designed to explore the waterways of Europe, Egypt, and South Asia.

And we are Vikings, so we can handle rain with a smile.

And I will continue.

So with the addition of these nine ships...

In true Viking spirit, we did not let a surprise rain shower stop us from enjoying the day's events.

In fact, we barely skipped a beat.

It was umbrellas up and a good laugh before continuing onwards.

Okay, So ladies and gentlemen, with the addition of these nine ships, the award-winning Viking fleet will officially have 100 ships sailing the waterways of the world.

From four to a hundred river, ocean and expedition ships in just 28 years.

I'm fairly certain there's no other company that can make a similar claim.

It's really just amazing.

Before we move on to the naming ceremony, it is my pleasure to welcome the man whose vision got us here.

Please give a big welcome to Viking Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Torstein Hagen.

In view of the rain, I'll be quick.

We were 15 minutes late, weren't we?

We were, we, we are scheduled dry at four thirty.

We had at that there was, we were held up.

You screwed up.

And anyway, it's a big day for us.

I welcome you all.

It's kind of you to be here with us to celebrate and I think we should be particularly appreciative of the representatives of Basel.

You know Mr.

Sutter for the city of Basel, the Port of Switzerland is here and it's called the SVS, which is easier to say than the Schweizerische Vereinigung für Schifffahrt und Hafenwirtschaft which means the Swiss Association for Shipping and Harbor.

These are very important institutions here and we appreciate all the support.

This is ship number a hundred, but we have another three in the whole naming process.

So we'll be up to 103 by the time we're done.

And not only that, but we have another, if.... we've been adding ships like counting sheep.

We have another 45 on the way, quite frankly.

And so we have many of these events to look forward to.

We thank you very much for the support and wish ourselves good luck.

Thank you Mr.

Hagen.

Thank you sir.

Now's time to name our nine ships.

A maritime tradition that dates back thousands of years is that every new ship has a ceremonial godmother to offer blessings of good fortune and safe sailing during the ship's naming.

Today, we are delighted to have with us the godparents of all the new ships.

Each is a very special member of our Viking extended family.

Ours is a truly global celebration.

Today, I'm told that right now at this moment there are over 32,000 guests traveling on a Viking vessel somewhere in the world.

Our expedition ships are heading to their summer home in Antarctica, and we will soon have guests on all seven continents.

Now to the first of our naming traditions -most ordinary ship operators name their ships with a bottle of champagne smashed on the ship's bow.

Viking likes to do things a little bit different.

Viking is not an ordinary company, and so in true Viking style, we smash a bottle (and it always makes me weep) of Norwegian aquavit on the bow.

It's such a waste.

For our first ship, we go to Luxor and the Viking Amun.

The Viking Amun is named after the king of the gods in ancient Egypt.

To name the newest of our identical Egypt ships, we have adapted the age old maritime godmother tradition to include godfathers.

So joining us to name his ship is another long time extended Viking family member from Egypt.

Please welcome Mr.

Sherif El Banna and the Captain of the Viking Amun, Mr.

Ahmed Talaat Sherif, uh, grew up in a multicultural family, completed an early education at a French school in Alexandria, earned an MBA from Alexandria University and now serves as CEO of Cosmos Egypt, whose 20 year partnership with Viking promotes exploration along the Nile River, handles ground operations and transportation for Viking's shore excursions.

Let's go to Luxor and the banks of the Nile, where Karoline Landa, one of our Viking hotel managers and godmother of the Viking Lofn.

Together with Mr.

Osama El Desouki Al-Sayed, General Manager and director of Massara Shipyard in Cairo, standing by Karoline.

How are you and how is everyone in Luxor?

Hello everyone in Basel, we are here all set in Luxor, honored to be part of this very special day.

We have in the background the Valley of the Kings and I have next to me Mr.

Osama, who will share a few interesting facts about the shipyard.

Mr.

Hagen come to Egypt 15 years ago, to research about the river Nile Seven years ago we started to built the first ship and we have now six ships working in the river Nile.

The upcoming project- We have four ships.

I believe that the 10 ships from Viking are the best ships in the river, Nile, Thank you very much.

Yeah, we are ready now to name the Viking Amun.

Sherif, are you gonna say a few words before we name your ship?

Little.

You're okay with that little, okay.

Good afternoon.

I'm very proud to be here.

My ship Viking Amun in Egypt is the god of the sun and the light, which did not come today with me.

So the weather is a little bit tough.

So I want just to say 20 years ago when I start my partnership with Viking, we had a dream to have a one Viking ship in Egypt.

But then the revolution came and a lot of event was postponed the dream.

But always Mr.

Hagen was telling me, Sherif, don't worry. as long as we have the Nile and you have the pyramid, Viking ships will be there.

So I'm just proud to say that nowadays we not just only have the, the newest, the most beautiful ships, but very soon Viking will have the biggest lead in Egypt.

Thank you very much for Viking and what needed for Egypt.

Thank you very much.

Sherif, are you ready to name your ship?

Can I push every button?

Yeah, you can play them.

Yeah.

I name you Viking Amun.

May your passenger and crew always be safe and may you always have hands widths of water beneath your keel.

Ready?

Yes, The smash.

Thank you, Sherif.

Beautifully done.

So let's proceed with our next vessel in line, the Viking Thoth.

The Viking Thoth is named after an ancient Egyptian God of writing and learning.

The Viking Thoth will also be blessed by a godfather, another very special member of our extended Viking family.

Also from Egypt.

Please welcome to the front of the stage, Mr.

Youssef Fouad Amin and the Captain of the Viking Thoth.

Mr.

Abdelfattah Mohamed Khalil Youssef is a native of Cairo.

He joined the river travel industry in 1989 and transitioned from architecture to hospitality, gained experience as a boat manager and later, later focused on marketing and promoting Egypt's tourism.

He has collaborated with Viking since 2012 and played a key role in the launch of the Viking Ra in 2018.

You'd like to say a few words.

Ladies and gentlemen, it's a great honor for me to be here today as the godfather of this beautiful ship Viking Thoth.

I'm proud to be part of the Viking family and to take part in this special tradition.

Mr.

Hagen, your vision has built something truly amazing with now over 100 Viking ships around the world.

No matter what time it is, there is always a Viking ship sailing under the sun to everyone who built it and made this day possible.

Thank you.

Let's go back to Karoline in Luxor.

You're amongst the longest serving members of the Viking family.

How long have you been with Viking?

I am proud to have been part of Viking's journey and its, its success story since the very beginning, always carrying forward its philosophy.

Viking has become like a second family to me and I am truly proud.

I am honored, but also very grateful to be here today.

Okay, let's name the Viking Thoth together.

Youssef, are you ready to name your ship?

Thank you.

I name your Viking Thoth.

May your passengers and crew always be safe and may you always have a hand widths of water beneath your keel.

Oh, we got that.

Thank you Karoline.

Onwards and upwards.

Our next ship to be welcome into the Viking fleet is the Viking Tonle.

The Tonle is the second ship sailing on the Mekong River, like a sister ship, the Viking Saigon.

The Viking Tonle is exploring the splendors of Vietnam and Cambodia.

The Viking Tonle is aptly named after the Khmer word for fresh water.

Earlier today, the ship was celebrated in My Tho by the local community and was already named in a remote session by our honored godmother - Viking's Senior Vice President of Marketing Planning International and product Laura Perlman and the captain of the Viking to Mr.

Thanh Nguyen.

Laura was born and raised outside of Boston, Massachusetts. she attended Princeton University and just to make sure we're all impressed, she then went to Harvard University, has held a leadership role at Microsoft and at Hulu and at Edmund's before joining Viking in 2019.

Today she leads teams responsible for marketing strategy, consumer research, digital product development, and international sales offices.

Now we'd like to share a few highlights of the event which took place earlier today. 'cause as I told you, this was prerecorded Traditions that blend spiritual blessings and vibrant cultural performances.

Lions and dragon dances symbolizing joy, strength and renewal, inviting fortune and protection for its journeys ahead.

And finally, local Monks leading sacred prayers, chants, and rituals to ensure a safe and prosperous voyage.

What many don't realize is that beyond local culture, Viking has also been a long time supporter of education in Cambodia.

In 2010, we had just 200 kids.

That year we met Viking and everything changed for us.

Viking's launch, the Magnificent Mekong Tour, and I was the tour guy for the first group in Cambodia.

On a bus, I shared my personal story and talked about the school.

Among the guests was a very special person.

Karine Hagen was moved by what I shared and asked to visit the school.

She loved it so much that she convinced Viking Management to visit the school.

I greeted Karine with launching the partnership with HVTO.

Viking began racing funds through their staff to help finish our first school building.

During one of the optional tours, Viking guests visit the village and our school.

Many of those guests are inspired to sponsor students and special projects.

Over time, Viking donated money to buy more land and build another school building.

This partnership has allowed HVTO School and its projects to scale up in a way I could have never imagined.

I am deeply honored and grateful to work with Viking.

It's filled with people who embody compassion, generosity, and empathy for the people of Cambodia.

I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

I know what it's been - when someone believes in you, my life will transform through the gift of education.

That's why I have devoted my life to helping other the same way, Laura, as you can see, everything is ready for you on site in My Tho.

Now are you ready to name your ship?

I am.

I name you Viking Tonle.

May your passengers and crew always be safe and may you always have a hands width of water beneath your keel.

You look just like her.

Crazy.

How do you do that?

I don't know.

No, I mean I think it's very obvious to everybody that this was done because of the time difference.

Laura, your ship's been named, but I know that you'd like to say a few words.

Yes.

So here's the microphone.

Thank you.

Good afternoon everybody.

What an extraordinary privilege it is to be named the godmother of the Viking.

Tonle.

Thank you to Tor, Karine, and the Viking family for allowing me to take part in this tradition.

And just as a personal note, when I joined Viking, I was asked, which itinerary I wanted to take as my first Viking trip.

And it was the Magnificent Mekong, which I've never been on yet so this is quite meaningful for me to have an opportunity to have this ship as my goddaughter.

Thank you again.

Really appreciate it.

No, thank you so much and thank you Captain.

Okay, just like they do in Star Trek.

We're gonna beam ourselves off to Portugal now and welcome the Viking Gyda.

The Viking Gyda currently in Porto, welcomed to her first guests at the beginning of September and is the fifth ship sailing on the Douro River.

Gyda is a name that appears in various sagas and historical texts.

One notable figure named Gyda was the daughter of Eirik - King of Hordaland, and a legend has it that she played a significant role in King Harald Fairhair's quest to unify Norway.

I'm not sure after these pronunciations I can ever visit Norway again.

Okay.

To help us name the Viking Gyda, I'd like to welcome Vikings Senior Vice President of finance, also from California, but born in India, Chitra Goswami, and the captain of the Viking Gyda - Mr.

Manuel Alves.

Chitra, you were born in New Delhi.

Yes.

You earned degrees from Mount Holyoke College.

Yes.

And the University of Chicago.

You've worked at JP Morgan, Credit Suisse, and DaVita Before joining Viking in 2018.

Chitra develops financial forecasting models and supports capital initiatives and contributed to Viking's IPO in 2024.

Let's go over to Mika Bakker, program director on the Viking Gyda, standing by Porto.

She's been working for Viking for 16 years and is the godmother of the Viking Astrid.

Speaker, How are things in Porto?

Hello Basel.

Welcome to the magnificent view on the river Douro in the city of Porto.

We are all very excited and ready to go.

Here's the Viking crew and staff and we have all members of the Viking Porto office here.

Four years ago I came to this country, fell in love and never looked back.

Every sailing day for me is as good as day one.

Alright, let's name this ship together.

Chitra, would you like to say a few words?

Thank you, Tor and Viking for this incredible honor and I'm so happy to be able to share this sort of day with all of you.

This is an incredibly special day and I'm very happy to be sharing the stage with each and every one of you.

Now, are you ready to name your ship?

Yes.

Okay.

I name you Viking Gyda.

May your passengers and crew always be safe and may you always have a hands width of water beneath your keel.

You did it.

Good job.

Thank you so much.

Great job.

Okay, another ship, another country.

Now we travel to the city of light - a city I've lived in for a long time - Paris, France.

The Viking Nerthus is named after an ancient deity revered by various Germanic and Scandinavian tribes and often referred to as Mother Earth, no connection.

That's okay.

To help us name the Viking Nerthus, I'd like to welcome Viking Senior Vice President and General Counsel from California Allison Becker and the captain of the Viking Nerthus, Mr.

Dario Weber.

Now Allison, you are a native of Northern California.

You've studied at the prestigious London School of Economics and you joined Viking in 2020.

Allison provides general legal advice and played an important role in Viking's IPO.

Now we should go to Paris, where Nikolas Rabogliatti Corporate Enrichment Program Manager in charge of the French and Portuguese operation is standing by another member of the extended Viking's family who has already been with us for 10 years.

Nikolas, how are you and how are you all doing on the Viking Nerthus?

Bonjour Alastair.

Eeverybody here is so excited to be a part of this unique day.

We are here at our iconic docking location in between the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower right behind me and the Viking Nerthus has actually been sailing since this April where it has been taking our guests from Paris throughout the heart of Normandy, allowing our guests to explore the Giverny Gardens, the spires of Rouen and onwards to the Normandy beaches.

Today, though marks today where she officially joins the rest of the Viking Fleet, taking her rightful place amongst the four sister ships that we have here on the Seine River.

So Alastair, without any further ado, the Aquavit is waiting and so back to you in Basel Allison, before we name your ship, anything to say?

Sure.

There you go.

All right.

Thank you, Tor and the entire management team for this incredible honor.

Standing up here with this impressive group of godparents and getting to participate in this long standing tradition is a lifelong opportunity and something that I never could have expected when Leah and Lynn asked me to join the company five years ago.

So thank you for making me a permanent member of the Viking family and giving me one more reason to go to Paris.

That was beautifully said.

Thank you very much.

Okay, the moment's arrived.

Allison, are you ready to name your ship?

Yes.

Here's the microphone again.

I name you Viking Nerthus.

May your passengers and crew always be safe and may you always have a hands width of water beneath your keel.

Okay, stay strong people.

We're in the home straight.

For our next three ships, we head to the shipyard in Rostock, Germany where the newest Viking Longships are being prepared to welcome guests in November.

First up is the Viking Annar.

Annar means second or another in north mythology.

To help us name the Viking Annar.

Viking, senior Vice President and Corporate Controller, Michelle Patterson and the future captain of the Viking and our Mr.

Johan Bons.

You were born and raised in Butte, Montana.

You graduated from Claremont McKenna College and the University of Virginia, and you've worked at Ernst and Young before joining Viking in 2013, pretty much the same time as me.

You lead the team responsible for consolidated accounting, reporting and tax.

And also you played a key role in Viking's IPO in 2024.

Let's go to Rostock Shipyard in Germany, where Sam Corbin, program director with Viking for nine years is standing by.

Here we are extremely excited to be a part of today's event here at the Neptun Shipyard, 175 years worth of ship experience and of course an extremely important relationship with Viking.

Since 2012, we've had our Viking Longships launched from here.

Now it may be raining, it may be windy, but here at Rostock we are absolutely ready for our three ships to be named.

Thank you Sam.

Michelle, would you like to say a few words please?

Okay, thank you.

Sorry, the last 12 years At Viking have been an incredible journey and this is is an unbelievable honor.

So I just wanna say thank you so much to Tor and to the executive leadership team.

Keep the microphone.

Take your time.

So Michelle, are you, are you... wipe away the tears.

Are you ready to name your ship?

I name you the Viking Annar.

May your passengers and crew always be safe.

May you always have a hands with of water beneath your keel.

Our next ship is also in Rostock, Germany, alongside the Viking Annar.

Next up is the Viking Dagur.

The Viking Dagur is named after the Nordic God, the son of Dellingr, the dawn, and the giantess, Nott.

I think at the end of this we'll have a little test.

See if you remember who, what Viking God is.

It's all very confusing.

In old Norse - Dagur means day.

To help us name the Viking Dagur, please put your hands together and welcome to the front of the stage -Viking, senior Vice President of Brand Creative and Communications, and a personal friend of mine, Sara Conley, and the future captain of the Viking Dagur of Mr.

Harm Vlap.

Sara was raised in Stillwater in Minnesota.

She attended the University of Colorado and joined Viking in 2006, where she oversees brand management, public relations, social media, and guest communications.

So let's go back to the shipyard now.

Sam, are you ready to proceed with our next ship?

Yes, we are.

So we're now ready.

Absolutely ready.

Our second ship it has Okay.

Okay.

Sara, it, it had to be you.

Okay.

There's no plan B.

Okay.

I think we should, I think we should let you say a few words.

Okay.

And then if you can, and then maybe I'll, ...because I know you wanna do it.

So yeah, say a few words left Clearly.

Woo!

Okay.

I've been a Viking long enough to remember when the longships were introduced and they were revolutionary and they're still fantastic and they have led the way for our beautiful ocean and expedition ships as well.

So to be a godmother of a Viking Longship is incredibly special to me.

So thank you to Tor.

Thank you to Karine and to all my colleagues and these ladies on the stage.

This is a really special day, so thank you.

Are you ready to retrospectively name your ship?

Yes, I think you deserved it.

Okay.

I named you the Viking Dagur.

May your passengers and crew always be safe and may you always have a hands width the water beneath your keel.

Okay.

We're in the, in the home space.

Our next ship is the Viking Eldir.

The name Eldir means Fire stoker.

In North Mythology, Eldir is a servant of the sea giant Ægir.

Eldir is recognized for his loyalty and service.

And to help us name the Viking Eldir, I'm gonna welcome to the stage Viking's senior Vice President and European controller, Yumi Kim and the future captain of the Viking Eldir Mr.

Matej Sury.

You've brought your people.

Okay.

Your team.

It's my home turf.

Yeah, right.

It's a home game for you.

Okay.

Yumi was born in Seoul, South Korea.

She studied, and this is really impressive Arabic, Spanish, and English.

That's right.

Before becoming a certified public accountant, she has worked at Ernst and Young LLP and joined Viking in 2014, where she oversees financial integration and funding for Viking's ever-growing fleet.

So let's go back to Rostock for a last word from Sam.

We are here still in Rostock.

We are very excited for our third and final ship here, the Viking Eldir, soon to be sailing on the beauty of the Danube River, welcoming her first Viking explorers.

Basel.

It's back to you.

Yumi.

I'm sure you'd like to say a few words.

Sure.

Here's the microphone.

Well, I had to Google it last night.

How many ways are there to say thank you?

And I appreciate this opportunity.

Um, I think it has been said in so many different ways already by my colleagues here.

So I'm gonna say it in a way that nobody else here can say in my own, uh, native tongue.

Tor, Karine....

Thank you.

Are you ready to name your ship?

Oh yeah.

I name you Viking Eldir.

May your passengers and crew always be safe and may you always have a hands with a water beneath your keel.

Thank you, Sam.

Thank you very much.

Okay.

Before we get to the final ship in our celebration, uh, I would like to take a moment to recognize the Viking teams in the audience.

Basel Switzerland is home to Viking's operational headquarters for Ocean, River, and Expedition ships around the world.

So you Viking teams give yourself a big round of applause over there.

The Viking Honir is the last ship that we will name in today's marathon ceremony, but is certainly not the least the ship we are gathered on today.

The Viking Honir represents a most significant milestone for Viking.

You see, the Viking Honir is the 100th ship to be welcomed into Viking's award-winning fleet.

Named after the Norse God Honir, who is known for his wisdom and elegance.

And to help us name the Viking Honir - Viking's Vice President of trade and development and training also from California, but like me with strong Irish roots Michele Saegesser, together with the captain of the Viking Honir, Mr.

Tim Bauweraerts.

Michele, it's good to see You.

Oh, good to see you.

Michele has spent and get this 46 years in the travel industry, joining Viking over 22 years ago.

She has served as Vice President of Sales and National Accounts and opened the first Viking office in Australia.

She currently serves as Vice President of trade development and training.

Before you name your ship, Michele, you'd like to say a few words.

Always.

I thought you might.

Thank you so much to my wonderful Viking family of 23 years.

Can you believe that?

And what a journey it's been.

In 2014, Tor, we set the Guinness Book of World records for the most ships christened in a time period.

And I never thought anything could top it until later that night he said, and now we're gonna have a hundred ships.

And we all looked at each other and said, he's out of his mind.

You are so wonderfully crazy out of your mind.

Thank you for the vision and I can't even begin to tell you what an honor it is to be number 100.

So shall we bring her into the fleet?

Should we bring her and name her now.

Let's do it.

Let's do it.

Alright, When you're ready.

We ready, captain?

Alright.

I name you Viking Honir.

May your passengers, crew and travel agents always be safe and may there always be a hands with of water beneath your keel.

All right, let's do it together, captain.

Come on, please go.

Thank you, Michele.

Okay, godmothers, thank you all for honoring your ships and for gracing them with your well wishes and godfathers too.

To mark this momentous milestone, another Viking tradition.

We will hear two national anthems.

First, the national anthem of our native home Norway, followed by the anthem of our ship's registry and our corporate home, which is of course Switzerland.

Let me now invite to the stage someone who's a friend, who is not only a Norwegian national treasure, but also a very cherished member of our extended Viking family.

She has performed at all of our ocean naming celebrations and many others.

She's also the godmother of the Viking Jupiter and has been described by me as having a voice as crystal clear as a Norwegian mountain stream.

Please welcome to the stage the delightful, the one and only Sissel.

Together with Sissel, we will also have a fabulous Basel Girls Choir.

Thank you.

The Basel Girls Choir was founded in 1991.

The outstanding choir school was established for young female singers from age four into adulthood.

Girls from the region develop their musical skills with the help of professional musical educators and vocal coaches under the artistic direction of Marina Niedel.

Now, Sissel and the choir have a special little treat for us.

One of our Viking favorites, Sissel, when you're ready.

I see trees of green.

Red Roses too.

I see them bloom for me and you and I think to myself what a wonderful world.

I see friends shaking hands saying, how do you do.

They're really saying: I love you.

I see trees of green, red roses too.

I see them bloom for me and you.

And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

I think to myseflf.

What a wonderful world, Thank you, Sissel.

Thank you.

And thank you, The Basel Girls Choir.

Thank you.

This was a naming ceremony we'll, not soon forget.

While it didn't run exactly as planned, the event quickly evolved to become one of our Chairman's favorites.

It was a vivid reminder of the spirit resilience and unshakeable optimism of every single member of our extended Viking family - the secret sauce that's helped Viking grow from just four ships into one of the world's leading travel companies with more than 100 vessels in just 28 years.

With the blessings from our godmothers complete, these nine innovative vessels are off to explore the world in Viking comfort.