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For more details and videos, visit vikingrivercruises.com.au
1997-
1998
With the purchase
of KD River Cruises,
Viking becomes the
largest river cruise
operator in Europe
2005
Four state-of-the-
art Viking Longships
launched, with
patented layout and
largest river cruise
suites in Europe
2015
Viking adds four
new ships custom
built to navigate the
Seine River, a new
ship for the Nile and
announces new
Viking Expedition
voyages
Viking established
by Torstein Hagen
with the purchase
of four river ships
Viking purchases
nine additional
ships and expands
operations into the
rivers of Europe
2000
Viking introduces
French balconies —
the first river cruise
line to do so
2012
Launch of Viking
ocean voyages
with Viking Star
christened in
Bergen, Norway
2020
T H E V I K I N G S T O R Y
How one man's vision led to a new way to sail
WHEN TORSTEIN HAGEN FOUNDED VIKING
in 1997 with four river ships, he had few supporters
and even fewer who believed in his vision. He was 54
years old and had spent much of his career in Norway
in shipping, bearing witness to an industry that was
ripe for change. Our Norwegian-born patriarch had a
deep desire to create something different–and as
anyone who has travelled with us will tell you,
different is exactly what you get on a Viking voyage.
For more than 27 years our Chairman Torstein–who
the Viking family knows simply as 'Tor'–has built an
award-winning fleet of ships over 90 strong. First, we
set the standard for modern river cruises, then
we reinvented ocean cruises with the launch of
our award-winning small ship voyages and now
we have perfected expedition voyages, with our
state-of-the-art expedition ships, Viking Octantis,
and Viking Polaris.
"We wanted to do things differently
–and since then, our mission has
resonated with curious travellers."
To r s t e i n H a g e n , V i k i n g C h a i r m a n
TO R S T E I N H AG E N
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