Cruise: Halifax, New Orleans

Viking Cruises Selects New Orleans for Launch of Mississippi River Service

Viking River Cruises has selected the Port of New Orleans as hub for its first North American river cruise itineraries, company Chairman Torstein Hagan and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal announced February 24.

The cruises will operate from docking facilities near the French Quarter and are expected to create 416 direct jobs with an average salary of $40,000, plus benefits. Louisiana Economic Development (LED) estimates the project will result in an additional 368 new indirect jobs, for a total of more than 780 new jobs. 

Plans call for the construction of six new vessels over the next three years at an estimated cost of $90 million to $100 million per vessel. All will be built in U.S. shipyards and crewed by U.S. citizens. They will be owned by Tennenbaum Capital Partners, a Los Angeles-based alternative investment management firm, and time-chartered to Viking. 

Starting with the launch of Viking’s Mississippi River operations in late 2017, two boats will be deployed per year, for a total of six new boats in the first three years. Cruises will take passengers along the Mississippi from New Orleans, stopping in St. James, East Baton Rouge and West Feliciana parishes before continuing upriver to Memphis, St. Louis, or St. Paul, depending on the season. The specialty-built riverboats will have a full complement of luxury amenities and host up to 300 passengers. 

"The Viking team is very proud to partner with the State of Louisiana, and we are grateful for the support of Gov. Jindal," Mr. Hagen said. "We are excited about the prospect of bringing modern river-cruising to the Mississippi, a river that has been traveled by explorers for centuries. We know our passengers will enjoy the rich history, culture and cuisine of all the great cities and towns along the Mississippi River from New Orleans to St. Paul. Together with our U.S. partners, we take great pride in the economic benefit that river-cruising provides to the regions our guests visit, from the shipbuilders to the local businesses."

To secure the project, the State of Louisiana offered the company a competitive incentive package that includes a $4.5 million performance-based grant for site preparation at the company’s docking locations in Louisiana. The company also will receive the customized solutions of the state workforce development program, LED FastStart®, including partnerships with the Louisiana Workforce Commission and local educational institutions. 

In January, Governor Jindal and Hagen met at Viking’s operational headquarters in Switzerland to discuss the new itineraries and the impact the project will have on New Orleans and the region.

Viking River Cruises was founded in 1997 with the purchase of four ships and the launch of river cruise operations in Russia. The company’s fleet currently features 60 modern, deluxe river vessels, including its innovative Viking Longships®. The company first expanded into the U.S. market by establishing U.S. headquarters in Los Angeles. The Mississippi River itineraries will be the company’s first cruise offering in North America.  

"We are thrilled by the choice of the Port of New Orleans as Viking’s initial entry into the North American market," said Port of New Orleans President and CEO Gary LaGrange, PPM. "Viking is one of the premier cruise brands throughout Europe and Asia. Their worldwide reputation underscores New Orleans as a destination city for both international and domestic leisure travelers. The Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans has worked with the Viking team for nearly two years to determine the proper venue for the new ships within the port and along the Mississippi River, and we couldn’t be happier to add Viking to the port’s cruise portfolio."