The joint venture between Viking China Merchants Shekou is progressing with arrival of Viking Sun in Shenzhen, with under the agreement between the companies, the 2017 launched Viking Sun will be transferred to the joint venture and become Chinese flagged.
Apparently, being Chinese flagged will allow Viking Sun to operate coastal voyages under the complicated local cabotage regulations.
Before cruising in China, Viking Sun will have a makeover including making changes to catering and entertainment to suit Chinese tastes while also as they describe, organically integrating simple Nordic style with Chinese culture, with China Merchants Viking Cruises aiming to provide high-end cruise travel experience and exclusive services and the world’s first five-star cruise operation sailing under the Chinese flag.
Viking’s founder, Torstein Hagen has said that the initiative is an “important milestone in the development of China’s cruise industry”, with China Merchants Shekou Chairman & Party Secretary, Xu Yongjun, saying, “the impact of the pandemic on the cruise industry is temporary and the fundamentals of the cruise industry long-term improvement remains unchanged”.
An edited report by John Alwyn-Jones
