Viking Cruises has floated out the world’s first hydrogen-powered cruise ship as it prepares to start sailing later this year.
VIking Libra will make its debut on the water with Mediterranean and northern Europe cruises from November 2026.
In an industry-first, the vessel has a hybrid propulsion system that uses liquified hydrogen to power a PEM, or polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell system.
This gives it the capacity to produce up to six megawatts of power and to sail with zero emissions during parts of a voyage.
There won’t be enough hydrogen for a whole route but it will help the ship access more environmentally sensitive areas such as the Norwegian fjords on the greener fuel.
A float-out ceremony was held at the Fincantieri shipyard in Ancona last week, marking the first time the ship has touched water.
Torstein Hagen, chairman and chief executive of Viking, said: “The float out of the Viking Libra represents another milestone for Viking and our continued partnership with Fincantieri.
“From the beginning, our approach to ship design has focused on reducing fuel consumption and the Viking Libra is our most environmentally friendly vessel yet.”
The ship will now be moved to a nearby outfitting dock for final construction of the interior and exterior.
Once complete, she will have a gross tonnage of approximately 54,300 tonnes, with 499 staterooms that can host 998 guests.
Another hydrogen-powered ocean ship, the Viking Astrea, is also under construction and scheduled for delivery in 2027.
Other cruise lines are taking steps to operate with more lower emissions.
MSC Cruises’ two newest ships, World Europa and World America, are powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), a greener form of fuel.
Hurtigruten completed a climate-neutral sailing in Norway using biodiesel in October 2025 and Havila Voyages conducted a voyage on biogas the following month in the region.
Havila Voyages’ ships are also powered by LNG but have battery packs that help sail for four hours around Norway with zero emissions.
Hurtigruten is also currently working on a zero-emission cruise ship to launch in 2030, powered by a 60-megawatt battery pack.
Read more: The best Norweigan Fjord cruise holidays
