Viking River Cruises will begin operating on the Mississippi River in 2015.
According to the Red Wing (Minnesota) Visitors and Convention Bureau, the company will build a five-deck 340-passenger ship, which will stop at the Port of Red Wing, 50 miles downriver from Minneapolis.
Viking chairman Tor Hagen has said for some time that the company will one day sail the Mississippi, but has not specified a date.
The Mississippi ship will be larger than the 190-passenger ships Viking is building for European river cruises.
River sailing in general is growing in popularity, and the Mississippi has attracted American Cruise Lines’ new 150-passenger Queen of the Mississippi, and the 436-passenger American Queen, refurbished by the American Queen Steamboat Company.
Viking River Cruises, meanwhile, has been aggressively expanding from its European river base.
It is launching an ocean cruise division, with orders for up to six vessels. In addition, it christened 10 new river ships in March and plans to launch 12 more in 2014.
By Cheryl Rosen
