Viking has taken delivery of its newest Nile River vessel, the Viking Sekhmet, following a delivery ceremony at the Massara shipyard in Cairo, Egypt. The new ship expands the company’s fleet serving its Egyptian river cruise programme.
The Viking Sekhmet accommodates 82 guests in 41 outside staterooms and was purpose-built for navigation on the Nile. The vessel follows the Scandinavian design approach used across Viking’s river and ocean fleet, with features including a distinctive square bow and an indoor-outdoor Aquavit Terrace.
The ship is scheduled to operate Viking’s 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary, as well as the new 12-day Total Eclipse on the Nile programme in 2027. Both itineraries begin with three nights at a first-class hotel in Cairo, allowing passengers to visit sites including the Great Pyramids of Giza, the necropolis of Sakkara, the Mosque of Muhammad Ali and the Grand Egyptian Museum.
The programme then continues by air to Luxor, where passengers visit the Temples of Luxor and Karnak before embarking on a Viking river ship for an 8-day round trip on the Nile. The itinerary includes the Valley of the Kings and the tomb of Tutankhamen, the Temple of Khnum at Esna, the Dendera Temple complex at Qena and the High Dam at Aswan. It also includes a visit to a Nubian village and a traditional elementary school before the journey concludes with a flight back to Cairo and a final overnight stay.
Viking said the addition of the Viking Sekhmet forms part of its broader fleet expansion programme. The company’s current orderbook calls for the delivery of 19 additional river ships by 2028, 11 ocean ships by 2032 and two expedition ships by 2031. If these deliveries proceed as planned, Viking expects to operate 114 river ships by 2028 and a combined fleet of 28 ocean and expedition ships by 2032.