Viking has named its newest river ship, Viking Aton, with a special celebration in Aswan, Egypt. The ship’s ceremonial godfather, Richard Riveire, designer of Viking’s award-winning river, ocean and expedition vessels and founding Principal of internationally acclaimed interior design firm Rottet Studio, offered a blessing of good fortune and safe sailing for the ship—an evolution of the naval tradition dating back to thousands of years.
The Viking Aton, an identical sister ship of the Viking Osiris, is a state-of-the-art vessel specifically built to navigate the Nile and will sail Viking’s popular Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary.
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“Today, we are pleased to welcome Viking Aton to our growing fleet. Together with her sister ship, the Viking Osiris, they are the newest and most elegant vessels on the Nile, by far,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking.
“With extraordinarily strong interest in Egypt among our guests, we are proud to bring another state-of-the-art vessel to this region, and we look forward to introducing even more curious travelers to the country’s rich cultural treasures.
“I am also thankful to my friend, Richard Riveire, for his tremendous contributions to Viking, including the design of this new vessel and our other award-winning river, ocean and expedition ships.”
“It is an incredible honor to be the godfather of the Viking Aton and to celebrate the growing Viking fleet,” said Richard Riveire. “For well over a decade, I have been proud to work alongside Tor, Karine and the Viking team to help design how the Viking brand comes to life on board. Together, we share the belief that the design of each Viking ship should showcase the destination, wherever you may be in the world.”
Riveire, AIA, NCARB, IIDA is one of the founding Principals of internationally acclaimed interior architecture and design firm Rottet Studio. He is widely recognised for creating dynamic, groundbreaking interiors focused on human comfort and visual inspiration. During his 30-plus-year career, he has received numerous design excellence awards from organisations including American Institute of Architects, Interior Design Magazine and the International Interior Design Association. He has also overseen many high-profile projects focusing on hospitality and entertainment including Presidential Bungalows at The Beverly Hills Hotel, the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago, and The Ritz-Carlton Hotel & Residences at LA Live among others.
The Viking Aton & Viking’s Growing Egypt Fleet
Hosting 82 guests in 41 staterooms, the new Viking Aton is inspired by Viking’s award-winning river and ocean ships with the elegant Scandinavian design for which Viking is known. The Viking Aton is the identical sister ship to the Viking Osiris, which was named in 2022 by Viking’s first ceremonial godfather, the 8th Earl of Carnarvon
The sister ships feature several aspects familiar to Viking guests, such as a distinctive square bow and an indoor/outdoor Aquavit Terrace. The Viking Aton joins Viking’s growing fleet built specifically for the Nile. In addition to the Viking Aton and the Viking Osiris, identical sister ships the Viking Hathor and the Viking Sobek, are under construction and will be delivered in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Additional ships in the Egypt fleet currently include the Viking Ra and the MS Antares; by 2025, Viking will have six ships sailing the Nile River.
Lead image, from left: Alastair Miller, Award-winning British photographer; Harald Seebacher, Viking SVP Passenger Operations, River; Viking Aton Captain Adb El Fattah; Sherif El Bana, Viking Egyptian Partner; Ghada Shalaby, Vice Minister for Tourism at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Arab Republic of Egypt; Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen; Mohamed El Bana, Viking Egyptian Partner; Ayman Attya, Board Member, The Arab Contractors, and Richard Riveire.