Viking named its newest ocean ship, Viking Vela, during a ceremony in Trieste, Italy on Thursday.

The naming ceremony also served as a celebration of Viking’s longtime partnership with Fincantieri, which is one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups and is based in Trieste. With its rich maritime history, Trieste is considered the endpoint to the maritime Silk Road and is now Italy’s most important commercial port.

Serving as ceremonial godmother of Vela was Ivana Elice, Vice President and Project Manager of the Fincantieri Cruise Business Unit, who has overseen the design and engineering of Viking’s ocean ships for 12 years.

“We are proud to welcome the Viking Vela to our growing, award-winning fleet. With Fincantieri as our partner, we believe we have built the world’s most elegant fleet of small ocean ships,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman and CEO of the cruise line. “We thank Ivana Elice for being godmother of the Viking Vela. In her role at Fincantieri, she has cared for our ocean ships during their construction just as a godmother would, and we are very appreciative of her contributions as a member of the extended Viking family.”

The Naming Ceremony

In keeping with the naming tradition, during the ceremony Ivana was presented with a historic Viking broad axe by Ann Ziff, a philanthropist, Chairman of the Metropolitan Opera, and godmother of Viking Saturn. The same axe was previously used in the naming of Saturn in June 2023.

After the axe presentation, Ivana pressed a button that allowed a bottle of Norwegian aquavit to break on the ship’s hull. Guests also enjoyed performances by Sissel Kyrkjebø, one of the world’s leading crossover sopranos and godmother of the Viking Jupiter, and acclaimed Italian singer Alessandro Safina, who paid tribute to the cultures of both Norway and Italy in song.

Ivana Elice

Ivana Elice, Vice President and Project Manager of the Fincantieri Cruise Business Unit, has enjoyed a distinguished career in naval and mechanical engineering, helping support the expansion of the Viking ocean fleet for the past 12 years. In 2012, Ms. Elice was appointed by Fincantieri to oversee the build of Viking’s first ocean ship, Viking Star, and she has continued to serve as valuable support for the expansion of Viking’s fleet of sister ships.

Ivana joined Fincantieri in 1985 after graduating from the University of Genoa with a master’s degree in naval architecture and mechanical engineering. Her initial role as a noise and vibration specialist within the company’s Naval Vessel Division involved assisting with the design of surface ships and submarines. Since 1993, she has held several positions within Fincantieri’s Merchant Division in the areas of hydrodynamics, ship construction, production engineering, and more.

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