Viking's ship and alternative fuels according to DNV

Hydrogen cruise ships have moved from one-off project to series. Viking floated out its second such vessel, with hybrid propulsion based partly on liquefied hydrogen and fuel cells capable of producing up to six megawatts, supplied by Isotta Fraschini Motori, a Fincantieri subsidiary.

The question is how many suppliers exist for that package. Figures from DNV's Alternative Fuels Insight platform, released on September 4, 2026, show that of the 52 alternative-fuelled vessels ordered in August, 46 were LNG and only 2 hydrogen. Across the first eight months of 2026 there were 242 orders, with LNG accounting for 63% of the total.

A delivered system and a ship in the water is a technical lead that is hard to copy, and it puts the operator years ahead of anyone still debating feasibility. The trade-off is in the maintenance contract: with a chain this thin, part pricing, lead times and service sit with a single supplier, for decades.

Being first at sea holds up when the operator locks part pricing and replacement lead times into the original order.