STX France says that Viking River Cruises has withdrawn from the discussions they were having with the yard regarding the construction of two 41,000-ton oceangoing vessels for a new division the line has been planning to create. The contract was to have included an option for a third vessel.
The two companies jointly announced a preliminary agreement to build the vessels last December, subject to completion of contract negotiations. The vessels were to have been delivered in the spring of 2014 and 2015.
There have been rumors in recent days that the discussions were stalled due to an issue with financing. There are also rumors that Fincantieri is interested in stepping in to build the vessels. It is not known if Fincantieri is able to offer some sort of financial package.
