Viking® yesterday named its newest ocean ship, the Viking Vesta®, with a traditional ceremony in Split, Croatia. Serving as ceremonial godmother of the Viking Vesta was the Norwegian journalist, Lene Tangevald-Jensen. The Viking Vesta will now continue her inaugural season sailing in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.
“As we celebrate 10 years of ocean voyages in 2025, we are pleased to welcome the new Viking Vesta to our award-winning fleet of elegant sister ships,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman and CEO of Viking. “We are also very grateful to Lene for serving as godmother. In addition to her personal and professional accomplishments, Lene embodies the values that are very important to me and to Viking—she is kind, honest, hardworking and, of course, curious. I am proud to count her as a friend and a valued member of the extended Viking family.”
In keeping with the naming tradition, during the ceremony Lene used a Viking broad axe to cut a ribbon 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 Norwegian violinist Tor Jaran Apold.
Lene Tangevald-Jensen, Godmother of the Viking Vesta
Lene Tangevald-Jensen is known for her commitment to journalism and philanthropy, as well as a deep curiosity about people’s lives. After completing the International Baccalaureate and earning a master’s degree in business, she worked in the private sector, investing in stocks and real estate. For 30 years, she has written for Kapital and Finansavisen, two of Norway’s leading financial publications, conducting more than 500 interviews, including U.S. President Jimmy Carter. She has also contributed to =OSLO, a street magazine that gives a platform to those who have fallen outside society’s safety net.
Lene believes in the power of paying it forward—performing small, meaningful acts that spark new beginnings for someone in need. Through her work with the LEON Trust, she supports education for children in Kenya, Nepal and Sri Lanka. She is involved with Make-A-Wish Foundation Norway and is the founder of TBS Gallery, an art space in Oslo dedicated to the work of sculptor Tore Bjørn Skjølsvik.
As a close friend and neighbour of Viking Chairman and CEO Torstein Hagen, Lene has become a cherished part of the extended Viking family. In December 2022, she and her partner joined an expedition to Antarctica on board the Viking Polaris®. There, she created a documentary film, capturing the beauty of the White Continent—a journey that reaffirmed her belief in embracing the unknown. She often returns to the mantra that shapes her life: “Growth happens when we dare to try—even when failure looms.”
The Viking Vesta
The Viking Vesta is the newest ship in Viking’s award-winning ocean fleet of sister ships. Classified as a small ship, as are all Viking ocean ships, the Viking Vesta has a gross tonnage of 54,300 tons, with 499 staterooms that can host 998 guests; the ships feature all veranda staterooms, elegant Scandinavian design, light-filled public spaces and abundant al fresco dining options.
