Vard is the expedition-ship specialist of the Fincantieri group, which owns the Norwegian builder. Where its parent builds the industry's largest ships in Italy, Vard builds small, ice-classed vessels for remote waters, typically fabricating hulls at Tulcea in Romania — and also at Vung Tau in Vietnam — before outfitting and delivery from Søviknes in Norway. That split explains the yard notes on the eight Phase 1 ships here, all delivered between 2019 and 2021. They include Ponant's Explorer-class Le Bellot and Le Dumont-d'Urville, Hapag-Lloyd's three Hanseatic expedition ships from Tulcea, Coral Expeditions' two Australian-built-for-purpose explorers from Vung Tau, and Viking Octantis, at delivery the largest ship Vard had built, Polar Class 6 and designed for Antarctica, the Arctic and the Great Lakes. Small ships, built for the ends of the earth, are Vard's whole identity.
Phase 1 ships built by Vard — 8
Sources: https://www.offshore-energy.biz/2021/12/23/vikings-1st-expedition-ship-delivered-in-norway https://gcaptain.com/vard-confirms-expedition-cruise-ship-order/