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10 years ago on May 17th in Bergen, we named the first ocean ship the Viking Star.

This historic event also celebrated Norwegian National Day.

The date the Norwegian constitution was signed in 1814.

It was a milestone moment for everyone at Viking.

Viking Star What followed was the creation of the world's leading fleet of ocean ships and a complete re-imagining of what an ocean voyage should be.

In but a singled an extraordinary way to travel was born from a vision few dared even imagine.

I went to a good business school.

It's called Harvard, and I learned one thing- nothing is impossible.

It may take time, it may cost money, but don't come and tell me it's impossible.

It isn't.

Bringing Viking's remarkable ocean vessels to life involved years of consultations with the best in the business,.

Starting with a clean sheet of paper.

Every square inch was optimized in our quest to create a quiet, welcoming Scandinavian ambiance on board.

We're so proud of them.

The ships are so close to perfection.

With the design locked down, Viking joined forces with Italy's Fincantieri and embarked on an intense construction program, the likes of which the ship building world has rarely seen. 11 beautiful ships in just 10 years.

Yet we're not resting on our laurels.

I think there are lots of opportunities for us.

We are focused on our guests and we have a focused product.

Nobody said it was possible to start a new ocean cruise line, so it's been quite a development.

When we launched Viking, we knew we wanted to be different, which meant having a contrarian approach.

And our "no list" has continued to resonate with the Viking traveler.

For example, we don't allow children under 18.

We don't have casinos on board and above all, we do not want a nickel and dime our guests.

Our unwavering commitment to our guests has them exploring the world's oceans with Viking again and again,.

We always go with Viking.

We don't do anything outside of Viking.

The first time I did it with my mother and my daughter,.

The last one we did with a whole group of friends and all of our future travels are booked through Viking.

The one thing that really brings me back and my husband back is the crew.

Just phenomenal.

I've never in my entire life and I've traveled a lot, let me tell you, never come across such amazing people and that I just love.

I think we've done quite well and it's largely due to the fantastic spirit we have in the company.

That's really where we distinguish ourselves.

Viking, treats the crew as a family.

We are part of a family and we take care of each other.

It means a lot to become a become a Viking crew.

Everybody wants you to do well and proceed in your career And striving to be the best.

This is my life, my passion.

Being part of the Viking crew is being part of something bigger.

It's a company that believes in individuals.

It's a company that gives everybody a fair chance and you feel valued.

It's a privilege.

They just treat you with utmost respect all the time.

It is a really good culture to have.

I think it's fantastic.

We really have one big Viking family.

We have a loyalty which is second to none.

We give great opportunities for people from all over the world.

We have close to a hundred nationalities represented in the company and I think we are creating careers for them.

For me, this is just a dream come true to be working with all these different nationalities and visit different places around the globe.

I really enjoy working here.

I've been at Viking for nine years and why is because Viking helped me develop my career.

I have been with Viking for 10 years.

When I joined the Viking family, I was chief purser and then financial officer, and later I was promoted to hotel General Manager.

It's a company that is expanding, so it gives lots of opportunities and we have a very nice working environment.

The future looks just amazing.

You meet crew members who, you know, 10 years ago they were on a lower position, you meet them again and they are suddenly in a managerial position .

That's always special.

One of my colleagues says his ultimate dream is that one of our utility people shall one day be promoted to become a hotel manager.

That'd be a fantastic experience for him or her and all of us.

We've come far since Viking and Fincantieri first hinted at 10 ocean ships.

We've long since passed that milestone and we're not done yet.

Along the way, Viking's elegant ocean vessels have regularly dominated the number one rankings for both Travel and Leisure and Conde Nast Traveler.

We are number one.

To come from nothing to where we are today, I think that's quite an accomplishment.

It is been a great 10 years and we look forward to the future.

Thank you.