Viking was founded 25 years ago this year when our first river ships began sailing. Our vision was to make travel more enriching and culturally immersive, and this vision seems to have resonated, as Viking has been considered the world's leading river cruise line for a while now. We've been honored with over 250 awards, and Viking has once again been named the number one river cruise line by Travel + Leisure in their 2022 World's Best Awards.
On the rivers of Europe, we now have over 50 longships, one of which I'm on board now, and I can confidently say that these state-of-the-art, elegant vessels offer our guests an exceptional experience.
So at Viking, we build innovative ships that are the right size for the experience, be it on rivers, oceans, or expeditions. In Europe, a river ship that sails from Amsterdam to Budapest, for example, must fit under many bridges and into many locks and canals. So for this reason, river ships typically cannot be more than 135 meters long, 11.4 meters wide, and six meters tall above the waterline.
So they're very specific dimensions into which we fit our guests and our crew and our experiences. Small, which is of course the charm of river cruising as well. Along with our expert advisors and shipyard partners, we've invested significant time and money in the design of our Viking longships to create the most elegant ships that use the available space in the most effective way. And all our longships are identical, which is very helpful for so many reasons.
So let's take a look at some of the unique and patented features of the Viking longships.
The square bow of a Viking longship was planned as usable space, whereas on other river ships that sail the rivers of Europe, the bow must be used for mooring equipment. We have usable space. This has allowed us to introduce the revolutionary Aquavit Terrace, which is a dining and viewing platform at the bow, where I am sitting now. Actually, the Aquavit Terrace is right there. I'm sitting in a side part of it, which is my favorite spot on board.
So we like to create meaningful travel experiences for curious people, but we also focus on traveling in a responsible way. These longships are powered by true diesel-electric hybrid engines that meet stringent emission standards and reduce vibrations for a remarkably smooth ride. Shore power is also used when available along the rivers. Additionally, the vessels also feature onboard solar panels, which this summer has been very useful as it's been very sunny.
So structurally, the Viking longships feature asymmetrical corridors rather than corridors which run down the center of the vessel. This design has allowed us to create true two-room suites, which have full verandas on two decks. So in total, the Viking longships can accommodate 190 guests, which is more than similar-sized ships that don't have these patented features, which of course allows us to benefit from economies of scale, which we can then pass on to our guests to offer real Viking value.
We also own and operate all of our own ships here on the rivers in Europe, allowing us to employ and develop the most skilled, experienced, and friendly crew. We also own many of the best docking locations along the rivers, allowing guests to enjoy the best and most convenient access to the destinations that we visit.
So these are all great things about the Viking longships. Every detail onboard the Viking longship has been designed for the curious traveler. So please look out for original Nordic artworks, browse the bookshelf-well-stocked library, enjoy our content on the in-cabin TVs, in addition, of course, to the great lectures and onboard enrichment that we have that complements our fantastic onshore experiences, be they included or chosen optionals. We have amazing libraries curated by our partners at London's bookshop Heywood Hill. So if you've ever pulled a book out of any of our libraries, I hope you'll agree with me they're all fascinating. I have to say I wouldn't mind spending a reading holiday on board our ships.
So now I'd like to invite you to take a closer look around on our 360-degree tour of a Viking longship. Enjoy.
