River Thames: Madame Pinault and Viking Sea

river thames: But it was always going to be her ship more than his; buying the cruise company was Madame Pinault's idea, after all, according to The Toronto Star. The Viking Sea, an ocean-going cruise ship operated by Viking River Cruises, passes along the River Thames in London. French billionaire and Kering SA chairperson Fran ois Pinault wasn't there to watch his wife smash a bottle of Champagne against the ship's hull in the time-honoured nautical tradition. Company head Torstein Hagen's pitch to passengers involves doing away with the upcharges the industry is notorious for. Now the cruise line, which reports annual revenues of about 182 million U.S. is part of a luxury portfolio that also includes Gucci, Christie's auction house, and famed vineyard Ch teau Latour. Chris Ratcliffe / Bloomberg In 2015, Pinault's holding company, Groupe Artemis, acquired Ponant from Bridgepoint Capital for an undisclosed sum. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.