The world's largest and newest cruise ship from Royal Caribbean International, Icon of the Seas, was launched at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland on December 9.
Over the weekend, the ship was moved to the outfitting dock, where its now fully assembled hull will be converted into a giant cruise ship over the next year.
During the ceremony, Michael Bayley, president and CEO of the company, said: “The launching of a new ship is a defining moment and, in the case of Icon of the Seas, it marks the next step in the beginning of a new era of vacations.”
The Icon of the Seas is Royal Caribbean's first ship to run on liquefied natural gas and utilize fuel cell technology. Along with its other features, such as shore power connections and waste heat recovery systems, the ship is a pioneer in sustainable development.
With a length of 365 meters, a beam of almost 50 meters and a gross tonnage of approximately 250,000, the Icon of the Seas is the first ship of the Icon class on the Meyer Turku shipyard's order list.
“Icon of the Seas is a state-of-the-art vessel that pushes the boundaries of our shipyard’s expertise and elevates the entire Finnish shipbuilding industry to a new level. We are proud to be responsible for the design and construction of Icon of the Seas in cooperation with the client and all our partner companies. This is also an important step for the sustainable development of the shipbuilding industry,” said Tim Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku.
The Icon of the Seas will be delivered to Royal Caribbean in late 2023 and will set sail on its maiden voyage in January 2024. The ship will sail from Miami year-round in the Eastern and Western Caribbean.
