Despite Royal Caribbean being on hold for most ships over the past 15 months, the cruise line continues to move forward with its new Icon-class cruise ship. The first piece of steel was cut today at the shipyard, which officially marks the start of physical construction. The name was also revealed as Icon of the Seas, the first in the fleet to be powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)
Construction Begins on Icon of the Seas
Wednesday is a major milestone for Royal Caribbean with the first steel cut for its new generation Icon-class cruise ship. A steel-cutting ceremony took place at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, and at the same time, the ship’s name was revealed as Icon of the Seas.
Watch highlights of the steel-cutting ceremony below:
The ceremony was attended by Richard Fain, chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group; Michael Bayley, president, and CEO, Royal Caribbean International; and Tim Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku. It marks a major milestone for the cruise line as Icon of the Seas will be the first in the fleet to be powered by LNG and the first of three ships in the new Icon-class.
Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International, said:
“We made our commitment to making clean power at sea a reality – and soon the norm – when Icon Class was first announced in 2016, and we’re excited to see construction underway on what will truly be a ship unlike any other.”
“Our decades of work in ocean conservation, energy efficiency and continuous improvement will be evident all throughout Icon. We look forward to revealing more of the game-changing features our guests and crew have in store as she begins to take shape.”
CEO Tim Meyer said:
“We have eagerly accepted this challenge. Now that ship production in our halls has begun, we are beginning to see the results of our design take physical form. This is always a solemn moment for us shipbuilders.”
Also Read: First Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship Resumes Sailings in North America
It’s still too early to know full details of the ship, and in the coming months, Royal Caribbean will release more, including itineraries and onboard features. Icon of the Seas will debut in fall 2023. The ship is to be around 200,000 gross tons making her one of the largest in the world, just behind the oasis-class ships.
Royal Caribbean recently welcomed its newest cruise ship, Odyssey of the Seas, in the U.S. The next world’s largest cruise ship, Wonder of the Seas, is currently under construction in France, set to debut in 2022.
