Meyer Turku cuts steel for Royal Caribbean's newly named Icon of the Seas

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Bernard Meyer adds his signature to a commermorative piece of steel from Icon of the Seas
Meyer Turku cut steel for the newly named Icon of the Seas, first in an LNG-powered, three-ship series for Royal Caribbean International.

Set to debut in fall 2023, Icon will be Royal Caribbean's most environmentally advanced ship.

Increased energy efficiency

Besides LNG, other aspects include shore power connectivity and increased energy efficiency/reduced carbon footprint thanks to underwater air lubrication that reduces hull friction and an advanced waste heat recovery system to turn waste heat into up to 3MW extra energy.

Further details will be revealed at a future date.

Present for the steel-cutting were Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain and EVP Maritime Harri Kulovaara, Meyer Turku Chairman Bernard Meyer and CEO Tim Meyer, while Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley addressed the ceremony remotely.

Commitment to clean power

'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,' Bayley said. '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.'

Another thing still to be revealed is Icon's exact gross tonnage and passenger capacity.

Rising to the challenge

Meyer Turku 'eagerly' accepted the challenge to surpass past efforts, Tim Meyer said. '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,' he added.