Royal Caribbean Group announced yesterday, August 27, 2024, that it signed an agreement with Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku for the construction of a fourth Icon Class ship to be delivered by 2027. The agreement includes options to build a fifth and sixth ships.
Jason Liberty, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group said, “Building on the incredible momentum and market response to the launch of Icon of the Seas and the excitement for its sister ship, Star of the Seas, coming in 2025, we’re thrilled to join with Meyer Turku once again to expand our roster of Icon Class ships and continue our future growth plans. Since its debut, Icon has changed the game in vacation experiences and exceeded our expectations in both guest satisfaction and financial performance.”
The first Icon Class ship, Icon of the Seas, launched in January 2024 from her homeport of Miami, Florida. She debuted as the best combination of iconic vacations–everything from beach retreat to theme park. Star of the Seas is currently under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard and will join her big sister in 2025 when she debuts from Port Canaveral, Florida, and a yet-to-be-named third Icon Class ship is coming in 2026.
“This order is an important milestone for the future of shipbuilding in the maritime network in Finland. With Icon of the Seas, our team, consisting of the shipyard and partners, have built an extraordinary ship in respect of naval architecture, energy efficiency and customer experience. This is yet another recognition of the professionalism of our personnel and of our leadership in the maritime industry’s innovation and green transition. The options underline the strong outlook of our order book,” added Tim Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku.
With the completion of this ship, Meyer Turk will have built 21 ships for Royal Caribbean Group in the last 28 years. Finland Prime Minister, Peter Orpo said, “This is great news for Finland. Royal Caribbean Group’s long-term partnership will continue to have a positive impact on our employment and economy. Their commitment and investment in Finland speaks volumes about the strength of our maritime cluster and our world class shipyards.”
So far this year, Royal Caribbean Group has launched four new ships–Royal Caribbean International’s Icon of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas, Silversea’s Silver Ray and TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 7. The company has seven new ships on order including a seventh Royal Caribbean International Oasis Class ship set to debut in 2028.
The agreement with Meyer Turku is contingent upon financing and other conditions.