Meyer Turku announced the world’s biggest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, was to embark on her maiden set of sea trials over the weekend. However, the sea trials had to be delayed until yesterday, Monday, June 19, 2023, due to harsh wind conditions.
Icon of the Seas is currently at sea and is expected to stay at sea for about a week. During that time, the crew will perform a series of tests to ensure all the state-of-the-art systems are functioning as they should be.
The Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland initially shared, “Icon will depart from the Turku shipyard for the first time ever during the weekend when Icon’s week-long sea trials begin.
We are once again very happy that we get to celebrate yet another significant achievement as Icon leaves the outfitting pier for the first time and continues her journey through the Turku archipelago towards the sea. The sea trial will involve testing Icon’s systems and features that can’t be tested while docked.”
Some of the tests on Icon of the Seas will include her speed and maneuverability, safety systems, propulsion, seaworthiness, and navigational systems, along with noise and vibration levels onboard.
In May, Meyer Turku shared via social media, “Sea trials are one of the most important milestones on a ship’s road to completion. Sea trials are a way to test all of the ship’s features that cannot be tested while docked, and that every function onboard is working as intended. Sea trials are also used to make sure the noise and vibration levels are where they should be.
Icon of the Seas is the world’s largest and also the most technically advanced cruise ship. The construction of the ship is progressing at a good pace and preparations for her sea trials have already started.
As the world’s largest prototype ship, Icon’s early sea trials are important to ensure that all the ship’s main equipment such as propulsion equipment, main engines and power plant, thrusters and fin stabilizers are working as they should.”
These sea trials are a significant milestone for Icon of the Seas and just the first of several trials to come before she sets sail on her maiden voyage in early 2024.