• 2 min de lectura
• 2 min de lectura
The first major steel building block was placed in the dry dock where the Royal Caribbean ship will take shape over the next two years.
A keel-laying ceremony at Meyer Turku marked the start of construction for Royal Caribbean's fifth Icon-class ship, scheduled for 2028 delivery.
The keel forms the backbone of the ship along the bottom and center of its hull and provides the foundation for construction. It was put in the dock recently vacated by Icon 4 sister, Hero of the Seas, that was floated out last week.
To mark the keel-laying, Royal Caribbean and Meyer Turku executives placed freshly minted coins beneath the steel block before it was lifted into position, a shipbuilding tradition for good luck.
More details about Icon 5, including its name and features, will be revealed at a later date.
Icon 5 reflects the strength of the long-term partnership between Royal Caribbean and Meyer Turku, according to yard CEO Casimir Lindholm.
"Building a series of ships allows us to continuously learn, improve and innovate, and each new vessel benefits from the expertise gained throughout the program," Lindholm continued. "Together with our partner network, we are proud to demonstrate the world-class shipbuilding capabilities developed in Turku and to help shape the future of cruise shipbuilding."
This fifth Icon ship will be followed by a sixth in 2029 and a seventh in 2030.
Meyer Turku is focused on cruise ships, car ferries and specialized vessels, with Royal Caribbean and the Finnish Border Guard its largest customers. Its share of the global cruise construction market is 17%.
2025 turnover was €2.1b. More than 2,300 workers are employed.
Subsidiaries are Piikkio Works, a cabin factory located in Piikkiö; Shipbuilding Completion, which offers complete deliveries of public spaces; and ENG'nD, a shipbuilding and offshore design company in Rauma.
