Meyer Turku starts to build Icon of the Seas
Bernard Meyer at the traditional steel cutting ceremony (Source: Meyer Turku)
Construction of Royal Caribbean International’s Icon of the Seas has begun at Meyer Turku in Finland. The occasion was celebrated in the shipyard’s plate hall with attendees including the shipbuilder’s CEO, Tim Meyer, and chairman, Bernard Meyer, Royal Caribbean Group chairman and CEO, Richard Fain, and Harri Kulovaara, EVP of Maritime&Newbuilds. Royal Caribbean International’s CEO and president, Michael Bayley, attended remotely.
“We made our commitment to making clean power at sea a reality – and soon the norm – when Icon Class was first announced in 2016,” declared Bayley, “and we’re excited to see construction underway on what will truly be a ship unlike any other.”
Only some of the energy-saving features of the ship, due for delivery in 2023, have been disclosed so far. The vessel will have an air lubrication system to reduce hull resistance, and a waste heat recovery system to generate up to 3 MW of additional energy.
Bayley commented: “We look forward to revealing more of the game-changing features our guests and crew have in store as she begins to take shape.”
