The Royal Caribbean Group announced that it has signed an agreement with Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku to order a fourth Icon Class ship for delivery to Royal Caribbean International in 2027.
Icon class cruise ships are the largest cruise ship class ever constructed. The agreement also includes options to build a fifth and sixth Icon Class ship.
“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,” said Jason Liberty, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group. “Since its debut, Icon has changed the game in vacation experiences and exceeded our expectations in both guest satisfaction and financial performance.”
“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,” said Petteri Orpo, Prime Minister of Finland. “Their commitment and investment in Finland speaks volumes about the strength of our maritime cluster and our world class shipyards.”
The new order follows the Icon of the Seas, which launched earlier this year. Star of the Seas (launching in 2025) and the yet-to-be-named third Icon Class ship (launching in 2026).
“This order is an important milestone for the future of shipbuilding in the maritime network in Finland,” added Tim Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku. “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.”
With this order, Meyer Turku will have built 21 ships for Royal Caribbean Group over 28 years.
“Icon of the Seas is unlike anything the world has seen before, and we’re just getting started,” added Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “We are leading the vacation industry in developing new experiences for our guests to create lifelong memories, and we continue dreaming and evolving to deliver more ways to chill and thrill.”
Source – Cruise Industry News