Royal Caribbean International has marked the start of construction on its first Icon-class ship.
To celebrate the milestone, the cruise line held a steel-cutting ceremony at Finnish shipyard Meyer Turku, where the name was revealed as Icon of the Seas.
In attendance at the ceremony was Richard Fain, chairman of Royal Caribbean Group; Michael Bayley, president of Royal Caribbean International; and Tim Meyer, chief executive of Meyer Turku.
The initial step in the years-long journey to completion also officially begins Royal Caribbean’s next chapter in building a clean-energy future as the leader in innovative ship design.
Debuting in fall 2023, Icon will be the cruise line’s first of three ships to be powered by LNG (liquefied natural gas).
LNG and the state-of-the-art ship’s additional environmentally friendly applications, such as shore power connection, will boost energy efficiencies and reduce carbon footprint.
More details about Icon’s advanced environmental technologies will be revealed at a future date, a statement said.
“We made our commitment to making clean power at sea a reality – and soon the norm – when Icon-class was first announced in 2016, and we’re excited to see construction underway on what will truly be a ship unlike any other,” said Bayley.
“Our decades of work in ocean conservation, energy efficiency and continuous improvement will be evident all throughout Icon.
“We look forward to revealing more of the game-changing features our guests and crew have in store as she begins to take shape.”