U.S.-based cruise holding company Royal Caribbean has taken delivery of an LNG-fueled Icon-class newbuild Star of the Seas from Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku.
Star of the Seas was officially handed over to Royal Caribbean after nearly two years of construction as the cruise company’s third ship powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).
The 365-meter-long newbuild also features waste heat recovery systems and shore power connection in line with Royal Caribbean Group’s journey toward introducing a net-zero cruise ship by 2035.
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Casimir Lindholm , CEO of Meyer Turku, said: “Star of the Seas is already the second cruise ship of the world’s most advanced Icon class to be built at our shipyard. In good cooperation with the customer and our network companies, we were able to draw on the lessons learned during the prototype ship building process and Star was completed in record time and with high quality. Such a demanding project is made possible by the high level of expertise and quality project management of Meyer Turku and the companies of the entire maritime cluster.”
The inaugural vessel in the Icon-class series, Icon of the Seas , was delivered at the end of 2023.
Legend of the Seas, the third unit in the series, is set to debut in 2026.
Last year, Royal Caribbean ordered the fourth Icon-class vessel from Meyer Turku, slated for delivery in 2027. Under the contract, Meyer Turku is also set to build the fifth and sixth vessels of the series.