Finland’s Meyer Turku shipyard has held a keel laying ceremony for the fourth liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered Icon-class cruise ship being built for U.S.-based cruise company Royal Caribbean. The ship, known by its working name Icon 4, has thus progressed to the hull assembly phase.
As disclosed, the traditional ceremony, held at the bottom of the building dock, included a symbolic act in which representatives of the cruise company, the classification society, and the shipyard placed coins under the first steel block to bring good luck and protection to the ship.
In the speeches, the ship project managers of Meyer Turku and Royal Caribbean noted that the cooperation is progressing well and that the lessons learned from previous sister ships are further streamlining the process.
Casimir Lindholm, CEO of Meyer Turku, commented: “Icon 4 is a very significant ship for both the shipyard and the entire partner network. With this ship, Meyer Turku is further strengthening its position as one of the world’s leading cruise ship builders. Each luxury cruise ship of this size creates 13,000 person-years of employment, and we are constantly looking for new shipbuilders to join our team at various stages from design to implementation.”
Meyer Turku delivered the first ship in the series, Icon of the Seas , in November 2023, and its sister ship, Star of the Seas , in July 2025. The third Icon, Legend of the Seas , has recently been moved to the outfitting dock and is expected to be completed in the summer of 2026.
The Icon-class ships are said to be the first in the fleet to run on natural gas. Together with features such as shore power connections and waste heat recovery systems, the vessels have been described as “pioneers in sustainable development.”
To note, Royal Caribbean has also announced an option for a fifth and sixth Icon-class ship.