On Monday, June 14, RCI-Royal Caribbean marked the start of construction on the line's first “Icon Class” cruise ship.
To celebrate the milestone, the largest cruise line in the world held an official steel-cutting ceremony at Meyer Turku Shipyard, where the name of the newbuild was unveiled as Icon of the Seas.
Richard Fain, chairman and CEO, RCG-Royal Caribbean Group; Michael Bayley, president & CEO, RCI-Royal Caribbean International; Tim Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku were in attendance at the ceremony.
The initial step in the years-long journey to the ship's completion also begins RCI’s next chapter in creating a clean-energy future. Debuting in fall 2023, Icon OTS will be RCI’s first of 3 liners to be LNG-powered (by liquefied natural gas) - a technology boosting energy efficiencies and reducing COx and NOx pollution.
Details about Icon OTS’s environmental technologies and more vessel details are expected in the coming months.