Finland’s Meyer Turku yard is moving forward with the construction of the first out of three LNG-powered cruise ships for Royal Caribbean International in order to deliver the vessel next year.
A keel-laying ceremony took place at the shipyard on April 4 for Icon of the Seas, according to Royal Caribbean International.
The keel laying, a longstanding maritime tradition, involved a 3,000-ton crane lifting a massive steel block.
This block is placed into the new ship’s building dock and on top of freshly minted coins, which represent the shipyard and cruise line.
Meyer Turku, a unit of Meyer Werft, started building this vessel in June last year.
The vessel will have a tonnage of about 250,000 GT and enough room for about 5,600 passengers.
In October 2021, Royal Caribbean Group’s unit said the ship had received the first out of two LNG fuel tanks.
The tank weighs 307 tons and is about 27 meters long, and 8 meters tall, according to the cruise line.
Royal Caribbean said the LNG-powered ship would debut in fall 2023.