Royal Caribbean has marked the start of physical construction on its fifth Icon-class cruise ship with a keel-laying ceremony at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland.
The first major steel block was lowered into the dry dock during the ceremony on 14 September 2026. The unnamed vessel is scheduled to enter service in 2028.
First block placed in the building dock
A ship’s keel forms part of the foundation along the bottom and centre of its hull. Its placement is a major construction milestone, following the start of steel production for the vessel in January 2026.
Royal Caribbean and Meyer Turku placed newly minted coins beneath the steel block before it was lowered into position, continuing a long-standing shipbuilding tradition intended to bring good fortune to the vessel.
The building dock was recently vacated by the fourth Icon-class ship, Hero of the Seas, which was floated out at Meyer Turku earlier in September ahead of its planned 2027 debut.
Details remain under wraps
Royal Caribbean has not yet announced the fifth ship’s name, homeport, itineraries or complete onboard offering. The company said further information about its features will be revealed later.
The vessel will follow Icon of the Seas, Star of the Seas, Legend of the Seas and Hero of the Seas in Royal Caribbean’s expanding Icon-class fleet.
A sixth Icon-class ship is planned for 2029 and a seventh for 2030. Royal Caribbean’s longer-term agreement with Meyer Turku also gives the group options for additional ships and reserves shipyard capacity into the next decade.
Long-running Turku partnership
Meyer Turku chief executive Casimir Lindholm said building a series of ships allows the yard and its partner network to learn, improve and innovate as the programme progresses.
The keel-laying announcement was issued jointly by Royal Caribbean and Meyer Turku.