The keel of the fourth Icon laid at the Meyer Turku shipyard – the ship will be completed in 2027

Published: 08.09.2025
The keel of the fourth Icon laid at the Meyer Turku shipyard – the ship will be completed in 2027

PRESS RELEASE
SEPT 8TH2025

On Monday, September 8, 2025, Meyer Turku Shipyard celebrated the keel laying of the fourth cruise ship in the Icon Class. The ship, built for Royal Caribbean and known by its working name Icon 4, has thus progressed to the hull assembly phase.

The traditional ceremony held at the bottom of the building dock included a symbolic ceremony in which representatives of the customer, the classification society and the shipyard placed coins under the first steel block to bring good luck and protection to the ship. In their 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.

"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," says Casimir Lindholm, CEO of Meyer Turku.

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 will be completed in the summer of 2026.

Royal Caribbean has also announced an option for a fifth and sixth Icon Class ship.

Photos: Meyer Turku/Mediascope Productions

The Meyer Turku Oy shipyard is specialized in the construction of very demanding, innovative, and environmentally efficient cruise ships, car ferries, and special vessels. Our share of the global cruise construction market is approximately 10%, and our shipyard's order books extend to 2027. Our largest customers are Royal Caribbean International, the Finnish Border Guard andTUI Cruises.

Meyer Turku employs over 2.000 top professionals and operates the Turku shipyard where vessels are built since 1737. Meyer Turku’s subsidiaries are Piikkio Works Oy, a cabin factory located in Piikkiö, Shipbuilding Completion Oy, which offers complete deliveries to public spaces, and ENG’nD Oy, a shipbuilding and offshore design company based in Rauma.