Meyer Turku Delivers The World’s Largest Cruise Ship, Icon Of The Seas, To Royal Caribbean

Icon of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world, has been formally turned over to Royal Caribbean International by Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku.

The Meyer Turku leadership and about 1,200 employees, cruise line officials, and others celebrated the handover of the vessel, which has 20 decks and a length of 1,198 feet, weighing 250,800 gross tons. The ceremony took place in Turku, Finland.

With a gross weight of 250,800, Icon of the Seas has surpassed Wonder of the Seas to become the largest cruise ship in the world.

One of the ship’s most notable features is the AquaDome, a unique 363-ton glass and steel dome, one of the five new neighbourhoods included in the ship’s design.

Icon is bigger than Wonder of the Seas, but at double occupancy, it can accommodate fewer passengers (5,610) than Wonder (5,734). However, because of its larger cabins and suites, Icon can accommodate more passengers than Wonder (7,600) at its maximum capacity of 7,600.

As part of the cruise industry’s ongoing effort to reduce emissions, Icon of the Seas is the first ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The ship will sail from Finland to Cadiz, Spain, for finishing touches before its transatlantic voyage to Miami. On January 28, 2024, the ship will go on its first revenue cruise.

With the scheduled launch of Utopia of the Seas in 2024 and the upcoming launches of two sister ships, Star of the Seas in 2025 and an undisclosed ship in 2026, Royal Caribbean intends to carry on its legacy of producing massive cruise ships.

Icon of the Seas is praised as Royal Caribbean’s greenest ship due to its many green features, including fuel cell technology, multi-fuel engines powered by LNG, and other innovations that help cut carbon emissions by about 30%.

The ship’s design incorporates a shore power connection, a robotic hull cleaner, a waste heat recovery system, and an air lubrication system designed by Foreship.

Along with the largest waterpark at sea, Icon of the Seas has nine whirlpools, seven pools, and forty dining options spread across eight different “neighbourhoods.”

The ship is ready to launch in January 2024, sailing on alternate seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries out of Miami.

Reference- Orlando Sentinel, Marine Link

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Source: Maritime Shipping News