Production of the fifth vessel in the Icon class for Royal Caribbean International began on Monday, January 19, 2026, at the Meyer Turku shipyard.

The company said in a press release that the steel-cutting ceremony marked the start of more than two years of construction and outfitting work, involving thousands of professionals across different fields.

“Icon 5 is further proof of Meyer Turku’s unique ability to design and build cruise ships of the future,” said Meyer Turku CEO Casimir Lindholm.

“Together with our partner Royal Caribbean and the entire maritime industry network, we learn from every Icon ship and are able to build vessels more efficiently and with even higher quality as the series progresses. The €150 million investment program initiated by our company further strengthens the shipyard’s capabilities to develop its operations,” added Lindholm.

“Each Icon ship is valued at approximately €2 billion, of which, thanks to the high domestic content, 70 percent remains in Finland. In addition, every vessel of this size creates 13,000 person-years of employment in our country.”

Icon 5 is scheduled to be delivered in summer 2028.

Meyer Turku added that it is also currently building the third and fourth Icon Class vessels. The third ship, the Legend of the Seas, to be delivered this coming summer, will begin cruising in the Mediterranean in July.

The ship will operate in the Caribbean during the winter and return to Europe for the 2027 summer season.

According to the press release, Meyer Turku also holds options for the sixth and seventh Icon Class vessels. Last autumn, Meyer Turku and Royal Caribbean signed a cooperation agreement to build ships at the Turku shipyard until 2036.