Royal Caribbean plans January debut for its first LNG-powered vessel

Miami-based cruise firm Royal Caribbean International took delivery of its first LNG-powered cruise ship from Finland-based shipbuilding firm Meyer Turku.

PHOTO: Icon of the Seas is the first of three LNG-powered cruise ships commissioned by Royal Caribbean. Meyer Turku

The cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, will set sail in January 2024 from Miami, offering weeklong voyages throughout the Caribbean Sea. The new cruise ship weighs 250,800 gross tonnage (GT) and is 365 m long.

In June 2021, Meyer Turku began constructing the vessel, and two years later, in June 2023, the shipbuilding firm successfully conducted weeklong sea trials of the LNG cruise ship.

The vessel is the first of three LNG-powered cruise ships that Meyer Turku is building for Royal Caribbean. The second cruise ship is scheduled to be delivered in 2025, and the third in 2026, according to Meyer Turku.  

The global LNG-fuelled fleet is currently made up of 448 vessels, of these 17 are cruise ships, classification society DNV data shows.

By Manjula Nair

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