Vessels

Royal Caribbean’s liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered Icon-class cruise ship, Legend of the Seas, has been floated out at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland.

 

Courtesy of Meyer Turku

The launching ceremony took place on August 29, 2025. During the weekend following the ceremony, the ship was moved to the outfitting dock, where finishing work will continue for just under a year.

The completed ship is planned to be delivered to Royal Caribbean in the summer of 2026.

“Legend of the Seas continues the state-of-the-art Icon Class, which allows the Finnish maritime industry to showcase its unique expertise at its best. The shipyard, Royal Caribbean, and an extensive network of partners work together to develop the processes and concepts from ship to ship. Alongside its sister ships, Legend of the Seas will also mark an important milestone in increasingly responsible shipbuilding,” Casimir Lindholm, CEO of Meyer Turku, commented.

At 365 meters long, nearly 50 meters wide, and with a gross tonnage of approximately 248,000, Legend of the Seas is the third ship in Royal Caribbean’s Icon class. The first ship in the class, Icon of the Seas, was delivered to the brand in November 2023, and the second, Star of the Seas, in July 2025.

The fourth Icon-class ship, currently under construction at the shipyard and yet to be named, will be completed in 2027, according to the shipbuilder.

Royal Caribbean’s agreement also includes options to build fifth and sixth Icon-class ships.

The Icon class ships are the first ships in the fleet to run on natural gas. Icon’s energy efficiency in Legend has been further improved with new-generation TSDF main engines, among other things. Together with other features, such as shore power connections and waste heat recovery systems, they have been described as “pioneers in sustainable development”.