Construction of the fourth vessel in Royal Caribbean's Icon class series began on September 8 with the lowering of the first steel block into the dry dock of the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland.

The event comes only days after another Royal Caribbean Icon class ship, Legend of the Seas, was launched into the water for the first time at Meyer Turku's facilities on August 29.

The fourth Icon-class ship, given the working name 'Icon 4', will be powered by six Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines capable of running on LNG as the primary fuel, with distillate as backup. The propulsion system includes additional ABB Azipods and Wartsila bow thrusters for maneuvering power.

At berth, meanwhile, the ship will run on shore power.

Casimir Lindholm, CEO of Meyer Turku, said the vessel represents considerable economic impact for the shipyard and its supply chain.

"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," Lindholm said.

"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."

Meyer Turku, part of the German Meyer Werft group, specialises in building large cruise vessels and has constructed ships for various cruise lines including Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, and TUI Cruises.

The first vessel in the Icon series, Icon of the Seas, entered service in January 2024, followed by Star of the Seas in August 2025.

The fourth ship is expected to be delivered in 2027.