Meyer Turku shipyard to build world’s largest cruise ships well into the 2030s

The Meyer Turku shipyard will construct a total of seven Icon-class cruise ships for Royal Caribbean, with plans already underway for an even larger successor series, the company’s CEO announced on Tuesday.

Two additional Icon-class vessels, the sixth and seventh in the series, have now been confirmed for delivery in 2029 and 2030, Finnish public broadcaster Yle reports. The first two ships—Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas—have already been handed over, while the third, Legend of the Seas, is currently undergoing sea trials in the Baltic and will be delivered next summer. The fourth, Hero of the Seas, remains under construction at the Turku yard.

According to Meyer Turku CEO Casimir Lindholm, the shipyard is already designing the next generation beyond the Icon class, with construction expected to begin in the 2030s. “The future ships will likely be slightly larger than even the Icon-class vessels,” Lindholm said. “We’re approaching the maximum size limit, but Turku can still build somewhat bigger ships.”

The Icon-class ships measure roughly 365 metres in length, 66 metres in width, and over 75 metres in height. However, Lindholm noted that three key factors constrain their maximum size: the physical space at the Turku shipyard, global port capacity, and the clearance height of the Øresund Bridge between Sweden and Denmark.

To address spatial limitations, Meyer Turku is launching a €200 million investment programme to reorganise the yard. A new €40 million headquarters will be built adjacent to the current site, relocating nearly all office staff outside the production area to free up space. “This will allow us to increase production capacity,” Lindholm explained. The yard will also upgrade cranes—including a newly ordered unit from Konecranes—and expand covered production, storage, and logistics facilities.

The reconfiguration will divide the shipyard into three sectors to minimise movement of personnel and materials. Additional investments will include break areas, sanitary facilities, and canteens closer to production zones. “This will streamline operations and bring some outsourced work back to Finland,” Lindholm said.

Meanwhile, Meyer Turku has halted the onboarding of new subcontractors following recent labour violations. Last year, the yard terminated contracts with Estonian firms Hodes and Bongo Marine over alleged breaches of working conditions, though the same operators later reappeared under a new company name, Levap. “We will not take on any new subcontractors,” Lindholm stated. “Existing partners who perform well will have the opportunity to increase their workload.”