Meyer Turku Secures Long-Term Building Agreement with Royal Caribbean
Meyer Turk in Finland has secured a long-term agreement to build cruise ships for Royal Caribbean Group through 2036. The yard, which reports it has built 25 ships for Royal Caribbean since the mid-1990s, received a firm order for a fifth mega cruise ship of the Icon class as well as an additional option for a seventh ship of the class.
Petteri Orpo, Prime Minister of Finland, said, “This new framework agreement is excellent news for Finland.” It was noted that each of the Icon class cruise ships, which are the largest in the world at approximately 250,000 gross tons and accommodating up to 7,600 passengers, represents more than $1 billion to the Finnish economy.
Under the terms of the long-term framework agreement, Royal Caribbean exercised the option it took in the summer of 2024 for a fifth cruise ship of the class. The first two were Icon of the Seas (entered service in January 2024) and Star of the Seas (entered service in August 2025), with the third cruise ship, Legend of the Seas, having recently been floated out of the assembly dock for outfitting ahead of its summer 2026 maiden voyage. Assembly on the unnamed fourth ship of the class began this month for delivery in 2027. Royal Caribbean had options for the fifth and sixth ship and now adds an option for the seventh cruise ship, subject to exercising the option and financing.
“With this framework agreement now signed, we announce our common plan for the next decade in cooperation with Royal Caribbean Group and other key partners to build more Icon class ships and drive the future of shipbuilding over the next decade,” said Casimir Lindholm, CEO of Meyer Turku.
Royal Caribbean Group, the public parent company of the cruise lines, highlighted that the multi-year agreement strengthens its relationship with Meyer Turku, and “readies Royal Caribbean for a new, game-changing class of ship beyond Icon.” Royal Caribbean has talked in vague terms of a new class of cruise ship called “Discovery” that they are planning as a replacement for their older mid-size cruise ships. Details have not been announced on that class, but with this agreement, the company locks up building slots at one of the key shipyards for cruise ships.
Most large cruise ships are built at either the Meyer yards in Germany and Finland, Fincantieri in Italy, or Chantiers de l’Atlantique in France. Meyer in Papenburg, Germany, has long-term agreements to build cruise ships for Disney Cruise Line and Carnival Cruise Line, while Fincantieri has committed its largest building slots to Carnival Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line, each of which has ordered cruise ships over the 200,000 gross ton mark.
Meyer Turku has been rumored for more than a year to be in discussions with MSC Cruises to build a new class of mega cruise ships. Details have not been released, and the order has not been confirmed, but it was believed that MSC was discussing a cruise ship to be 265,000 gross tons or more.
Royal Caribbean Group highlights that it currently has a pipeline of nine new cruise ships on order, including three Icons and a seventh Oasis class cruise ship being built in France. It also has orders in France for two Edge class cruise ships for Celebrity Cruises and two river cruise ships for Celebrity’s new river cruise operation. It is also building a second TUI LNG-fueled cruise ship at Fincantieri for the joint venture Mein Schiff. The company is expanding its offerings in ocean and river cruises, and also notes that it will add seven land-based destinations by 2028 as part of its efforts to build beach clubs and private ports to serve the cruise ships.