Royal Caribbean Group announced the signing of a maritime declaration with the Finnish government, represented by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and the shipyard Meyer Turku Oy, to chart the way forward for innovative and sustainable shipbuilding in Finland. The agreement is set to advance innovation, strengthen competitiveness and bolster the maritime industry into the future.

"Our partners in Finland have helped us deliver some of the world's most impressive and sustainable ships of their time, including our newest ship debuting in January 2024, Icon of the Seas," said Jason Liberty, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group. "This new partnership sets the stage for future innovations and allows us and the maritime industry to continue pursuing sustainability at the highest level."

The declaration announces the following actions:

• - Preparing a roadmap for the production of climate-neutral ships in Finland. The roadmap is part of the maritime industry's green transition.
• - Strengthening the innovation of Meyer Turku, Royal Caribbean Group and the maritime industry.
• - Supporting networking to curb economic challenges, develop new solutions and secure the long-term viability of the maritime industry.
• - Assembling a digital demonstration of a climate-neutral ship as part of the sustainable maritime industry development program of the Ministry of Labor and Economy.
• - Strengthening the innovation of Meyer Turku, Royal Caribbean Group and the maritime industry.
• - Piloting and testing new innovations and technologies on Royal Caribbean Group ships.

This strategic partnership also advances Royal Caribbean Group's Destination Net Zero strategy to decarbonize its operations by 2050 and its near- and medium-term targets, including reducing carbon intensity by double digits by 2025 compared to 2019 and the introduction of a net-zero cruise ship by 2035. 

The declaration comes just days away of a major milestone for Royal Caribbean. On December. 9, the revolutionary, new cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, reached its next stage of construction ahead of its debut in 2024. RCI’s latest ship floated on water for the first time since the construction began nine months ago at Meyer Turku in Finland. Icon will join the company's Royal Caribbean International and its lineup of industry state-of-the-art ships, becoming the brand's most sustainable vassel to date.

"The Finnish maritime ecosystem is built on the innovativeness, expertise and skills of the thousands of leading shipbuilders at Meyer Turku, and Icon of the Seas is the latest example of what can be built here in Finland," said Mika Lintilä, Finland's Ministry of Economic Affairs. "This new declaration will secure a future in which the maritime industry continues to make strides in our decarbonization goals and economic growth priorities for years to come."

Royal Caribbean has agreements with the shipyard to build the unnamed second and third ships in the Icon Class for its Royal Caribbean International brand, and for the TUI Cruises vessel Mein Schiff 7, which is currently under construction.

"While expertise and interdisciplinary collaboration will always be key to the success of shipbuilding, we recognize the need to continuously evolve and create strategies to reduce carbon emissions toward net zero," said Tim Meyer, CEO, Meyer Turku Oy. "This commitment will set us up, as an industry, to innovate and adapt in how we design, build and operate ships. This challenge presents significant opportunities for the Finnish maritime industry to take the lead globally and bring to market new technologies and products."