MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Largest cruise vessel in the world preparing in Miami for Caribbean trips

The 365-meter-long Icon of the Seas has a gross tonnage of 248,655 tons. It can accommodate up to 7,600 passengers and 2,350 crew members.

The “Icon of the Seas”, the world’s largest and most advanced cruise ship to date, has arrived in Miami, ahead of its official debut on January 27. Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku delivered the ship to US-based cruise company Royal Caribbean International in November last year.

The 365-meter-long Icon of the Seas has a gross tonnage of 248,655 tons. It can accommodate up to 7,600 passengers and 2,350 crew members.

The vessel is Royal Caribbean’s first ship that runs on liquefied natural gas and uses fuel cell technology. LNG and the ship’s additional environmentally friendly applications, such as shore power connection, will boost energy efficiencies and reduce carbon footprint, according to the company. The vessel will also feature waste heat recovery systems and air lubrication of underwater hull, sending millions of microscopic bubbles along the hull of the ship to reduce friction.

The Finnish shipbuilder started construction on the Icon of the “Icon of the Seas” in June 2021. The ship will cruise from Miami year-round in the Eastern and Western Caribbean. Two more “Icons” are scheduled in the next two years. She is 364 meters, has twenty decks, eight different neighborhoods for travelers to explore, seven pools, six record breaking waterslides and 40 bar and dining options.

Jason Liberty, Royal Caribbean Group president and CEO said the company was celebrating a new vessel but also ”celebrating the culmination of more than 50 years of innovation and dreaming at Royal Caribbean to create the ultimate vacation experience.”

Last December, football superstar Lionel Messi was named the official icon of Icon of the Seas when he welcomed the ship in an exclusive naming celebration in Miami.