Construction has started on Royal Caribbean International ’s first Icon Class ship , which is named Icon of the Seas. To celebrate the milestone, a steel-cutting ceremony was held at Finnish shipyard Meyer Turku.

Attending the ceremony was Richard Fain, chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group; Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International; and Tim Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku.

Debuting in fall 2023, Icon will be the cruise line’s first of three ships to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). LNG and the ship’s additional environmentally friendly applications, such as shore power connection, will boost energy efficiencies and reduce carbon footprint.

“We made our commitment to making clean power at sea a reality – and soon the norm – when Icon Class was first announced in 2016, and we’re excited to see construction underway on what will truly be a ship unlike any other,” Bayley said. “Our decades of work in ocean conservation, energy efficiency and continuous improvement will be evident all throughout Icon. We look forward to revealing more of the game-changing features our guests and crew have in store as she begins to take shape.”

Royal Caribbean has worked at making strides on energy efficiency and reduced emissions through such technologies as air lubrication, which sends billions of microscopic bubbles along the hull of a ship to reduce friction, and advanced waste heat recovery systems that turn waste heat into extra energy to help power the ship’s operations. Use of such technologies, including LNG, will result in further reduced emissions overall, virtually zero sulfur dioxides and particulates, and a significant reduction in the production of nitrogen oxides, the company said.