VEO powers the world’s largest cruise ships – Reflects the unmatched global trust in Finnish marine expertise

When it comes to luxury cruise liners, few names stand out like Royal Caribbean’s ICON-class ships – vessels that are known for their innovative design and commitment to enhancing passenger experiences. From advanced entertainment to high-quality amenities, these vessels offer a range of impressive features. To keep everything running seamlessly, they require advanced electrification solutions that guarantee reliability, energy efficiency, and sustainability – an area where VEO plays a pivotal role.

“Our solutions ensure efficient and reliable power distribution and monitoring throughout the vessel, no matter the conditions,” says Jouni Rintamäki, Sales Manager at VEO, highlighting the company’s expertise in powering the cruise ships of the future.

The large-scale ICON class deliveries comprise an average of 250 metres of switchgear systems, including all the ship’s electrical distribution boards, special control panels, backup systems, and frequency converters.

“For VEO, the electrification solutions for the ICON III – Legend of the Seas – vessel are set to be completed by 2026, but the first deliveries have already been tested and transported to the shipyard in Turku for installation,” Rintamäki says.

VEO – a long-standing supplier of electrification solutions for Meyer

Two ICON-class vessels are already sailing the world’s oceans. Icon of the Seas has been in service since early 2024 and Star of the Seas started its sea trials in May 2025. Several more are on the way. The third ICON class is currently under work in Turku and in August 2024 an order for a fourth ship to be delivered in 2027 was announced with options for two additional ships. All ICON-class ships are built at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland.

VEO’s robust VEDA Marine low-voltage switchgear has a long history at sea with its first deliveries in 2009 to Meyer Turku, or Aker Finyards as it was named back then. Over the years, the cooperation has evolved. Seamless and timely deliveries, combined with an efficient project management concept for large-scale cruise ship projects, have made VEO a key supplier of maritime electrification and automation solutions – and a trusted, long-term partner of Meyer.

“After nearly two decades of collaboration, we know we can rely on VEO. Their technical expertise, reliability, and deep understanding of the marine industry make them a trusted and valuable partner in our most complex vessel projects,” says Matias Sorsa, System Engineer at Meyer Turku.

VEO has delivered over 20 successful project deliveries to Meyer shipyards alone, both Turku and Papenburg. Without a well-functioning cooperation and projects delivered on time, such long-term trust and dedication would not be possible.

ICON-class vessels showcase Finland’s engineering excellence

Both current and future ICON-class orders are a testament to the world-class engineering expertise found in Finland and Vaasa.

ICON-class cruise ships are massively complex systems that require trust and collaboration among experts to enable innovative solutions. The latest ICON vessels are powered by six multi-fuel Wärtsilä engines using LNG, generating over 60 MW of electric propulsion and driving three 20 MW Azipod units for superior manoeuvrability. An integrated fuel cell system provides additional energy and fresh water, while advanced waste heat recovery systems convert excess heat into usable energy. Shore power connectivity enables the vessels to draw electricity from port grids, reducing emissions during docking.

With these cutting-edge technologies – combined with VEO’s advanced electrification solutions – the cruise industry is moving towards sustainability and enabling the energy transition in the maritime sector.

All main switchboards for ICON vessels are manufactured at VEO’s own factory in Vaasa, employing a significant portion of the company’s workforce. The whole cruise ship industry has a substantial impact on the maritime cluster and plays a key role in the national economy.

“Delivering solutions to the world’s largest cruise ships – each a multi-year project – reflects the unmatched global trust in Finnish marine expertise. We’re proud to be a reliable partner in shaping the future of advanced cruise ship technology,” says Jakob Lövdahl, VP Sales and Marketing at VEO.