How Germany Lifted a 363-Ton Glass Dome Onto a Cruise Ship That Had Never Floated

248,663 gross tons, twenty decks and nearly 10,000 people: Icon of the Seas had to stay upright, burn gas and still fit under a bridge with 65 meters of clearance. Meyer Turku built it from 201 steel blocks. The engine room and two 307-ton LNG tanks were made in Rostock, and a 363-ton glass AquaDome was lifted onto the roof before the ship had ever floated. The hull is 48.5 meters wide at the waterline. Six dual-fuel Wärtsilä engines drive it. Delivered November 27, 2023; maiden cruise from Miami in January 2024. The cost: Royal Caribbean has not published a price, and news reports put it near 2 billion dollars. Most of each loan was guaranteed by Finnvera, Finland's export credit agency. An ICCT study of other LNG ships found 6.4 percent of the fuel escaping unburned; Royal Caribbean calls LNG a transitional fuel. Chapters (estimated — re-sync after TTS): 0:00 Twenty Decks, One Bridge 0:34 A Ship That Had to Fold Its Funnels 3:06 How a 20-Deck Ship Stays Upright 6:04 The Engine Room Built in Germany 8:59 201 Blocks and a Crane Named Baby 12:04 Lifting the 363-Ton AquaDome 14:22 Float-Out, Sea Trials, Delivery 15:48 Who Pays, and the Methane Question 18:22 Under the Great Belt Bridge 20:05 The Icon Class Grows Related structures: the Great Belt Bridge in Denmark, the Empire State Building, and Allure of the Seas, which made the same bridge passage in 2010. Mega Engineering: how giant structures are built, and what they really cost, with every number sourced. Sources: Meyer Turku; Royal Caribbean; SEC Form 8-K (2017); ICCT FUMES (2024); The Guardian; Maritime Executive; Cruise Industry News; Dezeen; HOCHTIEF. This video is an educational documentary produced with AI-assisted narration and visuals. Visuals are illustrative reconstructions, not footage of the actual site. All figures are sourced from publicly available engineering and government records; where sources disagree, the range is stated. This video does not take a position on any political or legal dispute connected to this project. #Construction #Engineering #MegaProjects #Bridge #CivilEngineering #Infrastructure #Megastructure #IconOfTheSeas DISCLAIMER ____________________________________ This is not engineering advice. Everything here is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Contact an engineer licensed to practice in your area if you need professional advice or services. All non-licensed clips used for fair use commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.