German shipbuilder Meyer Werft has floated out Odyssey of the Seas, Royal Caribbean’s second Quantum Ultra Class cruise ship.
The 347.1- metre long cruise liner left the shipbuilder’s covered building block in Papenburg, Germany, on November 28 with the help of two 9,000-horsepower tugboats which pulled Odyssey at about one knot out of the hall. The process took around 7 hours to complete.
The ship then moored at the outfitting pier in the shipyard harbour to receive its masts and chimney, which were lifted onto the ship by crane. The giant cruise ship will undergo various tests as it readies for the next stage of its construction which will focus on the ship’s interior.
Upon completion of the interior in the coming months, the ship will then be conveyed down the river Ems to complete the technical and nautical sea trials.
Odyssey of the Seas is scheduled for debut in spring 2021. It is set to join Anthem and Harmony of the Seas and make its debut in Rome to kick off its inaugural Europe season.
With a gross tonnage of 169,000 GT, Odyssey of the Seas will be one of the five largest cruise ships in the world. The cruise ship is 41.4 meters wide and can accommodate more than 5000 passengers.
Meyer Werft started the construction of Royal Caribbean’s second Quantum Ultra Class cruise ship on February 1, 2019.
The ship was expected for delivery in autumn 2020, however, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the cruise industry as well as Meyer’s operations, the delivery was delayed.