STX France: Steel Cutting for Third Oasis-Class Ship

Royal Caribbean International cut the first piece of steel today for its third Oasis-class ship, marking the first construction milestone for a vessel that, at approximately 227,700 GRT, will be the world’s largest and most innovative cruise ship.

Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd.’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Richard D. Fain and Royal Caribbean International President and CEO, Adam Goldstein together with Laurent Castaing, chief executive officer, STX France, attended the event at the STX shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, where the ship will be built.

“The Oasis-class ships have fundamentally changed the cruising landscape with the cornucopia of amenities and innovations that can be found onboard,” said Fain. “We are delighted to be offering a third Oasis-class vessel for our guests as well as to be back at STX France after such a long tradition of building amazing ships together.”

“We are excited to once again partner with Royal Caribbean International,” said Castaing, “We have built 12 ships for Royal Caribbean and are extremely proud of the strength of our relationship. Oasis 3 is one of the biggest challenges ever undertaken in the history of our company and our teams are excited and ready to make this a successful project.”

With 361 metres long and 66 metres wide, this ship is one of the biggest ever built in Saint-Nazaire. At 225,282 GRT and spanning 16 decks with 2,700 staterooms, the Oasis class ships also introduced extraordinary “firsts” at sea such as an 82 foot-long zip line, a handcrafted carousel, the Rising Tide elevating bar, the AquaTheater high-diving performance venue, and the Central Park with more than 12,000 live trees and plants.

The Oasis class also offers amenities that can only be found on Royal Caribbean, such as twin FlowRider surf simulators, cantilevered whirlpools, an ice-skating rink, the H2O Zone kids aquapark, and the Royal Promenade, an interior boulevard that stretches nearly the length of the ship and flanked by restaurants, lounges and boutiques, among many others.

The cruise line’s third Oasis-class ship is expected to be delivered in mid-2016.

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Press Release, September 23, 2013