Construction has begun on third Oasis Class ship

Royal Caribbean, the World’s largest global cruise line, held a steel cutting ceremony for new third Oasis Class ship last month.

On the 23rd September, Royal Caribbean International officials watched on as ship-builders in France cut the first piece of steel for their new third Oasis-class ship.   The Royal Caribbean bosses attended a traditional ‘steel cutting ceremony’ at the shipyard where Oasis 3 is being built in France.

When built, the new Oasis-class ship will weigh 227,700 gross tonnes and will be the world’s largest and most innovative cruise ship. She will join popular sister ships Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, both Oasis Class ships, which launched back in 2009 and 2010 respectively.

Oasis 3 will feature a revolutionary design and will maintain the cruise line’s unique neighbourhood ‘zone’ concept, which involves seven themed-areas containing everything from food and dining halls to entertainment. The seven zones will span 16 decks in total. There will also be 2,700 staterooms, a handcrafted carousel, the Rising Tide elevating bar, the AquaTheater high-diving performance venue, and the Central Park area that features over 12,000 living trees and plants.

The third Oasis-class ship is expected to be delivered in mid-2016.

Speaking about the new Oasis-class ship, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd.’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Richard D. Fain said:

“The Oasis-class ships have fundamentally changed the cruising landscape with the cornucopia of amenities and innovations that can be found onboard. 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.”

Royal Caribbean International’s Chief Executive Officer, Laurent Castaing, said:

“We are excited to once again partner with Royal Caribbean International. 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.”

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO, Adam Goldstein said:

“Our Oasis-class ships have led the charge in delivering the WOW for which Royal Caribbean is known,” said Goldstein. “We are delighted to get the building process underway and look forward to the next chapter of this amazing class of ships.”

Oasis 3 was confirmed back in October 2012.  The ship will have a capacity of 6,360 passengers.

The contract for Oasis 3 also includes an option for a fourth ship to be delivered in 2018.