Oasis of the Seas afloat for first time

9:09am Saturday 22nd November 2008

Comments (10)   Have your say »

THE world's biggest cruise ship has been launched.

The 220,000-tonne leviathan, called Oasis of the Seas, is being built by American company Royal Caribbean at the STX Europe shipyard in Turku, Finland.

The 1,187ft vessel, that can carry 6,296 passengers, is so big that its exhaust stack retracts so it can pass under bridges as it travels the world.

Representatives from the owners and the shipyard turned a wheel to let the water into the enormous dry dock where the 65 per cent finished vessel is still being built.

It will take around 15 hours to fill the dock as it needs 87 million gallons of water to float the ship, which is due to visit Southampton as part of its inauguration celebrations next autumn.

The £700m vessel is 40 per cent bigger than any other cruise ship afloat and it has a Central Park-style open-air space aboard the size of a football field with its own micro-climate.

The world-first attraction means that guests can have the option of a sea or tree view.

In addition there is a bar called Rising Tide that will move between three of the 16 passenger decks.

Completing the major new attractions is a 750-seat AquaTheater concept, modelled on an ancient Greek amphitheatre, located at the stern of the ship.

It allows guests onboard the chance of lounging around the biggest pool afloat in the day and then going back at night for shows including acrobatics, synchronised swimming, water ballet, and professional high-diving.

Other amenities include loft-style apartments and an ice rink, plus the usual pools, restaurants and a casino.

The ship, which will be completed next year, is also family-friendly, with activities including surf machines and a climbing walls as the company tries to lure younger people to cruise.

Cruising continues to grow in Britain and America, with Royal Caribbean also building another ship of the same size due to enter service in 2010.

This represents a £1.4bn investment in the industry by the company, with competitors such as P&O and Cunard also expanding their fleets in Britain and America.

Chairman and chief executive of Royal Caribbean Cruises Richard Fain said the company did not consider the ship just to be the biggest, but also the most flexible, with more attractions for passengers because that is what they want.

But the credit crunch is beginning to bite in the industry, with Royal Caribbean suspending its dividend payments to shareholders.

Mr Fain said: ''As is the case with all companies who are husbanding their resources at a time of economic uncertainty, we just felt it was prudent to do it and in the long term it will benefit our shareholders.

''The ships continue to be very good, they produce good cash flows and profitability but, of course, the economic climate is something all of us need to be concerned about.''

Despite the downturn, figures from the Passenger Shipping Association project that 1.55 million Britons are expected to take a cruise holiday this year - up from 1.35 million last year.

By 2012 it estimates that 2.2 million Britons will take a cruise. This is a doubling of the UK cruise industry in ten years.

Royal Caribbean is hoping to bring Oasis of the Seas to Southampton, probably in November next year during its inaugural tour.

Last summer the joint biggest cruise ship in the world, Independence of the Ships - also owned by Royal Caribbean - operated from Southampton.

Oasis is due to go on its first cruise in December next year, operating from Fort Lauderdale in Florida.

Prices will start from £1,299 for nine-night eastern Caribbean fly-cruise.