The new ship will be the fourth Oasis-class vessel in the Royal Caribbean fleet

Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and the third Oasis-class ship will soon have a new sister to welcome to Royal Caribbean’s Oasis class family.

Today marked the steel cutting for a fourth Oasis ship, scheduled to be delivered in 2018.

The steel cutting, marking the official start of construction, took place at the STX France shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, where the third Oasis-class ship also is being built.

The Oasis class took the cruise industry by storm with the introduction of Oasis of the Seas in 2009, featuring a revolutionary design with a split superstructure and the cruise line’s neighbourhood concept of seven distinct themed areas.

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 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 aqua park, 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.

Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas sail alternating seven-night Western and Eastern Caribbean itineraries every Saturday and Sunday, respectively from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, visiting exciting warm-weather getaways in the Caribbean.

During the 2015 Europe season, Allure of the Seas will be homeported at Barcelona, Spain, for the first full Oasis-class Europe season.

Details of the two Oasis-class ships currently under construction will be revealed in the coming months.