Steel cutting in France for Royal Caribbean's Oasis 3 cruise 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 cruise ship.

Royal Caribbean Cruises chairman Richard Fain and president Adam Goldstein, together with Laurent Castaing, chief executive officer of builder STX France, attended the event at the STX shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, where the ship will be built.

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

“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.”

Oasis 3 joins sister-ships Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas which took the cruise industry by storm with their introduction in 2009 and 2010, respectively, featuring a revolutionary design with a split superstructure and the cruise line’s neighborhood 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 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.

“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.”