Today, on 28 October 2009, STX Europe’s Turku shipyard delivered the world’s largest and most innovative cruise vessel to the U.S. cruise line Royal Caribbean International.

The Oasis of the Seas marks an unforeseen step forward in the development of cruise vessels and opens totally new prospects for cruise business. The gigantic size of the ship provides opportunities for a variety of novel functions. Bold design approach has generated new and exciting innovations with help of which the vessel can offer endless amounts of new things to see and do to passengers of all ages.

The Oasis of the Seas and its sister ship, the Allure of the Seas, scheduled for delivery from the Turku shipyard in November 2010, can be called the most powerful and sophisticated vessels in the world for a good reason. These floating vacation oases are tours-de-force resulting from a long product development cooperation between the cruise line, the shipyard and the maritime cluster that has lasted more than forty years.

The impact of the Oasis project on the employment rate in the whole Southwest Finland region has been significant. It has been calculated that, combined, the Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas projects provide the shipyard and the maritime cluster with 12,000 man-years of labor.

The Oasis of the Seas is 361 meters long and 66 meters wide at its widest point and, at the highest, it rises 72 meters above the sea level. The gross tonnage is 225,000. At the best, the vessel can accommodate 6,360 passengers and 2,100 crew members. The ship features 16 passenger decks and 2,704 staterooms. The total power output of the ship’s engines is 97,000 kW and the cruise speed is 22.6 knots. The Oasis of the Seas will cruise in the Caribbean from its home port is Fort Lauderdale, Florida.