 Oasis of the Seas in 2010 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Bahamas | |
| Name | Oasis of the Seas |
| Owner | Royal Caribbean Group |
| Operator |  Royal Caribbean International |
| Port of registry | Nassau, Bahamas[1] |
| Route | Eastern and Western Caribbean |
| Ordered | 6 February 2006 |
| Builder | STX EuropeTurku Shipyard,Finland[2] |
| Cost | US$1.4 billion (2006)[3] |
| Yard number | 1363[1] |
| Laid down | 12 November 2007[4] |
| Launched | 21 November 2008 (float-out)[5] |
| Christened | 30 November 2009[6] |
| Completed | 28 October 2009[1] |
| Maiden voyage | 5 December 2009[6] |
| In service | 2009–present |
| Refit | Amplification: 2019 |
| Homeport | Port Everglades |
| Identification | |
| Status | In service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Oasis-classcruise ship |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 361.8 m (1,187 ft) overall[1] |
| Beam | |
| Height | 72 m (236 ft) above water line[7] |
| Draught | 9.322 m (30.6 ft)[1] |
| Depth | 22.55 m (74.0 ft)[1] |
| Decks | |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 24.5 knots (45.4 km/h; 28.2 mph)[2] |
| Capacity | |
| Crew | |
Oasis of the Seas is acruise ship operated byRoyal Caribbean International. She is the first ofher class, theOasis class, whose ships were thelargest passenger ships in the world, until surpassed in 2023 by theIcon class. Her hull was laid down in November 2007 and she was completed and delivered to Royal Caribbean in October 2009. At the time of construction,Oasis of the Seas set a new capacity record of carrying over 6,000 passengers.[9] She was joined by sister shipsAllure of the Seas in December 2010,Harmony of the Seas in May 2016,Symphony of the Seas in April 2018, andWonder of the Seas in March 2022, as well asUtopia of the Seas in July 2024. As of November 2024,Oasis of the Seas conducts cruises in theCaribbean from her home port ofPort Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Oasis of the Seas surpassed theFreedom-class cruise ships (also owned by Royal Caribbean) to become thelargest cruise ship in the world at that time.[10] She was herself surpassed by her sister shipAllure of the Seas, which is 50 millimetres (2.0 in) longer, although this may have been caused by ambient temperature differences at the times the measurements were made.[11] In May 2016, her second sister shipHarmony of the Seas became the new record holder with a length of 362.12 metres (1,188.1 ft),[12] and in March 2018,Symphony of the Seas, the fourth member of theOasis class, became the new world's largest cruise ship with a length of 361.011 m (1,184.42 ft) and a tonnage of 228,081 GT.
Thegross tonnage (GT) ofOasis of the Seas at launch was 225,282, but it was expanded to 226,838 GT when additional cabins were added to Deck 14 in 2019.[1][13] Herdisplacement—the actual mass of the vessel—is estimated at 100,000 metric tons (98,000 long tons; 110,000 short tons), slightly less than that of an AmericanNimitz-classaircraft carrier.[14]
To keep the ship stable without increasing the draft excessively, the designers created a wide hull; 9.3 metres (31 ft) of the ship sits beneath the water, a small percentage of the ship's overall height. Wide, shallow ships such as this tend to be "snappy", meaning that they can snap back upright after a wave has passed, which can be uncomfortable. This effect, however, is mitigated by the vessel's large size.[15] The cruise ship's officers were pleased with the ship's stability and performance during the transatlantic crossing, when the vessel, in order to allow finishing work to go on, slowed and changed course in the face of winds "almost up to hurricane force" and seas in excess of 12 metres (39 ft).[16][17]
The ship's power comes from six medium-speed, marine-diesel generating sets: three16-cylinderWärtsilä 16V46Dcommon rail engines producing 18,860 kilowatts (25,290 hp) each and three similar12-cylinder Wärtsilä 12V46D engines producing 13,860 kilowatts (18,590 hp) each. The fuel consumption of the main engines at full power is 1,377 US gallons (5,210 L; 1,147 imp gal) of fuel oil per engine per hour for the 16-cylinder engines and 1,033 US gallons (3,910 L; 860 imp gal) per engine per hour for the 12-cylinder engines.[7][18] The total output of theseprime movers, some 97,020 kilowatts (130,110 hp), is converted to electricity, used in hotel power for operation of the lights, elevators, electronics, galleys, water treatment plant, and all of the other systems used on the operation of the vessel, as well as propulsion. Propulsion is provided by three 20,000-kilowatt (26,800 hp)Azipods,ABB's brand of electricazimuth thrusters. These pods, suspended under the stern, contain electric motors driving 20-foot (6 m) propellers.[7] Because they are rotatable, no rudders are needed to steer the ship. Docking is assisted by four 5,500-kilowatt (7,380 hp) transversebow thrusters.[1][18]
Additional power comes from solar panels fitted byBAM Energy Group, which provide energy for lighting in the promenade and central park areas. The installation costUS$750,000 and covers 1,950 square metres (21,000 sq ft) on deck 19.[19][20]
The ship carries 18lifeboats that hold 370 people each, for a total of 6,660 people. Inflatable life rafts are provided for any additional passengers and crew.[21]
The ship features azip-line, an ice-skating rink, a surf simulator, an aquatic amphitheater, a moving bar, a casino,[22] aminiature golf course, multiple night clubs, several bars and lounges, a karaoke club, comedy club, five swimming pools, three waterslides, volleyball and basketball courts, youth zones, and nurseries for children.Oasis of the Seas also features the largest dry-slide at sea, theUltimate Abyss.[23] Many of the ship's interiors were extensively decorated by muralistClarissa Parish.[24]
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The vessel was ordered in February 2006 and designed under the name "Project Genesis".[25] Her keel was laid down on 12 November 2007 bySTX EuropeTurku Shipyard,Finland.[4] The company announced that full funding forOasis of the Seas was secured on 15 April 2009.[26]
The nameOasis of the Seas resulted from a competition held in May 2008.[27] The ship was formally named on 30 November 2009 during a charity sailing forMake-A-Wish Foundation. At this ceremony the ship was sponsored by seven "godmothers", each representing one of the seven neighborhoods on board. Her godmothers areGloria Estefan,Michelle Kwan,Dara Torres,Keshia Knight Pulliam,Shawn Johnson,Jane Seymour andDaisy Fuentes.[28]
During the firstfloat-out of the vessel thetugboats that were pulling the ship from its dock failed to control the ship, resulting in the port side of the ship hitting the dock. This resulted in some cosmetic damage and minor damage to the hull, which was repaired and did not affect the final delivery date of the vessel.[29]
The ship was completed and turned over to Royal Caribbean on 28 October 2009. Two days later, she departed Finland for the United States.[30] While exiting theBaltic Sea, the vessel passed underneath theGreat Belt Fixed Link in Denmark on 31 October 2009 at 23:18 UTC.[31][32] The bridge has a clearance of 65 m (213 ft) above the water;Oasis normally has anair draft of 72 m (236 ft). The passage under the bridge was possible due to retraction of thetelescopingfunnels, and an additional 30 cm (12 in) was gained by thesquat effect whereby vessels traveling at speed in a shallow channel will be drawn deeper into the water.[33] Approaching the bridge at 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph),[32] the ship passed under it with less than 60 centimetres (2 ft) of clearance.[31]
Proceeding through theEnglish Channel,Oasis of the Seas stopped briefly in theSolent so that 300 shipyard workers who were on board doing finishing work could disembark, then left on the way to her intended home port ofPort Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.[34] The ship arrived there on 13 November 2009, where tropical plants were installed prior to some introductory trips and her maiden voyage on 5 December 2009.
Oasis of the Seas had a minor refit in winter 2011. She underwent a seconddrydock refit in October 2014.[35] During drydock the ship was modified by dividing the main dining room into three separate restaurants.[36][37]
Oasis of the Seas was scheduled to cruise the Mediterranean out ofBarcelona in summer 2019 before undergoing a major drydock at the end of the season.[38] After spending nearly three months in dry dock receiving upgrades and new amenities,Oasis of the Seas then repositioned to her new homeport of Miami for the fall and winter 2019 seasons.[38] She was scheduled to move toCape Liberty Cruise Port in May 2020, becoming the firstOasis class vessel to ever be homeported there.[39]
During a March 8 to 15, 2020 sailing, Royal Caribbean notified theU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of a possibleCOVID-19 infection aboardOasis of the Seas. All passengers disembarked at PortMiami on March 15 and Royal Caribbean stopped passenger sailings as theglobal pandemic took hold. Two weeks later, 14Oasis of the Seas crew members tested positive for COVID-19 infections. By April 20, 2020, two crew members remaining aboardOasis of the Seas had died of COVID-19 in hospital in Florida.[40] In early May, a third crew member had died of COVID-19.[41]
After spending the summer months in the Mediterranean,Oasis of the Seas returned to her new home port ofPort Everglades in November 2024. This marked the first time the ship had been homeported in Port Everglades since November 2016.
Media related toIMO 9383936 at Wikimedia Commons
