The 28th of October, 2009, was a special day. Not only was it my brother's birthday, Happy Birthday Bros ! But it was also the day that STX Europe got a very big check from Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. That's right, the line's newest ship, the Oasis of the Seas, also the world's biggest passenger ship, ever, has been officially delivered to its new owners by the Turku Yard of STX Europe.
Dwarfing all other ships but the biggest tankers and bulkers, the new ship is schedule to enter service on the Caribbean run based out of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. STX Europe's Turku yard is no stranger to impressive ships and NB 1363 certainly is a crowning achievement for the Finish Yard and its workers. Not only has the ship being delivered, but the yard was building a second ship alongside, the Allure of the Seas, due out this time next year.
Although the "engine room" side of things doesn't to hold any new, major technological developments (that I know of), the Naval Architecture feats of this ships, on the other hand, are astounding. I would love to have a year to go over her.
Its hard to fathom the complexity of this ships. The sheer logistics of building two ships like this at once, and in the time frame that they did it in, is just breathtaking. Congratulations Turku, you guys will always live in the maritime history books.
OASIS OF THE SEAS
Owner : Royal Caribbean International
IMO number : 9383936
Call Sign : C6XS7
Laid down : 12 November 2007
Launched : 22 November 2008
Delivered : October 28, 2009
Maiden voyage : 1 December 2009 (planned)
Length : 361 m
Breadth : 47 m, max 66 m
Air Draft : 72 m
Passenger cabins : 2704
Max passengers : 6,360
Crew : 2,100
Decks : 16
Power : 97,000kW
- 3 × Wärtsilä 12V engines (13,860 kW/18,590 hp each)
- 3 × Wärtsilä 16V engines (18,480 kW/24,780 hp each)
Propulsion: 3 × 20 MW Asea Brown Boveri Azipod, all azimuthing
Speed : 22.6 knots
Gross tonnage : 225,000
Classification : Det Norske Veritas
Flag : Bahamas
Cost : US$1.4 billion (2006)
You can read here, Wartsila's press release concerning the power systems of the vessel, which includes common rail technology for the engines, a first for RCI. Pictures above, from STX Europe's website, below is one of the Oasis's engine room featuring three 16V46 engines from Wartsila's website.
Here, you can read about the tight fit under a bridge, and a little more about the vessel.Labels: Aker, cruise ships, RCI, shipyard, STX, technology
Dwarfing all other ships but the biggest tankers and bulkers, the new ship is schedule to enter service on the Caribbean run based out of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. STX Europe's Turku yard is no stranger to impressive ships and NB 1363 certainly is a crowning achievement for the Finish Yard and its workers. Not only has the ship being delivered, but the yard was building a second ship alongside, the Allure of the Seas, due out this time next year.
Owner : Royal Caribbean International