The Oasis class is a class of Royal Caribbean International cruise ships which are the world's largest passenger ships. The first two ships in the class, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, were delivered respectively in 2009 and 2010 by STX Europe Turku Shipyard, Finland. A third Oasis class vessel, Harmony of the Seas, was delivered in 2016 built by STX France, and a fourth vessel, MS Symphony of the Seas, will be completed in 2018. One additional unnamed ship is currently under construction and is expected to be delivered in 2021. The first two ships in the class Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas are slightly exceeded in size by the third ship Harmony of the Seas, while the upcoming Symphony of the Seas and fifth ship are planned to be larger than the Harmony of the seas.
Video Oasis-class cruise ship
Ship features
The Oasis-class ships surpassed the earlier Freedom-class ships as the world's largest and longest passenger ships. Oasis also is 8.5 metres (28 ft) wider, and with a gross tonnage of 225,282, is almost 45% larger. Oasis-class vessels can carry over 5,400 passengers.
Oasis-class ships feature a split structure, with the 5-deck high "Central Park" and "Boardwalk" outdoor areas running down the middle of the ship. These areas feature lush tropical gardens, upscale restaurants, shops, and a working carousel.
Maps Oasis-class cruise ship
Technical details
The displacement--the actual mass--is estimated at approximately 100,000 metric tons, equivalent to the displacement of a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier.
To keep the ship stable without increasing the draft excessively, the designers created a wide hull. About 30 feet (9 m) 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. 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 40 feet (12 m).
The ship's power comes from six medium speed marine diesel generating sets: three 16-cylinder Wärtsilä 16V46D common rail engines producing 18,860 kilowatts (25,290 hp) each and three similar 12-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. The total output of these prime 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 electric azimuth thrusters. These pods, suspended under the stern, contain electric motors driving 20-foot (6 m) propellers. Because they are rotatable, no rudders are needed to steer the ship. Docking is assisted by four 5,500-kilowatt (7,380 hp) transverse bow thrusters.
The ship carries 18 lifeboats that hold 370 people each, for a total of 6,660 people. Inflatable life rafts provide for additional passengers and crew.
Ships
Symphony of the Seas and future Oasis-class cruise ships
On 25 October 2012 Royal Caribbean confirmed that the company was engaged in negotiations to build a third Oasis-class ship and hoped to enter an agreement before the year's end. The ship, which the company would expect to cost less per berth basis than the two previous ships and to be more energy efficient, was named Harmony of the Seas and delivered in May 2016.
On 27 December 2012, Royal Caribbean ordered the third Oasis-class ship from STX France, after failing to come to an agreement with the Government of Finland (for additional financial support) to build the ship at the STX Finland shipyard that built the first two ships.
The steel cutting for the ship began on the 23rd of September 2013. The ship is larger than the preceding Oasis-class ships at an estimated 227,700 GT, 362.15 m in length, and 66 m in maximum width, representing an increase of 2,418 GT and 2.15 m length. The ship has 2,744 passenger staterooms with a capacity of 6,360 passengers (5,488 double occupancy), an increase of 64 passengers over the previous ships in the class, as well as 1,197 crew cabins capable of berthing 2,100 crew. The ship features an expanded adults-only solarium area and a water slide. It cost about EUR1 billion (US$1.35 billion) and entered service in May 2016.
In May 2014, Royal Caribbean exercised their option for a fourth Oasis-class ship to be delivered in 2018. In February 2015, Royal Caribbean announced that steel cutting had begun for the fourth ship. In May 2016, Royal Caribbean announced that they had signed an agreement for a fifth Oasis-class ship, to be delivered in the Spring of 2021. In March 2017, Royal Caribbean announced that the fourth Oasis-class ship would be named Symphony of the Seas.
References
External links
- Oasis of the Seas
- Royal Caribbean
- Google Maps satellite view of Oasis-class cruise ship in Port Everglades
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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