History
The vessel was ordered in February 2006 and designed under the name "Project Genesis". Her keel was laid down on 12 November 2007 at STX Europe - a subsidiary of the South Korean industrial chaebol STX Corporation - (formerly Aker Yards) in Turku, Finland. The company announced that full funding for Oasis of the Seas was secured on 15 April 2009.
The name Oasis of the Seas resulted from a competition held in May 2008.
During the first float-out of the vessel the tugboats that were pulling the ship from its dock failed to control the ship, resulting in the port side of the ship colliding with 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.
The ship was completed and turned over to Royal Caribbean on 28 October 2009. Two days later, she departed Finland for the United States. While exiting the Baltic Sea, the vessel passed underneath the Great Belt Fixed Link in Denmark on 1 November 2009. The bridge has a clearance of 65 m (213 ft) above the water; Oasis normally has an air draft of 72 m (236 ft). The passage under the bridge was possible due to retraction of the telescoping funnels, and an additional 30 cm (12 in) was gained by the squat effect whereby vessels traveling at speed in a shallow channel will be drawn deeper into the water. Approaching the bridge at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph), the ship passed under it with less than 2 feet (60 cm) of clearance.
Proceeding through the English Channel, Oasis stopped briefly in the Solent so that 300 shipyard workers who were on board doing finishing work could disembark, then left on the way to her intended home port of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 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.
While Royal Caribbean's chief of captains William S. Wright was in command of the ship's journey across the Atlantic and also for the first few sailings, navigation of the Oasis of the Seas is regularly handled by Trym Selvag and Thore Thorolvsen. The ship was featured in an episode of the third season of Mighty Ships, a production of Discovery Channel Canada which aired during the spring of 2011.
Oasis had a minor refit in winter 2011, adding the DreamWorks Experience which allows passengers to interact with characters, such as Shrek, on board the ship. The Oasis class also now features 3D movies.
In April 2012, the Oasis rescued a group of Cuban refugees adrift in the Caribbean Sea. After contacting the coast guard the crew gave them food and water, but after determining that their boat was in immediate danger of sinking decided to bring them aboard. The refugees were dropped off the following day in Cozumel, being handed over to Mexican authorities.
Oasis is scheduled to enter drydock in Spring 2014.
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