• 2 min de lectura
• 2 min de lectura
(3:45 p.m. EDT) -- Ship building has been an art in Europe since the early 1900s. That's why major cruise lines, such as Royal Caribbean, look to accomplished ship builders like France's Chantiers de l'Atlantique to turn their dreams into next-generation cruise ships.
Royal Caribbean executives gathered June 11 at the shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, to celebrate a milestone in the construction of Royal's seventh Oasis Class ship: the keel-laying ceremony. This is a time-honored tradition that marks the moment when a ship's construction begins to take shape.
The festivities took place on the heels of Royal Caribbean taking delivery of Legend of the Seas, an Icon-Class ship, at Finland's Meyer Turku shipyard just a few days before.
In the old days, this ceremony included the laying of a central timber, known as the keel, which would become the "backbone" of the ship, running from stern to bow. Nowadays, ships are made of prefabricated components, so the ceremony is more about laying those foundational pieces into place.
It's common for the cruise line and ship builder to place a layer of newly minted coins beneath the first steel block that will make up the keel. It's a way to bestow good fortune on the ship, its crew and everyone who sails aboard it in the future.
While the 236,900-gross-ton ship has not yet been named, it will take its place as the newest Oasis Class ship in 2028, following Utopia of the Seas (2024), Wonder of the Seas (2022), Symphony of the Seas (2018), Harmony of the Seas (2016), Allure of the Seas (2010) and Oasis of the Seas (2009).
Royal Caribbean is expected to announce more information about the Ship Seven's design, on-deck attractions, dining and entertainment in 2026 and 2027.
Fuente: cruise critic
