(With extra pictures) This morning, Royal Caribbean International's 227,700 GT Harmony of the Seas arrived in Rotterdam.
MS Harmony of the Seas is an Oasis-class cruise ship constructed by STX France at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. With a gross tonnage of 227,700 GT, it is the largest passenger ship in the world, surpassing its older sisters MS Oasis of the Seas and MS Allure of the Seas by some 2000 gross tons, as well as 2.15 metres in length.
Third Oasis-class Ship
The success of the first two Oasis-class ships led Royal Caribbean Cruises to order a third ship of the type in December 2012. The Harmony of the Seas was floated out on 19 June 2015, began its first sea trials on 10 March 2016, and was delivered to Royal Caribbean on 12 May.
After a build time of 32 months, and a building cost of approximately 1 billion euros, the ship first set sail on 15 May from the STX France docks in Saint-Nazaire, viewed by some 70,000 people. Its initial destination was Southampton, England, but today, 24 May, the vessel arrived in Rotterdam. Its home port will be Barcelona, Spain.
The Harmony of the Seas is five times as big as the Titanic and can accommodate nearly 8000 people. Together, the decks measure 84 soccer fields.
SWZ Maritime editor Hugo Dill was present for this giant's arrival in Rotterdam and took the pictures in the album below. Please click the pop-out link to view them in their proper dimensions.
