The assembly of Royal Caribbean’s LNG-powered vessel, UTOPIA OF THE SEAS began on July 1st with the keel-laying ceremony at the shipyard Chantiers de l’Atlantique in Saint Nazaire, France. This vessel is the first in the Royal Caribbean’s Oasis-class that is operated on LNG and is expected to be delivered in the spring of 2024.
This is the sixth ship in the Oasis-class of vessels. Hence it will be 1,187 feet long and have a capacity of 236,587 gross tons. Given the sheer size of vessels of the Oasis-class, this vessel, when completed might be one of the largest, if not the largest, cruise vessels that are operated on LNG. Royal Caribbean altered the plans for this vessel to make room for an LNG-powered generator to make the ship more environment-friendly. However, this change is said to have detracted from the vessel’s passenger capacity compared to other vessels in this class.
Like other contemporary cruise vessels of today, this vessel will also have environment-friendly measures such as ship-to-shore power connection, waste heat recovery systems, and the like. The ship will also be equipped with new generation dual-fuel engines to reduce emissions.
