The keel for the fourth Royal Caribbean International Oasis-class ship has been officially laid at the STX shipyard in St Nazaire, France.
This marks an important milestone in the development of the ship, signifying the beginning of its physical construction. During the ceremony, a 1,000-ton block measuring 32ft by 154ft (10 x 47 metres) was lifted by crane into the building dock.
Newly minted coins were placed under the keel and will stay in place there until the end of the ship’s construction. Once the ship is near to completion, the coins are retrieved and presented to the ship’s Captain and crew to be placed onboard the ship. According to maritime tradition, the coins are said to bring luck to the ship during its construction process and then to its Captain and crew when she is sailing out at sea. Still to be named, the fourth Oasis-class ship will be delivered in spring 2017.
