Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas is expected to return in time for her normally scheduled May 5 cruise following the April 1 accident the vessel suffered in Grand Bahama Shipyard.
The accident took place on April 1 while the vessel was undergoing maintenance at Grand Bahama Shipyard. While in drydock, a pair of construction cranes collapsed on the ship's stern, causing extensive damage, the company revealed. The Oasis then went to a dock in Europe for repairs and had to be taken out of service for nearly a month.
Royal Caribbean reports that Oasis of the Seas is expected to return to service in time for her scheduled May 5 cruise. The cruise line estimates the direct financial impact of the incident, net of insurance, to be around US$0.25 per share, mostly driven by lost revenue. However, despite the accident, and an approx US$0.25 negative impact from a stronger dollar and higher fuel costs, results for the first quarter set a record, the company said.
Overall, Royal Caribbean’s booked position remains at a record level in rate and volume. In a written statement, Royal Caribbean EVP and CFO Jason T. Liberty announced that the company was driving toward record earnings for the year.