On Saturday morning, September 5, at 7 am, the world's largest cruise ship - RCI-Royal Caribbean International's Wonder of the Seas - was successfully floated out.
The newbuild, not yet having her engines, went to Basin C at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, helped by 7 tugboats. Wonder OTS' maneuvering lasted one hour. The tugs then positioned the liner just in front of Basin C.
Following her transfer, Wonder OTS will remain in Basin C until her delivery. Initially scheduled for spring 2021, the completion was postponed to 2022 due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. RCI's Wonder ship will set sail for Shanghai China, her homeport.
Wonder is the third "Oasis-Plus" class passenger liner, with sisterships Harmony OTS (2016), Symphony OTS (2018) and TBN OTS (2023). The Royal Caribbean Wonder ship just slightly exceeds in size the original Oasis-class ships Oasis OTS (2009) and Allure OTS (2010). The vessel has a building cost of USD 1,35 billion (2019 ship order rates).