The new Oasis class ship that Royal Caribbean ordered from STX France will begin construction in September 2013. Plans for the new ship will be drawn up in January 2013.
Officials from STX France have said the deal is worth in excess of one billion euros ($1.3 billion) and represents more than 10 million man hours in work over the next three years for the shipyard and its sub-contractors.
The third Oasis-class ship will be delivered to Royal Caribbean in mid-2016. If Royal Caribbean exercises the option for a fourth Oasis-class vessel, it would be delivered in mid-2018.
French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault commented the deal is "oxygen" and "a lot of hope" for the region and French industry as a whole.
Meanwhile in Finland, some are upset that STX Europe shipyard in Turku missed out on the order, given that the Finnish shipyard was Royal Caribbean's first choice for where to build the ships. Given that once STX in Turku finishes its current order for Viking River Cruises, there is not much else on order with the shipyard.
Finnish Minister of Economic Affairs, Jan Vapaavuori held a press conference in Helsinki today to discuss why Finland opted not to bankroll the new ship order. In addition, Vapaavouri says Finland will inquire within the European Union to ensure STX France played in accordance with EU rules. Vapaavuori emphasized that the Finnish government did everything in their power to obtain the cruise ship order for the Turku shipyard.
