Royal Caribbean announces world's largest ship - again

An Oasis-class ship under construction at the STX shipyard in France. Photo / Supplied

Royal Caribbean's massive Harmony of the Seas vessel will soon be usurped as the world's largest cruise ship.

The company announced it has ordered the biggest ship in the world yet again, working with French Shipbuilders STX France.

Its fifth "Oasis-class" ship will be ready for delivery in 2021.

Royal Caribbean also announced it had made an order for two ships for its luxury brand Celebrity Cruises, which will be classed under its new "Edge-class" - billed as a step up from its Solstice-class.

"The response to the arrival of Oasis-class ship, Harmony of the Seas, is staggering, eliciting excitement from eager cruisers from markets all over the world," said Richard D. Fain, Chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

"And Edge-class is one of the most highly anticipated new projects, following the high bar of Modern Luxury design set by its predecessor, the Solstice Class."

Harmony of the Seas embarked on its maiden journey from Southampton to Barcelona this month.

The 18-deck ship set new records for length (1,1188ft), gross tonnage (227,000), width (215.5ft), passenger capacity (5,479 at double occupancy or a maximum of 6,780) and staterooms (2,747).

With a crew of 2,100 from 77 countries, the floating city boasts seven 'neighbourhoods', a 10-storey slide that is the tallest at sea, 23 swimming pools, 20 dining venues, 52 trees, surf simulators, robot bartenders, a casino and climbing walls.

We'll just have to wait and see what features the next Oasis-class ship will boast.

- nzherald.co.nz