Just a few days ago we witnessed the float out of Ovation of the Seas at the Meyer Werft construction yard in Papenburg, Germany.
Today Royal Caribbean released pictures showing the installation of the azipod propeller blades. You may remember that two weeks ago, the propulsion system on Anthem of the Seas was damaged after a major storm while en route from Bayonne (New Jersey) to the Bahamas.
The azipods are used to pull the ship through the water. They can rotate 360 degrees allowing the ship to manoeuvre in any direction.
Ovation of the Seas will be officially launched in April 2016. She will do a 3 night cruise to Rotterdam (The Netherlands) followed by a 5 night cruise to France and Belgium. After that a 7 night cruise to France and Spain before departing Southampton for Tianjin, China on a 53-day Global Odyssey. She will begin her first homeport sailing season in China from Tianjin in June 2016. During the 2016-17 winter season Ovation of the Seas will join Voyager of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas and Radiance of the Seas in Sydney, while Legend of the Seas homeports in Brisbane.
All photos ©RoyalCaribbean