Watch: Oasis of the Seas Maneuver into St. Thomas

Published Aug 14, 2018 5:49 PM by The Maritime Executive

For Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, one of the world’s largest cruise ships, arriving to St. Thomas in the Caribbean poses a number of challenges due to the location's narrow water ways, sailboats anchored in the harbor, a tight turn and just six feet of clearance below the keel. With a local pilot offering his expertise on the currents and local marine environment, and powerful bow thrusters which gives the captain the control he needs to pull the 1,187-foot ship, this is nothing but smooth sailing, says Royal Caribbean.

Oasis of the Seas was delivered by STX in 2009, setting a record at the time by having capacity for carrying over 6,000 passengers. Propulsion is provided by three 20,000-kilowatt (26,800 hp) ABB Azipods. These pods, suspended under the stern, contain electric motors driving 20-foot (six-meter) propellers. Docking is assisted by four 5,500-kilowatt (7,380 hp) transverse bow thrusters. The ship's power comes from six medium speed marine diesel generating sets: three 16-cylinder Wärtsilä 16V46D common rail engines producing 18,860 kilowatts (25,290 hp) each and three similar 12-cylinder Wärtsilä 12V46 engines producing 13,860 kilowatts (18,590 hp) each.