Engineering:Ovation of the Seas
Ovation of the Seas docked in Rotterdam, Netherlands on her maiden voyage.
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History | |
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Bahamas | |
Name: | Ovation of the Seas |
Owner: | Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. |
Operator: | Royal Caribbean International |
Port of registry: | Nassau, Bahamas |
Ordered: | 13 September 2013 |
Builder: | Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany |
Laid down: | 5 March 2015 |
Launched: | 18 February 2016 (float-out) |
Christened: | 24 June 2016 by Fan Bingbing |
Completed: | 8 April 2016 |
Maiden voyage: | 14 April 2016 |
In service: | 14 April 2016 |
Identification: |
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Status: | In service |
General characteristics | |
Class and type: | Quantum-class cruise ship |
Tonnage: | 168,666 GT[1] |
Length: | 348 m (1,141 ft 9 in)[1] |
Beam: | |
Draught: | 8.5 m (27 ft 11 in)[1] |
Decks: | 18 (16 passenger-accessible)[2] |
Installed power: | |
Propulsion: | |
Speed: | 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph)[4] |
Capacity: |
Ovation of the Seas is a Quantum-class cruise ship owned by Royal Caribbean International (RCI) and the third ship of her class. The Quantum class is the third largest class of cruise ships behind MSC Cruises's Meraviglia class and Royal Caribbean International's Oasis class by gross tonnage.[5]
Ovation of the Seas mainly sails from Seattle during the northern summer season and re-positions to Sydney during the southern summer season.
Concept and construction
On 11 February 2011, RCI announced that it had ordered a new class of ships from the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, the first of which was scheduled to be delivered by autumn of 2014. At the time, the project was code-named "Project Sunshine".[6] On 29 February 2012, the company announced that a second "Project Sunshine" ship had been ordered and would be delivered by Spring 2015.[7] Just under a year later, on 31 January 2013, RCI announced that the official name of the new class of ships was the Quantum class.[5][8]
The first steel for the third vessel in the Quantum class was cut on 18 September 2014, the same day its name was announced to be Ovation of the Seas.[9] The keel was laid down by Meyer Werft on 5 March 2015. Before the first piece of the keel was lowered into place, Adam Goldstein, President and COO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., the holding company of RCI, placed a lucky coin in the dock. The keel was formed of 74 blocks.[10] The first section was launched on 20 June 2015.
Ovation of the Seas was delivered on 8 April 2016,[11] and entered service on 14 April 2016.[10][12]
Service history
Ovation of the Seas arrived from Hamburg to the Port of Southampton, UK on 10 April 2016, to begin a series of inaugural events, including press previews and a limited number of "Shake-down" and mini-cruises for VIPs, specially invited guests and members of the public. The ship berths at the City Cruise Terminal in the Western Docks, where its fleetmates also dock when visiting the city.
The ship's christening ceremony was 24 June 2016 in Tianjin; the ship's godmother is China actress Fan Bingbing.[13]
Incidents
On 27 August 2019, a man suffering from a possible bowel obstruction was medically transported into a 5-foot Response Boat of the cruise ship and requesting a medical evacuation from Ovation of the Seas near Douglas.[14]
White Island eruption
On 9 December 2019, a volcanic eruption occurred on New Zealand's White Island (Whakaari) while Ovation of the Seas was docked in the nearby Port of Tauranga. 47 people, including 38 passengers and crew from the ship, were on the island when it erupted, despite an increase in seismic activity in recent weeks.[15][16][17] Twenty people on the island were killed and 27 were injured.[18][19] A spokesperson said the line was "devastated by today's events",[20] and the ship remained in port until 11 December to assist with recovery efforts.[21] The captain offered refunds to all passengers on board the ship.[22]
2020: spread of COVID-19
In March 2020 thousands of passengers were ordered to self-isolate after disembarking from the ship in Sydney, Australia on 18 March due to COVID-19 fears.[23] 79 passengers subsequently tested positively for the virus. As of 1 April, the ship was located off the coast of New South Wales. The International Transport Workers' Federation had called on the Australian government to allow the crew members to be disembarked so that could be flown to their countries of residence. They formed part of 15,000 crew members in 18 cruise ships sitting off the Australian coast during the pandemic.[24]
On 2 April, a 75-year-old former passenger died in Wollongong Hospital.[25] The ship departed Australia on 4 April 2020 with its crew.[26]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 "Ovation of the Seas (34050)". Det Norske Veritas. http://vesselregister.dnvgl.com/VesselRegister/vesseldetails.html?vesselid=34050.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Ovation of the Seas Fact Sheet". Royal Caribbean Press Center. Royal Caribbean International. http://www.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com/fact-sheet/28/ovation-of-the-seas/.
- ↑ "Azipods ordered for two RCL cruise ships". The Motorship. 17 April 2013. http://www.motorship.com/news101/industry-news/azipods-ordered-for-two-rcl-cruise-ships.
- ↑ Innovation & Technology: Shipbuilding in Papenburg. Papenburg, Germany: Meyer Werft. 2013. p. 26. http://www.meyerwerft.de/media/pdfs/pdf/Broschuere_UK_012013..pdf. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Start of Steel-Cutting for First Project Sunshine Ship". Meyer Wert. 5 February 2013. http://www.meyerwerft.de/en/meyerwerft_de/medien/presseticker/pressemitteilung_detail_8833.jsp.
- ↑ "Royal Caribbean Signs Letter of Intent to Build New Generation of Ships". Investor Relations. 11 February 2011. http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=103045&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1528198&highlight=.[yes|permanent dead link|dead link}}]
- ↑ "Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Exercises Option to Build Second "Project Sunshine" Ship". Investor Relations. 29 February 2012. http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=103045&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1667205&highlight=.
- ↑ Tribou, Richard (5 February 2013). "Royal Caribbean announces names for new cruise ships". Baltimore Sun. http://www.baltimoresun.com/travel/vacation-starter/cruise-lines/vs-royal-caribbean-quantum-of-the-seas-020513,0,4721199.story.
- ↑ "Ovation of the Seas to be Third Quantum-class Ship". http://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/11574-ovation-of-the-seas-to-be-third-quantum-class-ship.html.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Gibson, Rebecca (9 March 2015). "Meyer Werft starts Ovation of the Seas construction". CruiseandFerry.net. http://www.cruiseandferry.net/articles/meyer-werft-starts-ovation-of-the-seas-construction#.VTJ96SGqpBd.
- ↑ "Ovation of the Seas Delivered". 8 April 2016. http://www.meyerwerft.de/en/meyerwerft_de/medien/presseticker/pressemitteilung_detail_22784.jsp.
- ↑ "Royal Caribbean adds three-night Ovation of the Seas itinerary". 22 February 2016. http://www.worldofcruising.co.uk/royal-caribbean-adds-new-three-night-ovation-of-the-seas-itinerary/.
- ↑ Caribbean, Royal. "Royal Caribbean International Announces Godmother for Ovation of the Seas". http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/royal-caribbean-international-announces-godmother-for-ovation-of-the-seas-300249938.html.
- ↑ Lockett, Michael S. (27 August 2019). "Coast Guard medevacs man from cruise ship near Douglas". https://www.juneauempire.com/news/coast-guard-medevacs-man-from-cruise-ship-near-douglas/.
- ↑ "New Zealand police open probe into volcano deaths". 10 December 2019. https://www.wcpo.com/news/national/new-zealand-police-open-criminal-probe-into-volcano-deaths.
- ↑ "Whakaari/White Island: Ocean liner to stay in Tauranga until police finish investigation". https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/118099219/ocean-liner-to-stay-in-tauranga-until-police-finish-its-investigation.
- ↑ Greenfield, Charlotte (10 December 2019). "UPDATE 9-Spitting volcano keeps search parties off New Zealand island, death toll rises to six". https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/10/reuters-america-update-9-spitting-volcano-keeps-search-parties-off-new-zealand-island-death-toll-rises-to-six.html.
- ↑ "Another person dies of injuries from Whakaari /White Island eruption, bringing death toll to 20". TVNZ. https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/another-person-dies-injuries-whakaari-white-island-eruption-bringing-death-toll-20.
- ↑ "Whakaari/White Island eruption: We have a plan to recover bodies, police say". https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/118058738/live-white-island-erupts.
- ↑ Moniuszko, Sara M.. "New Zealand volcano eruption: Royal Caribbean cruise nearby, other travel effects". https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2019/12/09/new-zealand-volcano-travel-effects-royal-caribbean-cruise-nearby/2628383001/.
- ↑ "Ovation of the Seas to sail out of Tauranga after losing multiple passengers in White Island eruption" (in en-NZ). TVNZ. https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/ovation-seas-sail-tauranga-after-losing-multiple-passengers-in-white-island-eruption.
- ↑ Eddie, Rachel (11 December 2019). "Cruise company offers one-day refund after deadly volcano tragedy". https://www.smh.com.au/world/oceania/cruise-company-offers-one-day-refund-after-deadly-volcano-tragedy-20191211-p53j02.html.
- ↑ Farrell, Paul; McDonald, Alex (23 March 2020). "Thousands of cruise ship passengers told to self-isolate due to coronavirus days after disembarking". ABC. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-23/cruise-passengers-not-tested-for-coronavirus-before-disembarking/12081426.
- ↑ "Coronavirus: calls to repatriate 15,000 crew members from cruise ships off Australia's coast". The Guardian. 1 April 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/apr/01/coronavirus-calls-to-repatriate-15000-crew-members-from-cruise-ships-off-australias-coast?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_WhatsApp.
- ↑ "Death toll from coronavirus rises in Australia after cruise ship passenger dies". 3 April 2020. https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/australias-coronavirus-death-toll-rises-again-after-cruise-ship-passenger-dies-c-951800.
- ↑ "Criminal investigation launched into Ruby Princess cruise ship coronavirus disaster". The Guardian. 5 April 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/05/criminal-investigation-launched-ruby-princess-cruise-ship-coronavirus-disaster.
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