Aker launches world?s biggest

There are three ultra-sized cruise vessels for Royal Caribbean Cruises in Aker Yards“ orderbook and the first of them, “Freedom of the Seas” was floated out today in Finland.

“Seeing a new ship floated out for the first time is a momentous occasion”, says CEO and Board Chairman of RCCL Richard D. Fain. “A tremendous amount of highly skilled work goes into constructing these ships and we are pleased to be working once again with Aker Finnyards to build what is sure to be the most innovative and exciting ship afloat.”

“Aker Yards“ challenge is to ensure innovative customer focus”, says Yrjö Julin, President of Aker Finnyards and responsible for Cruise & Ferries in Aker Yards. “We are proud to build this cruise ship with spectacular inventive features for RCCL”, he says.

The giant 158,000 GT “Freedom of the Seas” is 339 metres long, 38.6 m wide and has 16.5 hectares of deck space for its 5,740 passengers and crew members. Ordered in September 2003, the newbuilding will be handed over to Royal Caribbean in April 2006. The second and third vessel in the series will be ready for delivery in spring 2007 and 2008 respectively.