Oasis of the Seas Involved in Casualty at Grand Bahama Shipyard

By The Maritime Executive 04-01-2019 11:45:18

The cruise ship Oasis of the Seas has suffered an unspecified casualty in dry dock at Grand Bahama Shipyard, a major repair and refit facility for the Caribbean cruise industry.

Few details are available at present, but the video suggests that the vessel has taken a slight tilt to starboard in a floating drydock. One of the drydock's cranes has tipped over and come to rest against the Oasis' superstructure.

"Ship collapsed, dock collapsed, crane collapsed," said a shipyard worker in a video posted to social media (above). "I was right there on the dock working and just missed it by the grace of God."

In a statement, cruise line Royal Caribbean said that the shipyard has reported eight injuries related to the accident, none of which are life-threatening. "We are aware of damage to the dock structure and to construction cranes. We are assessing damage to the ship. Drydock is a maintenance procedure, and there are no passengers on the ship," Royal Caribbean said.

At 1,200 feet long and 6,300 passengers at full occupancy, the 2009-built Oasis of the Seas is one of the largest cruise ships in the world. She is scheduled for a series of cruise itineraries in Europe this summer, followed by a major scheduled drydocking for a "bow-to-stern revitalization." She will be homeported in Miami for fall and winter 2019.