Royal Caribbean has marked the start of construction of its seventh Oasis-class ship at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in France.

Royal Caribbean held a keel-laying ceremony at the shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, marking the formal start of assembly work on the new vessel, which is scheduled to enter service in 2028.

Construction is expected to continue over the next two years before the ship joins Royal Caribbean’s fleet as the seventh member of the Oasis class.

The vessel has not yet been named and few details about its design or deployment have been released.

Royal Caribbean said the ship will offer a range of dining, entertainment and activity options aimed at different types of travellers, continuing the approach established by previous Oasis-class ships.

The keel-laying ceremony followed a long-standing maritime tradition in which representatives from Royal Caribbean and Chantiers de l’Atlantique placed newly minted coins beneath the first steel block in the dry dock.

The practice, which dates back centuries, is intended to bring good fortune to the ship, its future crew, and passengers, and symbolically marks the beginning of a vessel’s construction.

The latest order further expands one of the cruise industry’s most significant ship classes.

Since the debut of Oasis of the Seas in 2009, the Oasis class has become a cornerstone of Royal Caribbean’s fleet, introducing increasingly larger vessels centred on neighbourhood-style layouts, extensive entertainment programmes, and a broad mix of dining venues and family attractions.

The construction milestone comes as Royal Caribbean continues an active newbuild programme that includes further expansion of its newer LNG-powered Icon class.

The company recently took delivery of Legend of the Seas, the third Icon-class vessel, and has additional ships on order into the next decade.

The seventh Oasis-class ship will be built at Chantiers de l’Atlantique, which has constructed every vessel in the series to date. The French shipyard has maintained a long-standing relationship with Royal Caribbean and has played a central role in the development of some of the cruise industry’s largest passenger ships.

While the cruise line has yet to announce the vessel’s name, itinerary programme, homeport or technical specifications, the keel laying confirms that Royal Caribbean intends to continue investing in the Oasis platform alongside the development of its newer ship classes.

Additional details about the new vessel are expected to be released as construction progresses towards its planned debut in 2028.