<p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; color: #000000; line-height: normal;">Allure of the Seas, the second Oasis class vessel under construction at STX Finland's Turku Shipyard, reached its natural element today, 20 November, 2009 as the valves of the dry dock were turned on and the vessel was launched.</span></p>
<p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; color: #000000; line-height: normal;">Allure of the Seas is the second in a series of the world's largest cruise ships built at Turku Shipyard. The first vessel in this series, the Oasis of the Seas, was handed over to the owners, a US shipping company Royal Caribbean, at the end of October. These are revolutionary vessels of a totally new type, whose striking design and bold innovations will radically change the cruising business. Under the contract, the Allure of the Seas will be delivered to the owners towards the end of 2010.</span></p>
<p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; color: #000000; line-height: normal;">"Both in its innovativeness and other features, the Allure of the Seas is the twin of the Oasis of the Seas, excluding some colour and material changes," explains Toivo Ilvonen, Project Manager of the Oasis class.</span></p>
<p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; color: #000000; line-height: normal;">Last week, Ilvonen together with Martin Landtman, CEO of STX Finland Oy, received the Finnish Quality Innovation award for the design and construction of Oasis of the Seas.</span></p>
<p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; color: #000000; line-height: normal;">"Thanks to this innovative ship concept and successful delivery, STX Finland has further reinforced its global position as the leading builders of large passenger vessels," says Landtman.</span></p>
<p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; color: #000000; line-height: normal;">As a building project, the Allure of the Seas is just as complex a whole as its predecessor. "A sister ship is more straightforward to produce as part of a series, as the design work has already been completed, Ilvonen says.&nbsp;The project has progressed on schedule, and in the launching stage, over 60% of the work has been finished. Once the Allure of the Seas is moored at the outfitting quay, the next step will be interior outfitting.</span></p>
<p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; color: #000000; line-height: normal;">The length of the Allure of the Seas will be 361 m, beam 66 m and height from sea level 72 m. The gross tonnage of the vessel will be 225,000. At full capacity, the Allure of the Seas will accommodate 6,320 passengers and a crew of 2,100. It will have 16 passenger decks and 2,704 cabins.</span></p>
<p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; color: #000000; line-height: normal;">The predecessor of the Allure of the Seas, the Oasis of the Seas, reached its home port in Fort Lauderdale on 13 November, 2009 after a 14-day voyage across the Atlantic. The planting of palm trees and other vegetation in the Central Park area has been completed and the vessel will be christened in a naming ceremony on 30 November, after which it will depart on its festive maiden cruise. This Finnish-built vessel has attracted a great deal of media coverage all over the world.</span></p>