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World's largest cruise liner launched in Finland

Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas on track to be finished within the year

Image: Drawing of Oasis of the Seas
Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, seen in this drawing, will cost $2.5 billion to build and will offer features such as a 750-seat theater modeled on an ancient Greek amphitheater, a skating rink and a youth area.
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updated 2:16 p.m. ET Nov. 21, 2008

HELSINKI, Finland - Finnish shipbuilders say the world's largest cruise liner has been launched into water for the first time.

Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas will be completed within a year before sailing to Miami. The ship was floated out Friday at a Turku shipyard dry dock.

It has 16 passenger decks with 2,700 cabins and can accommodate 6,300 passengers and 3,000 crew. It is 1,200 feet long and has an open-air arena the size of a football field.

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Special features include a 750-seat theater modeled on an ancient Greek amphitheater, a skating rink and a youth area.

The 225,000-ton vessel has a price tag of $2.5 billion. Royal Caribbean International has ordered another Oasis class liner due to be launched in 2010.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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