Cruise ship slips under bridge with 2ft to spare

THE world’s largest cruise ship cleared a crucial obstacle yesterday, lowering its smokestacks to squeeze under a bridge in Denmark.

The Oasis of the Seas – which rises about 20 storeys high – passed below the Great Belt Fixed Link with a slim margin as it left the Baltic Sea on its maiden voyage to Florida.

Bridge operators said that even after lowering its telescopic smokestacks the giant ship had less than a half-metre (2-foot) gap.

Hundreds of people gathered on beaches at both ends of the bridge, waiting for hours to watch the brightly lit behemoth sail by shortly after 11pm Irish time.

“It was fantastic to see it glide under the bridge. Boy, it was big,” said Kurt Hal, 56.

Company officials are banking that its novelty will help guarantee its success. Five times larger than the Titanic, the $1.5 billion (€1.01bn) ship has seven neighbourhoods, an ice rink, a small golf course and a 750-seat outdoor amphitheatre. It has 2,700 cabins and can accommodate 6,300 passengers and 2,100 crew members.

Accommodations include loft cabins, with floor-to-ceiling windows, and 1,600-square-foot (487-metre) luxury suites with balconies overlooking the sea or promenades.

The liner also has four swimming pools, volleyball and basketball courts, and a youth zone with theme parks and nurseries for children.

Oasis of the Seas, nearly 40% larger than the industry’s next-biggest ship, was conceived years before the economic downturn caused cruise lines to slash prices to fill vacant berths.

It was built by STX Finland for Royal Caribbean International and left the shipyard in Finland on Friday. Officials hadn’t expected any problems in passing the Great Belt bridge, but traffic was stopped for about 15 minutes as a precaution.

It is due to make its US debut on November20 at its home port, Port Everglades in Florida.