Miami-based Royal Caribbean announced that its billion-dollar smartship Ovation of the Seas will use Singapore as a short seasonal base in March and April 2017, which is expected to bring thousands of tourists to the region and inject millions into the regional and local economies. 

The announcement was made during the traditional plaque and key ceremony held in Singapore in presence of over 200 government officials, industry partners, ship’s crew and journalists.

Royal Caribbean is the first international cruise line that will deploy a brand new ship to Asia and only two months after the vessel was delivered  by Mayer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. With the deployment of Ovation of the Seas and the return of Voyager of the Seas in May and Mariner of the Seas in October next year, Royal Caribbean’s capacity in 2017 in Southeast Asia is expected to increase by 30 per cent in comparison to 2016. Thus, the company will have the largest cruise fleet deployment of any brand in the region, remarked Royal Caribbean’s Senior Vice President Gavin Smith.

More than 40,000 additional guests are expected to be added to the Singapore cruising scene from the 10 sailings from March to April next year. Itineraries include return trips ranging from 3 to 5 nights to Penang, Phuket, Bangkok and a one way cruise to Tianjin with calls at Ho Chi Minh City for an overnight, Chan May, Hong Kong and Seoul.