"Oasis of the Seas", the first vessel of the class, was ordered in February 2006 and designed under the name "Project Genesis". Her keel was laid down on 11 December 2007 by STX Europe Turku Shipyard, Finland. The name "Oasis of the Seas" resulted from a competition held in May 2008, and full funding for "Oasis of the Seas" was secured in April 2009. The ship was completed and turned over to Royal Caribbean on 28 October 2009. Two days later, she departed Finland for the United States. While exiting the Baltic Sea, the vessel passed underneath the Great Belt Fixed Link in Denmark on 31 October 2009 at 23:18 UTC. The bridge has a clearance of above the water; "Oasis of the Seas" normally has an air draft of . The passage under the bridge was possible due to retraction of the telescoping funnels, and an additional was gained by the squat effect whereby vessels traveling at speed in a shallow channel will be drawn deeper into the water. Approaching the bridge at , the ship passed under it with less than of clearance.Proceeding through the English Channel, "Oasis of the Seas" stopped briefly in the Solent so that 300 shipyard workers who were on board doing finishing work could disembark, then left on the way to her intended home port of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The ship arrived there on 13 November 2009, where tropical plants were installed prior to some introductory trips and her maiden voyage on 5 December 2009.