Keel laid for Royal Caribbean’s first Quantum Ultra-class cruise ship

Construction has begun on Royal Caribbean Cruises' first Quantum Ultra-class ship, Spectrum of the Seas, with the keel-laying ceremony held at the Neptun Werft shipyard at Rostock-Warnemunde in Germany.

The 938-tonne block is one of a total of 74 that will make up the cruise ship, which will be one of the world's five biggest cruise ships with a gross tonnage of 168,800.

The first steel pieces of Spectrum of the Seas were cut to size in the shipyard's laser centre in August.

The 4,200-passenger ship is scheduled for launch in 2019.

Spectrum of the Seas is only slightly larger than its Quantum-class shipmates, Anthem of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas. All carry the same number of passengers.