A new Allure for the Far East?

At 225,000 tons and carrying the population of a small town – up to 6,360 passengers and 2,160 crew – Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas (above) are the biggest passenger ships in the world, making weekly cruises to the Caribbean from their base in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
When Allure was completed two years ago, owners Royal Caribbean announced they had no plans for more vessels of that size and instead started work on designing two which will carry 4,000 passengers each, for delivery in 2014 and 2015.
Work dried up at the STX shipyard in Turku, Finland, where the giants were constructed, and thousands of employees were laid off.
A glimmer of hope that they may be able to return to their jobs came this week with news that a Finnish government committee was considering how to find the billion euros needed to guarantee the financing of a third Oasis-class ship.
Finnish newspaper Turun Sanoma claimed a deal to provide financial support was close to agreement, and that it would provide the equivalent of 12,000 man-years work at the yard and among suppliers.
Royal Caribbean’s only comment has been to say: “We do not comment on rumours, and at this time, it’s just a rumour. As we have done in the past, if and when we have something to announce, we will do so through an official company press release.”
If rumour becomes fact, the next question to be answered would be “Where will it sail?”
The Caribbean is already crowded, and the giant ships had to have berths specially constructed in ports such as Falmouth, Jamaica, and St Thomas in the Virgin Islands.
Few Mediterranean ports could currently accommodate an Oasis but Royal Caribbean president Adam Goldstein, in the UK two weeks ago for the ACE cruise seminar in Birmingham, was talking encouragingly about the potential for growth in the Far East.
What are the odds on a new ship with Oriental allure?