The world's biggest and most expensive cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas, was handed over to the Royal Caribbean cruiseline in the Finnish port of Turku by shipbuilder STX.
"The handover took place at 9:20am (0720 GMT) and the papers were signed then by both companies," STX Europe's spokesperson Tanja Sabell told AFP.
The vessel, worth €900-million, can accommodate up to 6 360 passengers and 2 160 crew members and features a variety of traditional and new activities including swimming pools, a casino, pool surfing and a zip line above the boardwalk.
Oasis of the Seas is 16 decks high, or 65 metres above the waterline, and measures 360 metres long and 47 metres wide.
Richard Fain, the chief executive of Royal Caribbean, told reporters the new ship had attracted strong pre-bookings despite the global financial crisis and said the aim was to lure new customers who have not cruised before.
There are however still spots left for the ship's maiden voyage in December.
"We like to deliver the vow and I think it's fair to say that this ship delivers the vow," he said.
"Part of the thought process of the ship is to overcome the old myths people have about cruising. It's very hard to look at a vessel like this and think that cruising is secondary when you can choose rock-climbing, surfing or zip-lining," Fain explained.
He added that the company was targeting international clients, not just American or European cruisers, with Oasis of the Seas, which will be sailing mainly in the sunny Caribbean.
It's also catering to younger, more active passengers with children, and therefore offering a wider selection of activities, including 21 swimming pools, an aqua park, a carousel and a science lab.
"This is a very important day for us. We are extremely happy and proud," Martin Landtman, the head of STX's Finnish shipyards said.
Hundreds of builders and cleaners were still putting the final touches on the ship, installing carpets and cleaning the surfaces of the ship, docked at the Turku shipyard some 165 kilometres north-west of Helsinki.
Although the shipyard employees are still busy working on Oasis of the Seas and its sister ship Allure of the Seas, which is to be ready in autumn 2010, Fain and Landtman admitted the global downturn had drained cruising companies' willingness to order new vessels.
About 75 percent of STX's 3 600 employees in Finland will face temporary layoffs in the near future as no new ship orders have been placed.
"The play-off game between the shipyards has started. We here at STX Finland plan to be on the pole position once the market returns," Landtman said.
"We are having a dialogue with the shipyards. These are more difficult times and one has to be more cautious than one would normally be," Fain noted, but added the cruising business was expected to continue growing in the long term.
About 1 000 VIP guests will be dining and partying on board the Oasis of the Seas, but details about the guest list have not been disclosed.
The vessel is scheduled to leave Finland when it will set sail for its home port of Fort Lauderdale in the United States, where it will arrive in about two weeks.
Oasis of the Seas will make its four-night maiden voyage from Fort Lauderdale to Labadee in Haiti on December 1. - AFP