Jaw-dropping new plans have been unveiled for a massive 'floating city' that would hold 80,000 people on board a 1.6km long cruise ship. The AU$22.5 billion vessel, dubbed the 'Freedom Ship', would provide permanent homes for 50,000 residents, while also having capacity for 10,000 day visitors and 20,000 crew members.
Unprecedented Amenities
Incredibly, the 'floating city' will even include schools from primary to college level, a research hospital, a 15,000-seat football stadium, a water park, two museums, a symphony hall, as well as shops and restaurants. Four of the decks on board the ship would be home to financial branches, commercial services, retail and banks, while passengers will also have access to a two-storey food hall, a nightclub and an expansive aquarium.
Massive Scale and Design
Boasting 30 decks, the ship will be 344m wide and 1.6km long, rendering it far too large to dock in any port. Likely powered by nuclear fuel, it will remain in international waters and transfer passengers to and from land through a fleet of ferries. A handy tram system would also be installed on the ship to connect passengers to a series of different districts, while 24 kilometres of walkways would be there for people wanting to explore on foot. The Freedom Ship will circumnavigate the globe every two or three years at seven knots.
History and Revival
The idea was first proposed by American engineer Norman Dixon all the way back in the 1990s. After his death in 2012, the plans briefly resurfaced, but were soon put back on the shelf – until now. Freedom Cruise Line International's chief executive, Roger Gooch, told The Telegraph that there was high demand for the vessel. 'We could almost justify building three ships,' he told the outlet. Mr Gooch said he had enlisted the skills of a naval architect, a designer and a project manager among a 12-person leadership team to make the dream a reality.
Construction and Living Plans
Once finances are sorted, the next stage of the project will involve actually constructing the ship in Indonesia, starting with the hull, which would be built in pieces and assembled offshore. Mr Gooch said that residents could actually start living on board the ship midway through the three to four year construction process, adding that some entrepreneurs may be able to 'lease or buy' space on the ship. 'We want entrepreneurs to lease or buy space from us, just like they would in a land-based community,' he added. 'We're not interested in owning every barber shop, every pizza outlet. There will be a few businesses that the holding company will have an interest in. One of them would be the casino, certainly.'
Medical and Entertainment Facilities
'We also want a state-of-the-art hospital. We've been approached by medical research facilities because we would be outside the reach of regulatory bodies, so the Freedom Ship would be an ideal venue for that,' Mr Gooch said. 'We have a soccer pitch too,' said the project's master planner, Kevin Schopfer. 'It's not a massive stadium, but it could also be used for events and concerts,' he added. 'Taylor Swift came up in the discussion at one point, but I said I don't know if we can handle that!' With capacity for 80,000 passengers and crew, the Freedom Ship would be able to carry more than eight times the number of people who sail on what is now the world's biggest passenger vessel, Royal Caribbean's Star of the Seas.
