The concept of a floating city was originally proposed in the 1990s by American engineer Norman Nixon, but no one ever really attempted to build one. Blueprints for Nixon’s original ship were dusted off several times over the last three decades, but it never progressed beyond the discussion phase. Now, a cruise line company claims the demand for a Freedom Ship is so strong that it “could almost justify building three ships!”
“We feel very confident that we can put this together, but the capitalisation is key,” Roger Gooch, chief executive of Freedom Cruise Line International, told The Telegraph newspaper, adding that the company had hired a project manager, a designer, and a naval architect among a 12-strong leadership team to make the Freedom Ship a reality.
But even if and when Freedom Cruise Line International finds the necessary funding for this monumental project, bringing it to life is going to require a massive effort. We’re talking about a mile-long ship, about 10 times larger than the world’s largest cruise ship. The hull would have to be built in pieces and then assembled offshore because no shipyard could accommodate this juggernaut.
The 800ft-wide and 30-deck-high Freedom Ship could carry up to 50,000 permanent residents, as well as 10,000 visitors, all catered to by 20,000 members of staff. That’s about eight times more people than the total capacity of the world’s largest cruise ship. They would be carried to and from the Freedom Ship with smaller ships, because it wouldn’t fit in any port.
Because this would literally be a floating city, with everything that implies, the giant ship would have its own hospital, schools, banks, shops, restaurants, etc. Gooch said that the company is interested in operating some of these facilities itself, such as the casinos, but would otherwise be partnering with other companies.
“We want entrepreneurs to lease or buy space from us, just like they would in a land-based community,” Gooch said. “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.”
If it ever becomes a reality, as Freedom Cruise Line International hopes, the Freedom Ship will likely be powered by nuclear energy. In order for that to happen, the company first needs to raise over $16 billion.
