Could this mile-long floating city become the world’s most extreme property market?

Freedom Cruise Line International says its proposed Freedom Ship would be the largest vessel ever built, with homes, schools, hospitals, shops, parks, stadium, museums and businesses onboard

A £12bn floating city more than a mile long could become the world’s most extreme property market, with thousands of homes planned onboard a vessel bigger than anything ever built.

Freedom Cruise Line International says its proposed Freedom Ship would carry more than 80,000 residents and visitors while operating as a permanent floating city rather than a conventional cruise liner.

The Florida company says the gigantic vessel would be 800ft wide, 30 storeys tall and weigh more than two million gross tons, making it the largest maritime vessel ever constructed.

At more than a mile from bow to stern, the ship would be roughly 17 times the height of the Statue of Liberty if the New York landmark were laid on its side.

It would also be about 17 times the height of Elizabeth Tower at the Houses of Parliament, home to Big Ben.

A person walking from one end of the vessel to the other at normal pace would take about 20 minutes to cover the full mile.

The project has reportedly been costed at about £12bn and would include capacity for about 50,000 permanent residents, with the rest made up of visitors, workers and part-time guests.

Residential and commercial units would be available to buy or lease, according to Freedom Cruise Line, although no current price list has been announced.

The company says residents would live and work onboard while the ship continuously circumnavigates the globe.

It would stop at major ports for a week or more at a time, allowing residents and visitors to travel ashore while ferries and aircraft connect the ship with surrounding destinations.

Because of its proposed size, the ship would reportedly be unable to dock in conventional ports and would instead remain offshore, with passengers transferred to land by ferry.

Freedom Cruise Line says the vessel would include homes, offices, schools, shops, hospitals, parks, entertainment venues and businesses onboard.

Its plans include a hospital with medical research facilities, a K-12 school system, duty-free stores, banks, spas, casinos, restaurants, professional services, parks and amusement venues.

Reported plans also include a 15,000-seat sports stadium, convention centre, two-storey food hall, three acres of parks, shopping mall, two museums, eight helipads, symphony hall, nightclub, water park and aquarium.

Schopfer Associates, the U.S architectural firm led by E. Kevin Schopfer, has been named as lead design entity for the concept.

Freedom Cruise Line said the firm would help turn the project from an engineering idea into a “fully realised, liveable global environment”, with urban districts, public spaces and a unified design for the vessel.

The company says the ship would use advanced hybrid propulsion, energy recovery systems and water and waste management processes.

It says life onboard would be based around daily urban life, with residents living in permanent homes, working in offices and taking part in community life much as they would in a land-based city.

The project’s developers say the ship would be designed to support daily routines, long-term relationships and a lasting sense of community while moving between countries and ports.

Schools, healthcare, commerce, public spaces and residential neighbourhoods are planned as part of a city-style layout.

Freedom Cruise Line said the idea was developed over years of planning and discussions about whether urban life could exist on a moving maritime platform.

The broader Freedom Ship concept has been discussed since the 1990s, when U.S engineer Norman Nixon proposed a floating community at sea.

Freedom Cruise Line International was incorporated in Florida in 2018 and remains the official development and governance entity for the current project.

Its website describes the ship as a “city-scale system rather than a single vessel”.

Energy, water, waste, communications and transport systems are planned as interconnected networks, with an emphasis on resilience, redundancy and long-term reliability.

Internal movement would be designed around walkable neighbourhoods, shared transit and accessible routes for residents of different ages and mobility levels.

The ship would reportedly include a tram system and about 15 miles of walkways to help people move around the city-scale vessel.

The company says workspaces, research facilities, commercial areas and service environments would be built into the city so residents could live and work onboard without long commutes.

Education would also be integrated into the ship’s daily life, with schools for children and facilities for continuing education, professional development and research.

The concept also includes parks, promenades, fitness areas, restaurants, cafés, cultural venues and social spaces intended to serve residents as local amenities rather than tourist attractions.

Freedom Cruise Line said mobility onboard would be about access rather than speed, adding: “While the city moves, home remains constant.”

Roger M. Gooch is listed as chief executive and director of Freedom Cruise Line International, with Robert H. Pflueger as president and Schopfer as chief design architect and master planner.

Gooch has reportedly said construction could begin in Indonesia once start-up capital is secured and could take three to four years.

No confirmed construction timetable, shipyard contract, financing package, current residential price list or launch date has been announced by the company.

Freedom Cruise Line said: “Our vision for Freedom Ship is more than just a ship – it’s a symbol of possibility.

“The dream has always been to create not only the world’s most advanced cruise vessel, but also an unforgettable destination in itself. Freedom Ship delivers Freedom of choice, Freedom of exploration, and Freedom of experience.”

READ MORE: World’s largest cruise ship revealed with nine pools, 28 places to eat and giant waterpark. With a three-storey treehouse suite, a sprawling waterpark and dozens of places to eat, the new vessel is aimed squarely at the booming family cruise market.

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_{Main image: The proposed Freedom Ship would measure more than a mile long and carry up to 80,000 residents and visitors as a floating city at sea. Credit: Freedom Cruise Line International}