The Freedom Ship project aims to build a large vessel (725ft wide, 340ft tall and just under a mile long) upon which a city will be built. The ship will journey around the globe every two years taking. There is small provision for aeroplanes to land on the runway at the top of the ship, although the amount of turbulence created by the structure could make for some very difficult landings, and they are only equipped to deal with light air traffic and certainly nothing the size of a Boeing 747.

The ship is to carry some weapons capability, which may be necessary to fend off modern-day pirates, and the attitude towards crime will be zero-tolerance. There will be an expansive implementation of CCTV throughout all public areas.

Facilities available on board appear to be similar to any modern urban area. There will be a hospital, schools, shopping malls, golf courses and swimming pools.

The team behind the Freedom Ship deny that it will be used as a tax haven, stating that although there will be no local income tax or sales tax, individuals will still need to pay taxes to their home countries. Some publications have suggested that they are trying to create a contemporary utopia, comparing Freedom Ship with the ideas of philosophers and political idealists.

Currently, a place in which to build the Freedom is being negotiated, and is rumoured to be in the vicinity of Honduras. Construction is scheduled to be finished in 2003, although there are still some technical problems to be overcome.

The official site (FreedomShip, City At Sea) can be found at http://www.freedomship.com/

A news story about security on the ship can be found at The Observer.


Technical and engineering information can be found at
How Stuff Works.