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Miami-based Royal Caribbean International
the world's second-largest cruise line
announced on February 6
2006
that it had ordered the largest and most expensive cruise ship in the world
a $1.24 billion vessel which can hold up to 6
400
passengers. It is to be named Project Genesis.

This ship
which is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2009 by shipbuilder Aker Yards of Oslo
will be 220
0
gross register tons. A gross register ton
a standard measure of a ship's size
is a unit of volume equal to about 100 cubic feet. It is to be built at a Finnish shipyard.

Aker is to be paid 900 million euros ($1 billion) to build the ship
making Project Genesis the most expensive ship ever ordered in the history of commercial shipbuilding. The $1.24 billion figure includes all expenses required for interior finishing of the ship. Royal Caribbean contract with Aker includes an option for a second ship.

Richard Fain
the chairman and chief executive of Royal Caribbean said of Project Genesis
It is exhilarating to take such a giant step into the future. Project Genesis truly is a remarkable ship. Its bold design, daring innovation and technological advancements will delight our existing customers and help us draw in new ones.


Aker Yards Finland currently builds Royal Caribbean's "Freedom" class vessels. However
the Project Genesis ship will be 43 percent larger than the present recordholder
Freedom of the Seas
which is currently under construction and scheduled to be finished by April 2006.

The biggest ship currently in operation is the Queen Mary 2
at 151
400
gross register tons. It is owned by the Cunard Line
a unit of the Carnival Corporation
which is the world's largest cruise ship company. The British-registered liner is 1
132
feet long
more than 236 feet high
and can hold 2
620
passengers. The QM2 is capable of crossing the North Atlantic at a speed of 30 knots. The 14-day 2004 maiden voyage from Southampton
in southern England
to Fort Lauderdale
Florida on January 12
2004
was completely sold out months before departure.

The QM2 has 17 decks which hold five swimming-pools
sweeping staircases
a grand ballroom
a 360-degree promenade deck and many luxury shops. Cunard Line built the ship in hope of reviving the glamour of ocean liners
whose mystique has largely been dispelled since jet travel made trips across the Atlantic routine.

A one-way passage from Southampton to New York ranges from $1
817
to $28
0
per person
depending on the type of cabin selected
as well as a daily service charge.

The original Queen Mary was launched in 1934 at Southampton by the queen's grandmother -- Queen Mary
wife of King George V. This ship was slightly more than half the size of the new model. In the second World War
both the Queen Mary and its sister ship
Queen Elizabeth
were painted grey and served as troopships
since they were fast enough to outrun German U-boats. Winston Churchill later stated that the military use of these two ships shortened the war by a year.

The ship was retired in 1967 and sold to private investors. It is now docked permanently as a seaside hotel in Long Beach
California.

The QM2 took the title of world's largest cruise liner from Royal Caribbean's 1
20
foot-long Liberia-registered "Voyager of the Seas
launched in 1999.

As a sign of just how much passenger ships have increased in size during this century, the QM2 is three times the size of the Titanic, which at 46,300 tons and 800 feet was called the
largest movable object built by man" when launched in 1911. However
all the giant cruise ships are comparatively tiny compared to the largest of all ships - a 564
700
supertanker Seawise Giant built in 1979
and now called Jahre Viking.

A ship still in the planning stage would dwarf all current sea-going vessels : the Freedom Ship. It is essentially a plan for a floating city
a giant barge that would slowly circle the globe every 2-3 years. At 4
320
feet (1
317
meters) long
725
feet (221 m) wide and 340 feet (103 m) tall
the ship is taller than the length of a football field and wider than two football fields put together.

It would hold 18
0
condominium units for full-time residents ranging from $180
0
to $2.5 million
including a small number of premium suites priced up to $44 million. 3
0
commercial units for vendors would also be offered in a similar price range. For part-time residents
there will be 2
400
time-share units and 10
0
hotel units. It will also hold a casino
a ferryboat transportation system
a medical facility offering both Western and Eastern medicine as well as preventive and anti-aging medicine. A landing strip for small jets will cover the top. An onboard school will give students a chance to take a field trip into a different country each week for academic purposes or to compete with local schools in sporting events. There will also be an International Trade Center to give on-board companies and shops the opportunity to show and sell their products in a different country every week. More than 100 acres of outdoor Park
Recreation
Exercise and Community space have also been planned.

Norman Nixon
who developed the idea for the massive ship
has estimated it will take approximately three years to complete once construction begins. So far
this ambitious project has not been able to attract sufficient investment funds to get off the drawing board.