Posts Tagged ‘boats’

The Morning Dig: The Most Extravagant Yacht Ever Made?

Friday, August 20th, 2010

• In the video above, the Wall Street Journal was granted exclusive access to the $300 million dollar yacht of Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichencko.

• Female drivers are safer at the wheel than men, according to a new study. (NYT)

• An article takes another look at the “straddling bus” idea in China that has gotten plenty of recent attention (including from us). (NYT)

• In the future, wave power could be a green renewable source for Australia’s power grid. (Inhabitat)

• Parts of the media are “scaremongering” about the danger of bikers in cities. (Gothamist)

• While Chicago’s parking “fiasco” has gotten some attention, privatization of infrastructure is still being touted by some as a solution for fiscal problems. (Transport Politic)

• Richard Florida examines where U.S. blue-collar jobs will be located in the future. (Atlantic)

A Peek Inside the World’s Biggest Cruise Ship (And How It Manages to Run)

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

Cruise lines seem to be in a perpetual race to have the “biggest ship in the world” in their fleets. Though Royal Caribbean has really set a new bar with the Oasis of the Seas, a brand new floating monster that’s five times the size of the Titanic and cost a whopping $1.4 billion to build. The bridge has a clearance of 213 feet above the water, and the ship normally has an air draft of 236 ft. To power this thing, you need six marine diesel engines: three Wärtsilä 16-cylinder common rail diesels producing 18,860 kilowatts, and three similar 12-cylinder engines each producing 13,860 kilowatts.

The ship boasts seven “neighborhoods,” including Vegas-style simulacra of Coney Island and Central Park, and can hold 6,300 passengers. Excess is the name of the game: For a mere $34,000 a week, you can have a private two-story loft-like cabin. Other features include Broadway shows playing off the boardwalk, a zip-line that runs nine stories above the main deck, a climbing wall (which, these days, is de rigeur on mega-ships), a mini-golf course, and the obligatory casino and theme parks and pools etc.

Here’s the captain’s first video log, which offers a fascinating description of the work behind the maiden voyage (seriously, the fact that this floating city can travel and maneuver is impressive in itself):

And here is Good Morning America’s bubbly segment on the ship’s amenities: