Pangeos The New Super Structure Proposed For Saudia Arabia
By Arab America Contributing Writer / Drew Jackson
As the year goes on, we have fallen into a habit of being awe-struck by many of the insane super-projects coming out of the Gulf nations.
From sustainable World Cup stadiums to futuristic megacities that push the boundaries of urban development, to giant Moon structures there is always a “next-idea” that comes out of this region.
That “next idea” has just been proposed to Saudi Arabia by the renowned Lazzarini Design Studio, an Italian design firm. Their proposal would be the largest sea vessel ever created known as Pangeos, the terayacht.
This turtle-shaped yacht is still just a design, but it is reportedly expected to hold up to 60,000 passengers.
To put that number in perspective the largest cruise ship to date, Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas is capable of holding just under 7,000 passengers.
While cruise ships today are no stranger to huge amenities such as waterparks, nightclubs, and casinos, Pangeos will be able to hold a full-size mall, a beachfront resort, and a host of restaurants.
These amenities in addition to robust housing on the terayacht, are set to host 19 luxury villas, 64 luxury apartments, and thousands of compartments for guests to use.
Additionally, the stern of the ship will serve as the entrance to a full portico for visitors to dock their yachts.
The massive structure is merely proposed to be built and launched from Saudi Arabia, which would help the nation continue to diversify its economy away from petrodollars. However, the massive structure would not remain in Saudi Arabia’s waters, it is expected to travel the seas continuously all around the world.
Pangeos will travel at an average speed of 5 knots (about 5.5 mph) and will be powered by nine different HTS engines, standing for “High-Temperature Superconducting Motors.”
In line with Saudi Arabia’s 2030 vision as well as the rest of the world, the yacht will be powered in large part thanks to renewable energy. HTS systems are not only much more efficient than conventional motors, but the inside of the structure will be powered largely through solar power as well as a hydroelectric system due to the waves breaking over the winged portions of the structure.
Although just a proposal today, Lazzarini is confident they will be able to raise substantial money, as Saudi Arabia is set to invest in a 4.2 million square foot shipyard to build the structure once funding has reached a level of confidence.
According to Lazzarini, Saudi Arabia serves as the ideal construction site, “due to a perfect scenario configuration and logistics,” as reported by Middle East Eye.
This project would fit perfectly into Saudi Arabia’s recent investment portfolio, compared to their recent investment into the NEOM region. The NEOM region, written about earlier this year by Arab America, is a futuristic design project that will include a linear city in the desert, a vacation resort housing a virtual village, and an eight-sided floating industrial district. Work has just recently begun on the engineering of these projects, so the construction of the structure will continue to diversify their economic portfolio in line with these objectives.
As mentioned earlier, Lazzarini has just started crowdfunding for this project, touting it will cost eight billion dollars to build both the structure and the proposed shipyard. The shipyard itself will be an impressive feat of engineering that will require the enclosure of a one-kilometer region of the Saudi coast, surrounded by a massive dam. King Abdullah Port about 81 miles north of Jeddah is proposed as the location for the shipyard. Lazzarini is no stranger to ambitious design projects. In addition to Pangeos, they have recently proposed an “Air Yacht” an amphibious consumer yacht capable of flight. If Lazzarini is able to raise the necessary funds, construction is expected to begin in 2033 on an eight-year timeline.
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