A huge turtle-shaped yacht that has been dubbed a floating metropolis was one of the numerous things that did not appear on our 2022 Bingo cards. Nevertheless, we are now in this position. Lazzarini Design Studio, an Italian design firm, is said to have created plans for a sizable boat that resembles a turtle with its flippers outstretched. Because of the ship’s size, its designers have chosen to refer to it as a terayacht rather than a superyacht. Its proper name is Pangeos, after Pangea, the prehistoric supercontinent that contained what are today the majority of the landmasses on Earth. Lazzarini claims that the ship will have the space to accommodate up to 60,000 people in the  form of hotels, flats, condos, shops, parks, and other facilities. Pangeos has ship and aviation ports so that passengers may visit the yacht even when it is not parked near land. Given that the organization does not expect the turtle to adhere to any particular schedule at this time, this is useful.

With a length and width of 1,800 feet and 2,000 feet, respectively, the boat will be the longest floating structure ever built. Of course, that assumes that it actually gets built, which is in and of itself a hurdle. Pangeos asserts that “the terayacht needs a terashipyard,” but there isn’t one at the moment. The plan also calls for a yard that is 200 miles wide and 180 miles long in addition to a circular dam that will remove about 0.4 square miles of sea. When construction of the yacht is complete, the dam will be opened, flooding the area and effectively launching the yacht. Saudi Arabia’s coastline is currently Lazzarini’s first choice for a construction site.

In a maritime setting where most boats follow the standard V shape and even less frequently adapt animal forms, Pangeos’ flippers are more than simply an oddity. The company asserts that the boat can travel indefinitely without creating any pollution because its fins and rudder can harness energy from the motion of the waves. The roof may be equipped with solar panels to provide backup power, and the building itself may have electric motors.

The business estimates that more than $8 billion will be spent on building the massive ship. Moreover, building will take at least eight years, and Lazzarini does not expect it to begin until at least 2025. The company has a plan to lower the steep price and shorten the long wait. According to the business’s white paper, the metaverse version of the boat will be ready for (virtual) boarding by 2023, and as part of an NFT crowdfunding drive, the company is offering “Unreal Estate,” which includes virtual boarding tickets, hotel rooms, and even residences.