This was published 8 years ago
Manta ray cruise ship 'City of Meriens': Is this the future of cruising?
By Zoe Hunt
Boasting a length of 900 metres and width of just over 500 metres, City of Meriens will have the capacity to hold as many as 7000 passengers in spacious, luxurious rooms.Credit: www.rougerie.com
Looking like something straight out of a science fiction movie, this gigantic ship could be the future of cruising.
The manta-ray inspired design, called as 'City of Meriens', is aimed at delivering luxury ocean travel, delivering extraordinary views and other comforts of contemporary ocean travel for cruise lovers.
The innovative, bionic design, which takes on the shape of a manta-ray, will be larger than any existing cruise liner.
City of Meriens' design is inspired by manta rays. Credit: www.rougerie.com
Boasting a length of 900 metres and width of just over 500 metres, City of Meriens will have the capacity to hold as many as 7000 passengers in spacious, luxurious rooms.
The so called ship 'city' will have the capacity to accommodate passengers throughout several levels of the vessel, which is almost 60 metres high and measures a depth of around 120 metres.
By comparison, the largest cruise liner in the world is Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas which is 360 metres long and only 65 metres wide, with capabilities to hold 6360 guests. Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas will this year become the largest ship to be based in Australia. The ship is 348 metres in length and includes state-of-the-art venues and facilities.
The manta ray ship features unique sloped wings that emulates the movements of a swimming manta ray to maximise ocean views for its passengers.Credit: www.rougerie.com
Designed to run autonomously on renewable marine energy, the City of Meriens claims to provide spacious, sustainable travel, including aquaculture facilities, such as hydroplonic greenhouses, to create sustainable food production.
The manta ray ship features unique sloped wings that emulates the movements of a swimming manta ray to maximise ocean views for its passengers. The design shows access to an interior lagoon which appears to allow cruisers to swim into 'the tail' of the manta ray while enjoying views of the ocean. The ship, unlike no other, claims to create a spacious, luxurious environment that allows passengers to relish a unique travel experience.
The concept created by French architect Jacques Rougerie, could be the future of mega ships around the world. Rougerie suggests that the ideal use for the design would be as a floating research vessel and university for studying marine life. Though if the design ever came to reality, it's hard to see cruise lines passing up the opportunity to turn it into a passenger ship.
See also: Brand new mega ship to be built specifically for Australia
See also: The 16 hottest trends in cruising for 2016
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