This month I’ve been looking into what it would actually take to turn a used super-post-panamax (larger than even what the expanded “post-panamax” capacity of the Panama Canal can handle) into a floating port city.

(Image from: https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/photos/of/ships/shipid:159196/shipname:EMMA%20MAERSK?order=date_uploaded )

As was mentioned last month, the super post-Panamax ship-to-shore Cranes can weigh 1,600-2,000 tonnes. Assuming that our custom crane, while trying to design it to be as light as possible, would probably still end up being around 3,000 tonnes, since it has to be stronger to endure a swaying ship during the worst storm scenario, I proceeded to see if attaching that to the back of something like the Emma Maersk (built in 2006) is even possible.

(Image from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MARSEILLE_MAERSK_(2018)_(26339401978).jpg )

I believe the answer to this is “Yes”.

The biggest question I had was how you could attach a 3,000 tonne crane to a ship built to handle stacks of 5-60 tonne shipping containers.

If a custom 3,000 tonne gantry crane were connect onto the back of the Emma Maersk, with the weight shared equally among the 4 outermost container cells/columns of the back 10 above-deck cargo holds, then you have 4x2x10=80 container cells holding 3,000/80=37.5 tonnes each (on average - on calm seas).

I had Maersk’s general lashing guide, but it didn’t have the load limit data I was looking for, so I submitted a request to Maersk for the general e-class container ship load capacities document, but haven’t heard back from them yet. Based on the deadweight tonnage and the total TEUs modern mega container ships can hold, when fully loaded with max TEUs, the average TEU weight would be 9-10 tonnes each. Since above deck TEUs would be lighter than below deck TEUs, above deck TEUs would be much less than 9-10 tons each. A cell stack of 7 5-tonne TEUs would be 35 tonnes, or 2,800 tonnes altogether - so it looks theoretically possible. If we used 4 above-deck cells on each side (more if needed), that would leave an opening of 12-14 TEUs in the center below deck for the crane to lower/raise TEUs to/from below deck.

Here’s a rough concept art of what it might look like.

Incomplete work-in-progress concept art showing custom gantry crane fastened to the back section of the 2006-built Emma Maersk

The super-post-Panamax cranes that the port of Philadelphia received in 2019 were $12 million each, so I would guesstimate ours might cost $24 million.

Here are some very rough guesstimates of possible total costs.

Estimated Cost	Description	Related link
$50,250,000	Used super-post panamax container ship (ranges $36.5-$121 mil)	link
$24,000,000	New custom super post-panamax ship-to-ship gantry crane	link
$70,000,000	Maintenance costs for 10 years	link
$60,000,000	12,000x baselines cabin or hall/utility/stairs units
$10,000,000	Transporting ship to destination
$5,000,000	5x MoorMaster NXG units from Cavotec Automated Mooring System
$2,000,000	2x strong sea-going tugboats
$1,000,000	ROV and Bathymetric equipment
$424,000	40x Yokohama Mega Fenders	link
$5,800,000	Marketing Efforts
$8,000,000	Prototype concrete platform community (51 units)	link
$8,500,000	Harbor docks
$15,000,000	Misc
$259,974,000

So, yes it looks possible under a similar previous total project cost of $260 mil, but you end up with a structure that only has an estimated 10 more years of life and which requires dry-dock maintenance, instead of our previous design which could be maintained at sea and would last 20+ years.

So hoping that a shipyard would build this for us instead of buying used seems like the preferred approach. While we weren’t able to get Samsung Heavy Industries’ attention, it appears that multiple competing shipyards have also started building ships at close to S.H.I.’s prices, so additional options might still be on the table.

What are your thoughts on this? Join the discussion here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LibertarianSeasteading/posts/1464239407488953/

Question from our members

From Patrick Von Stieglitz:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LibertarianSeasteading/posts/1460261481220079/

“Is there anyone who is prepared to identify all the issues re seasteading onto one page please as you see it now”

Excellent question. 😊

It depends on what your goals are. Most seasteading projects cater to floating near-shore luxury ocean-view homes for millionaires who wish to live in low-freedom countries, but the "Freedom Haven" project is for those seeking the greatest amount of socioeconomic freedom on the planet for the most affordable price.

Pretty much all technical issues regarding seasteading were solved decades ago. The biggest issue currently is overcoming the many prevailing ignorant beliefs regarding seasteading. Some of the biggest ones I can think of are:

Thinking that seasteading is new - living in floating houses may not be part of our personal culture, but it dates back millennia. Each year some family takes their boat and hides somewhere on the high seas for 1+ years until they have to come back to shore to resupply. The only real thing that's changed in the last hundred years is how large those structures have become and how easy it is to trade on the high seas with new massive shipping lanes.
Thinking you have socioeconomic freedom while living inside a country's EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone)
Thinking that ocean housing can be permanent the way that land housing is. The ocean eventually claims ALL floating structures (although some structures last much longer than others). This means that there will be a "rent" cost associated with living on the ocean - whether you pay monthly, annually, etc... you can't escape economics and math on the ocean.
Ocean housing is more expensive per-square foot than the same space on land, which is why most people who live on the sea live in cabins instead of larger houses.
Having "no rules" is suicidal since rules will be created the first time there's a contention of force between 2 people or groups... at which point those rules would be established by the person/group holding the biggest stick. It's wiser to decide these rules ahead of time as a group with consent instead of being decided by the victor of the battle. Here's a draft of Freedom Haven's current rules (our constitution): http://userdimensions.com/.../FreedomHaven/Constitution.aspx
Living in isolation is more expensive than living as part of a thriving marketplace. You lose "economies of scale" when you live alone. Plus, there's strength in numbers. The Freedom Haven project plans on starting off the New Liberty vessel with a starting population of 5,000-10,000 people.
Living in secret allows the corrupt and powerful to remove you without anyone else knowing. There's safety in transparency. The corrupt and powerful work in the shadows and truth is not on their side.
No, we can NOT stand toe to toe with the world's strongest naval forces - our goal is to have the same defensive strength as any other small island nation. Our real strength will lie in our friendships and trading arrangements with other countries.
There ARE international maritime laws that we would be physically harassed for not complying with, but these mostly affect the ship and her small crew... not the passengers (which would be the vast majority of the population of our seastead). The only possible exception to this is US's law on shipping recreational drugs to the USA, noting that these unconstitutional laws were challenged in court.

Is there anything else I missed? If so, come join the discussion.

If you have a question you would like answered, please post your question on our facebook group or contact us through any of our other social media accounts or email.

November Contest Winners

Sadly, no ideas were submitted for the November #FH2023BestCabinDesignIdea

Contest.

Come participate in each month’s contest and help vote on the previous months’ winners during the monthly public Freedom Haven meetings.

Upcoming Events

Online calendar can be found here: https://freedomhaven.org/events/

1/6/2024 1pm central: Monthly Freedom Haven project casual face-to-face (first Saturday of each month at the same time).
For this meeting we’ll be choosing the December winners, upcoming contests & prizes, parade participation, future plans, and member questions. All sincere participants are welcome.
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/4842165597?pwd=QlFkeFovR1ovbW1WWEJJMkl6VWtYZz09

** 2024 **
2/3/2024 1pm central: Monthly Freedom Haven project casual face-to-face (first Saturday of each month at the same time).
6/17-6/23/2024: PorcFest 2024 (Lancaster, NH)
7/10-7/13/2024: FreedomFest 2024 (Las Vegas, NV)
More at: https://freedomhaven.org/events/

Links to recent articles, interviews, podcasts, etc

Click on link(s) in each item for additional details. List can also be found online here: https://freedomhaven.org/articles-and-links/

If you've seen any related recent articles or podcasts not mentioned here, please let us know.

** 2023 **

12/30: The Freedom Haven project made the front page of the Daily Gate City newspaper.
10/24: Zoom meeting with the naval architect Nicholas Barczak, PE where areas of the Freedom Haven project design and plans were refined.
Video: https://youtu.be/0VRjKGupElU
Meeting Take-aways: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQRcCVAKK5vzKxrbUMuZsmLj78ZuKDQipOvw34mY0IxWuFS18SDPlUWY41sekK_dBOcwSCudcswfU2z/pub
9/4 and 9/9/2023: The Freedom Haven project participation in the 9/4 Keokuk, Iowa, Labor day parade, and fundraising in the 9/9 Fort Madison, Iowa, Rodeo parade.
7/27: Ernest Hancock, from Freedom’s Phoenix, explores some of the details of the Freedom Haven project in this 1 hour and 41 minute podcast. https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Media/347407-2023-07-25-2023-07-26-ernest-hancock-interviews-anthony-olsen-freedomhaven-org.htm
7/13: Jake Cook, from “Nation of Jake“, interviews Tony Olsen on the subject of the Freedom Haven project on News Talk radio 98.9. 12 minute interview starts at timestamp 19:52 (Click on “Show Description” and then the corresponding “2:33 pm…” section link or listen directly to only the interview).
6/21: Aria and Mr. Nobody at Free Talk Live discuss the Freedom Haven project. (20 minute discussion starts at timestamp 1:16:01 in the stream).
https://freetalklive.com/?ppplayer=a65e130e8b56ac0cda02d6d069031b57&ppepisode=41cc6ffa5f6d0608c081e2962e6d761d
6/19 through 6/22: Raw video of some of the various Freedom Haven presentations that were made at PorcFest 2023.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUEw6a01QHI&list=PLW8gwky7Z_zMN1bOAmIAbde6x3ezBpM_B
4/25: Clips from the Atlas Shrugged Movies that inspired the Freedom Haven project
https://youtu.be/GMYusGkeJqQ
2/20: Freedom Haven mentioned in reference in NBC10 Boston’s report on PorcFest 2022.
https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/life-liberty-and-the-pursuit-of-new-hampshire-an-nbc10-boston-original/2920007/
1/31: Freedom Haven mentioned with other projects in CoinTelegraph magazine’s article: “Why are crypto fans obsessed with micronations and seasteading?” https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/20-wild-attempts-to-create-crypto-micronations-or-communities
1/26/2023: The Seasteading Institute updated the Freedom Haven description on their active projects page: https://www.seasteading.org/active-projects/

** 2022 **
12/23/2022: Update on triangle prism sphere core concrete units that make up the concrete platform: https://grabcad.com/library/2022-12-23-triangle-prism-sphere-core-floating-concrete-unit-28-single-only-1
11/16: Update on concrete platform design (with link to CAD files and 3D model webpage): https://www.facebook.com/groups/LibertarianSeasteading/posts/1235996050313291/
(Previous 10/06 update can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=5740571545963066 )
11/13: Annual Archive of the Freedom Haven Project: Everything that anyone would need to pick up the project where we left off. We are committed to remaining an Open-Design project.

Contains most recent model files, images, and web site and group backups.
Does NOT contain: list of unencrypted patrons, since only those who wish to have their names appear publicly are shared unencrypted.
Available in 2 formats:

Torrent P2P sharing: https://freedomhaven.org/Tony/FreedomHaven/FreedomHavenProject.torrent
Google drive 7z compressed file (viewers will need 7-zip to uncompress the file – also may only work from desktop computers): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wfEVOkq5DGI0R6osR56GMHWO8GK2ICFJ/view?usp=sharing

Financial update: https://freedomhaven.org/Tony/FreedomHaven/FreedomHavenFinancialGoalsUpdate.png . More at: https://freedomhaven.org/articles-and-links/

How can you help the project

If you haven’t already, become a patron by donating $5 to our Freedom Haven exploratory campaign (aka: Phase 2):
https://freedomhaven.org/plan/
Participate in the monthly ideas contests and help us discover good solutions and help encourage the participation of others
Help market the project through your own innovative imaginative grass-roots efforts
Invite your courageous, pro-freedom friends to the “Gathering Freedom Haven” group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LibertarianSeasteading
Volunteer your time to the project: www.facebook.com/groups/FreedomHavenVolunteers/

(Last updated 12/31/2023)

Monthly Freedom Haven constitution section mini-overview

The Preamble of Freedom Haven Constitution:
We the individual People, in order to secure the human right to defend ourselves, to limit the scope of Government, and to secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, so that we can have the chance to learn, grow, and work towards achieving our greatest individual divine potentials (so that through our efforts, and without compulsory means, prosperity may flow unto us forever and ever), do ordain and establish this Constitution for the Provinces that form the Country of Freedom Haven.