Turkey to build Freedom City

The “floating city”, one of the world’s largest newbuilding projects, will be constructed in Isdemir Port in the Gulf of Iskenderun on the Eastern end of the Turkish Mediterranean coast, at a cost of $11 billion. Although no contract has been signed yet, negotiations with Turkish authorities have been going on for one and a half years.

Turkey will supply 80% of the construction materials for the newbuilding. In addition to Turkey, the Bahamas, Venezuela and the Dutch Antilles were also considered as locations for the construction of Freedom City. A preliminary agreement has been signed with the managers of Isdemir Port and the project is planned to start in October this year. Aydin Eroglu, General Coordinator of the Ankara Nations Capital (ANC), consultant company for the project, described the construction of the ship in Turkey as a “big advantage for the country”. Eroglu said the floating city would be the biggest world-wide project Turkey has ever undertaken so far, and therefore has great value in terms of the promotion of Turkey.

Conceived some 12 years ago, the Freedom City project was originally named Freedom Ship and the financing of the project is being met by “Compasei AG” who has shares in prominent US and European banks and owns American Express. As the ANC is the advising company for the project, the US firm “Freedom Ship International” will undertake the design and construction works. A chief engineering company will be decided on and about 60 firms with a $200 million budget each will execute the construction works. It is expected to provide employment for thousands of workers, and when construction is complete, it is expected to weigh three million tonnes.

The Freedom City will be 1,417 metres long, have a width of 246 metres and a height of 114,8 metres which translates into the creation of a ship that is about four times the size of the world’s current largest floating object, the Jahre Viking. This massive vessel will be built in large blocks which will be assembled afloat in Isdemir Port which was planned to be used as a US logistic base during the second Iraq War.