The Residensea World is the largest privately owned residential yacht and was launched in March 2002 in Oslo. It is not so much a liner as an array of floating apartments that sails around the world ‘in pursuit of fair weather, special international events and natural attractions’. While a typical ship of this size could carry over 1,500 passengers, the World carries an average of 285 guests plus a crew of 252.
The apartments start at $2,000,000. Yearly maintenance charges range from $60,000 to $240,000. It spends around 250 days in port. The building cost was estimated to be $262,500,000.
Recommended White Papers
Recommended Buyers Guides
The Residensea World has a length of 196,35m (644ft), or 173m between perpendiculars, and a moulded breadth of 29.8m (97.8ft). It has a design draught of 6.7m (22ft) draught and a moulded draught of 9.2m. It registers 40,000gt and has a maximum speed of 19 knots. The facilities are spread across 12 decks and are accessed by six full-size elevators.
The ship is operated by Residensea and was built by Fosen Mek. Verksted.
Accomodation aboard The World
The ship has a maximum capacity of 1,046. The accommodation is split between residents and guests. There are 110 private residences ranging from 1,100ft² to 3,200ft² in size and 88 guest suites ranging in size from 220ft² to 500ft². There are residents from 19 countries who own homes in the yacht.
The private apartments have living and dining areas, two or three bedrooms (each with an ensuite bathroom), a kitchen and a terrace. All the apartments are furnished and have advanced audio and video equipment, in addition to modem access and fax capability. It also provides a choice of six floor plans including penthouses and bi-level residences.
Ship amenities
Two entire decks are reserved for shopping and leisure activities. There are seven restaurants and cafés, which offer a wide range of international specialities. In addition to numerous lounges and bars, there is a theatre, casino and nightclub.
There is also a library, museum, and business centre. Other facilities include a ‘market room’ with a licensed stockbroker, a helicopter landing pad and a retractable marina for access when anchored in port.
The ship includes a golf centre with driving ranges, putting greens and hi-tech simulators, a full-size tennis court, paddle tennis, a jogging track and two swimming pools – one outdoor and one indoor. It also has a health spa, workout room and sauna treatment rooms.
Vessel engines, propulsion and thrusters
Because of the long time spent in port, there is no need for a complex propulsion system, although the electrical power package is more demanding. The main engines consist of two Wärtsilä W 12V32 units, each generating 5,520kW of power at 720rpm. The ship also has three Wärtsilä W8L32 units, which each produce 3,600kW at 720rpm.
The main engines are driven through a pair of two-speed GCE1160 Flender Reduction gearboxes to the propellers. These are four-bladed Wichman Cp 115 units, with Wichman Wichmatic 2 Propeller Controls.
The need to minimise noise and vibration is paramount. Consequently, propellers are inward-turning while the propeller blade geometry has been designed to optimise noise reduction.
For manoeuvring, the ship has two Brunvoll FU80LTC2250 1,200KW thrusters located forward and a Brunvoll FU63LTC1750 700kW located aft.
Using the full power output of the engines, the ship can attain a speed of 19 knots. When using 8000kW with the propellers running at 120rpm, it gives the vessel a speed of over 17 knots. If a slower speed of 11 knots is demanded, the propellers turn at 11rpm at an output of 2,500kW.
Electricity is generated through a pair of Leroy Somer LSA 58 M75-10P generator units that produce 5,600kVA of power and three Leroy Somer LSA 58 VS 55-10P generators, each of which produce 4,308kVA of power.
The World is flagged in the Bahamas and classified by DNV under the notation +1A1 Passenger Ship EO, ICE-1C COMF-V (CRN) 1 W1.
