In the cruise ship industry, the battle for bragging rights has turned into a QE2-size slugfest. In 2003, Cunard stole the crown for world’s largest cruise ship when it launched the 151,410-ton Queen Mary 2; three years later Royal Caribbean topped it with the 154,000-ton Freedom of the Seas. Now, Royal Caribbean is set to raise the stakes yet again with the 220,000-ton Genesis, slated to launch in 2009 from a shipyard in Turku, Finland. (A second Genesis will launch a year later.) Why is bigger better? “Having more real estate, we can provide more deck area,” says Royal Caribbean’s Harri Kulovaara. “That means more entertainment options and better amenities.”
Make no mistake, Genesis will be no lumbering behemoth. The ship’s three main propellers will swivel 360 degrees on independent bearings. All will be driven by electric motors powered by the ship’s central bank of six diesel generators, and steered by an integrated navigation and control system. From the bridge, the captain will be able to move the ship in any direction — forward, backward, sideways — with the flick of a joystick. No tugboats required.
Other Large Cruise Ships
Knock Nevis
| Claim to fame | Largest ship ever (now retired) |
| Length | 1504 feet |
| Displacement | 564,763 tons |
| Launched | 1981 |
| Capacity | 4.1 million barrels |
Emma Maersk
| Claim to fame | Longest ship (in service) |
| Length | 1303 feet |
| Displacement | 156,907 tons |
| Launched | 2006 |
| Capacity | 11,000 shipping containers |
USS Ronald Reagan
| Claim to fame | Largest warship |
| Length | 1092 feet |
| Displacement | 98,235 tons |
| Launched | 2003 |
| Capacity | 85 aircraft and a crew of over 6000 |
By Jeff Wise
Popular Mechanics; June 2007
