Blue Frontiers plans to bring innovative food production techniques to the Seastead, while utilizing local fruits & vegetables in order to reduce the reliance on foreign imports. We will create new businesses to offer to the world a genuine range of flavo

The Energy and Water Group’s State-of-the-Art report will summarize the major findings of the past months, including findings within the working group and from interacting with the other teams. The Energy and Water team is dedicated to making the most green choices from available technologies, as we strive to engineer sustainable solutions into our first Floating Island Platform.

The cruise ship industry has successfully painted itself green by first using scrubbers and then moving from heavy diesel fuel to Liquified Natural Gas (LNG). In this paper we will show that these measures not only did not change the immense carbon footprint of the industry, it even exacerbated this real issue and other problems.

Radical rethinking of the entire concept of the cruise ship industry is required to bring emissions to a sustainable level. Even the latest, most modern ships easily emit 2-3 times as much greenhouse gas per passenger as a typical western resident, even while at port or on anchor and fully booked. Propulsion accounts for about 40% to 70% of energy consumption and thus CO2 emissions when cruising. When cruising, CO2 emissions of an average European cruise ship passenger emissions per capita are about six times higher than at home for ship operation alone, not counting consumption and transportation to the vessel, e.g. by flying.

The paper was published on our blog in December of 2020: https://www.seasteading.org/convert-cruise-ships-to-seasteads/

This paper, “Seasteading Business: Context, Opportunity and Challenge” is an analysis of the seasteading business environment. Authors Max Marty and Max Borders explore the potential landscape of for-profit activity aboard seasteads. We cover a broad range of economic and business-related topics from clear-cut, early-stage revenue models to speculations about what forms seasteading businesses may take in the medium term.

To determine the most promising locations for seastead communities, The Seasteading Institute has evaluated the entire ocean, based on a comprehensive set of criteria related to environmental, economic, legal and political considerations. Data sets for each criterion are presented in the form of color-coded heat maps depicting the desirability of possible locations for two different seastead scenarios: a small, ship-based seastead, and a large “Metropolistead,” or full-fledged city on the ocean. High resolution maps of the individual criteria, as well as aggregated maps, can be viewed here.

International and maritime law requires all ships to fly the flag of an existing nation. Most countries place strict regulations on individuals or companies that wish to fly their flag, but there are a number of countries that operate so-called open registries, offering ship owners from around the world the option to register their vessels under what are known as “flags of convenience” (FOCs). Flying the flag of an open registry country seems to be the best option for early seasteading ventures, because it offers the highest possible degree of autonomy and independence without placing seasteads outside of the law. This paper considers the merits of various open registry countries in terms of reputation, regulations, costs and requirements with the purposes of early seasteading ventures in mind, and offers case studies of the costs and benefits of six promising open registry countries.

This collection of documents (in a .zip file) contains copies of legislation related to artificial islands, oil platforms, military platforms, and seasteading related international law.

A thorough discussion of international maritime law as it relates to islands, including some discussion of stilt villages and artificial islands.

A great legal survey of the possibilities for artificial ocean structures to gain autonomy and recognition.

This paper discusses U.S. admiralty law, and the nature and extent of its likely jurisdiction over seasteads.

This dissertation aims at providing a philosophical investigation of the concept of seasteading. My investigation revolves around the following research question: “given that governments are resistant to structural changes of governance, how can mankind discover better forms of social organization?”

I argue that seasteading can play an important role in creating an experimentation space where different social organizations can be tested so that mankind can discover governments that are best for human flourishing.

The primary objective of this paper is to assist with the formation of a legal strategy that will be useful to seasteaders around the world.

Part 1 of 2 paper series, July 2011

The primary objective of this paper is to discuss particular legal impediments to seasteading, ways to overcome those impediments and specific strategies for getting started on the sea.

Part 2 of 2 paper series, August 2011

This paper lays out criteria for good governance, and examines historical forms of governance in light of those criteria. It also examines customary law, common interest developments, entrepreneurial communities and corporate governance, and applies the lessons learned to governance at sea.

To determine the most promising locations for seastead communities, The Seasteading Institute has evaluated the entire ocean, based on a comprehensive set of criteria related to environmental, economic, legal and political considerations. Data sets for each criterion are presented in the form of color-coded heat maps depicting the desirability of possible locations for two different seastead scenarios: a small, ship-based seastead, and a large “Metropolistead,” or full-fledged city on the ocean. High resolution maps of the individual criteria, as well as aggregated maps, can be viewed here.

International and maritime law requires all ships to fly the flag of an existing nation. Most countries place strict regulations on individuals or companies that wish to fly their flag, but there are a number of countries that operate so-called open registries, offering ship owners from around the world the option to register their vessels under what are known as “flags of convenience” (FOCs). Flying the flag of an open registry country seems to be the best option for early seasteading ventures, because it offers the highest possible degree of autonomy and independence without placing seasteads outside of the law. This paper considers the merits of various open registry countries in terms of reputation, regulations, costs and requirements with the purposes of early seasteading ventures in mind, and offers case studies of the costs and benefits of six promising open registry countries.

These economics working papers explain why seasteading is a powerful lever to improve government and thus make the world a better place. They introduce our dynamic theory of the industrial organization of government which combines the insights of public choice theory and a dynamic understanding of competition to explain how seasteading will lead to better governments by enabling experimentation and thus innovation. In addition to containing original ideas, these papers contain comprehensive reviews of previous related works. The Barriers to Entry paper contains a review of how the right to vote in the United States mainly expanded through the creation of new states, rather than through changes within existing states, demonstrating how new polities can bring greater equality.

These economics working papers explain why seasteading is a powerful lever to improve government and thus make the world a better place. They introduce our dynamic theory of the industrial organization of government which combines the insights of public choice theory and a dynamic understanding of competition to explain how seasteading will lead to better governments by enabling experimentation and thus innovation. In addition to containing original ideas, these papers contain comprehensive reviews of previous related works. The Barriers to Entry paper contains a review of how the right to vote in the United States mainly expanded through the creation of new states, rather than through changes within existing states, demonstrating how new polities can bring greater equality.

Article III Section 2 of the United States Constitution grants broad powers for federal courts to hear maritime claims. This power has been used in the past to allow foreigners to bring suits in United States Courts for claims arising on the high seas and within the territorial waters of another nation. This paper examines whether contractual devices can be used to prevent lawsuits in American admiralty jurisdiction, and how they might be applied to protect seasteads from lawsuits in the United States. It also examines the court’s power of forum non conveniens, and how the factors used to analyze the “convenience of the forum” could weigh towards American courts retaining jurisdiction, at least in seasteads’ early days.

Revised for publication in the University of San Francisco Maritime Law Journal, this article adds to an older version (see below), which lay the foundation for the Institute’s subsequent legal research. The history of micronations and seastead-like entities is filled with dramatic events, from which we can learn how the next wave of seasteaders should confront the obstacles to political and social freedom. Both US admiralty and international maritime law inform Balloun’s analysis, and provide practical guidance for how seasteads can balance autonomy with respect for existing legal norms and conventions.

Citation: 24 U.S.F. Mar. L. J. 409 (2012)

International maritime conventions regulate the conditions under which sovereigns issue flags to maritime vessels. This document analyzes whether and to what degree the six most widely adopted such conventions apply to seasteads. It finds that seasteads can remain outside the scope of most international maritime conventions if they stay fixed in place, remain below 24 meters long at the waterline, and do not enter foreign ports. Seasteads win further exemptions if they stay in or close to sheltered waters and remain smaller than 12 meters long, 400 gross tonnage, and 15-person capacity. Though voyaging or larger seasteads fall within the scope of additional conventions, they might qualify for exemptions from many of their requirements.

This paper provides an overview of the international maritime regulations that govern the seaworthiness of vessels.

This paper surveys the economic, legal, and engineering challenges for a variety of proposed seastead architectures. Includes discussion of flotels, VLFS (Very Large Floating Structures), and residential cruise ships, as well as previous attempts to build ocean communities.

As part of our Floating City Project, we commissioned DeltaSync to conduct a design and concept for a small seastead village located within protected waters. Their report, which shows the general feasibility of such a village using existing technology, is available for download on the main Floating City Project page. The objective for the design component is to come up with something affordable, yet comfortable, which would appeal to a sufficient number of pioneers. (We expect the community to comprise a mixture of full-time and part-time residency, as well as timeshares.)

One of the main disadvantages of dynamic positioning systems when compared to mooring systems, is the fuel costs incurred in operation. But it is necessary to quantify that difference in order to make an informed choice between the two possibilities: mooring or dynamic positioning.

A breakwater is typically a pile of heavy materials that form an artificial barrier against the waves. Given the force of the waves hitting such a large structure, it makes sense to explore designs for breakwater that generate energy from the waves being blocked. This report is a survey of the breakwater and wave energy technologies currently developed or patented. A slide presentation of the report is available here (m4v video).

To determine the most promising locations for seastead communities, The Seasteading Institute has evaluated the entire ocean, based on a comprehensive set of criteria related to environmental, economic, legal and political considerations. Data sets for each criterion are presented in the form of color-coded heat maps depicting the desirability of possible locations for two different seastead scenarios: a small, ship-based seastead, and a large “Metropolistead,” or full-fledged city on the ocean. High resolution maps of the individual criteria, as well as aggregated maps, can be viewed here.

An overview of a plan for a 200-guest hotel/resort, built to withstand the waves 200 nautical miles off the coast of Los Angeles.

Presentation PDF – Proceedings of the ASME 2010 29th International Conference on Ocean, Offshore and Arctic Engineering, OMAE2010, June 6-11, 2010, Shanghai, China.

Download all ClubStead reports in a zip file.

ClubStead Design Page – This detailed page contains of the papers and results from the ClubStead study.

This report lays out our criteria for judging new seastead designs.

This engineering analysis systematically evaluates several different seastead configurations (in a range of sizes) and to quantify their cost, capacity and performance, with emphasis on early seastead communities (as opposed to large future cities at sea).

This report lays out our criteria for judging potential seastead locations.

This paper considers the structures currently used in the maritime and ocean industries to accommodate people in semi-permanent accommodation at sea: floating hotels, or “flotels.”

The purpose of this document is to estimate and compare the energy costs in USD/kW and installation cost for ocean thermal energy conversion, solar, wind, and wave systems. Diesel generators were used as a baseline comparison. While it is not yet possible to design a specific seastead, the goal is to determine the feasibility of utilizing the aforementioned renewable energy sources on a seastead housing up to 1,000 people.

This dissertation was presented as a requirement to obtain a Doctoral Degree in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering. The objective is to provide an orderly framework around the idea of ocean colonization, defined as “the establishment of autonomous communities in the oceans aboard artificial platforms.”

Additionally, it distinguishes four forms of ocean colonization for distinct purposes:

• to expand landholdings
• to provide mobile settlements
• to allow for semi-­permanent mobile settlements in order to access marine resources
• and for the creation of micronations

It is this fourth concept that will serve as a departing point to review the whole idea of oceanic colonization.

3D renderings were produced to conceptualize a modular, adaptable seastead, complete with a top-side crane mechanism for rearranging “modules” or residential units. The ability to easily enter or exit such a seastead configuration (i.e., “voting with your house”) is expected to enable greater freedom of choice and amplify the competitive pressures needed to spur governmental innovation. Lina Suarez, a student of Naval Architecture, produced the renderings under the guidance of our Director of Engineering, George Petrie.

One promising seastead design based in existing technology is the semi-submersible – a very stable floating platform, most often used in the offshore drilling industry. Our engineering team set out to determine the feasibility of this design for an early seastead platform in terms of costs and logistics, while factoring in the necessary amenities to sustain a small residential and commercial community.

In order to produce realistic estimates for the basic structure – the semi-submersible hull and deck structure – director of engineering George Petrie rendered a design based on industry standards, which was submitted to actual shipyards for estimates. In May 2013, we received a bid from a U.S. Shipyard located in Orange, Texas.

DeltaSync completed their preliminary concept in December 2013, for a city composed of modular platforms – 50 x 50 meters, and estimated to cost approximately $15 million each. Concrete structures would be molded into sturdy hollow boxes, or “caissons,” and support three story buildings. The design takes into account apartments, terraced housing, office space, and hotels.

This concept also assesses a scalable method of financing a breakwater, which could eventually surround the city and allow it to move out to the open ocean. While more in-depth engineering research is required, the preliminary analysis suggests feasibility.

These storyboards (#1, #2, #3, #4, #5) lay out a concept for a three-phase project, intended to culminate in the creation of a purpose-built semi-submersible floating community, offering an innovative cancer treatment not yet approved by United States regulators, along with a broad range of other facilities for researchers, staff, patients, full-time residents and vacationers. The students also produced a video with 3D renderings of what such a platform might look like, which can be viewed on YouTube.

Thousands of years ago the Romans built wooden ships. Steel became a favorite building material in modern times, but it is prone to rust even in the best of circumstances. Then along came fiberglass, an inherently water-resistant material, extremely strong and lightweight, but expensive. Then came a brief craze for steel-reinforced concrete boats in the 1970’s, called ferrocement. Ferrocement construction techniques were popular due to the low price of concrete, but such boats tended to only last a decade or so before water penetrated to the steel reinforcement, rusted it, leading to concrete failure and a sinking boat. This author argues that geopolymer concrete could last for hundreds of years in contact with the sea, is as strong as modern concrete, and perfect for a seastead building material.