FAQ
General Answer
What is the Ocean Freedom Project?
OFP is a revolutionary project that aim to create a small, new and indipendent society on a ship/cruise.
Why OFP?
We want to found an exlusive community based on freedom and progress. Creating a new micronation there is the possibility to give people a new frontier, a place where will be possible to avoid most of political, social and legal limits of other countries. Needless to say, such truly indipendent state will offer some interesting legal and business opportunity, for example regarding abortion, euthanasia, recrational/medicational drug and sale, genetic engineering, voluntary eugenics, human cloning, low taxes, tourism and much more.
Is it really possible?
Yes, a ships located somewhere outside the 200 mile Exclusive Economic Zone of neighboring countries can be anotomous and truly indipendent. Our main goal is to purchase a used cruise/boat and use it as an indipendent and mobile seastanding. To understand how this can be possible we must analyze the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982.
The 1982 convention grants every coastal State an exclusive economical zone (EEZ) reaching up to 200 nautical miles (370.4km) offshore. Every state have the rights to construct artificial island and other installation within its EEZ. Outside of this area, state doesn't have any jurisdiction and in fact there are no sovereign goverment. Anyway it's difficult to get a ship recognized as a new "nation", but making a clever use of flags of convenience combined with the ship's mobility and relative obscurity could provide a "pratical" autonomy.
This is not the first project about "sea micronationalism". Why OFP is different?
Yes, there are some other project similar to OFP, like the Seastanding Istitute , with similar goals. Anyway OFP doesn't want to create an artificial island or a platform, but it just aim to find the resources to get a boat/cruise to make the "indipendent micronation" dream come true. We believe that most of seastanding or micronationalism project are subjected to fail because it aims too hard goal. Our objective is relatively simple, probably more so than any other realistic, near-future solution.
How do we get from there?
Our goal is hard, but not impossible. Now we are looking to promote and find positive feedback, and then it may be possible to start a founding campaign to get the required founds to start our indipendent project, if it will be required. Anyway the enormous business and interest opportunity involved will maybe dissipates most of the costs of the project.
Will it be dangerous? What if someone get sick? Won't pirates attacks you? etc...
These are all natural concerns, but try to keep in mind that over thirty million people every year visit floating cities (cruise ships) whitch provides food, water, services, power and safety from wawes, pirates and other risks. This means that cruise business can give us ready solutions to most of all our main problems. Anyway we have dedicated some artichles where we describe solutions to problems involved by a seastanding living.
I'm interested. How can I help or join?
You can become a member, join our community, helping us to find the required founds or trying to promote our project.
Concerns
How much will it costs?
Fist of all, we aim to buy an used cruise ship and modify it to be almost autonomous. Used cruise ships costs some million dollar (here some example), but we aim to have a starting budget of 5 million maximum.
We also need consider the business income involved by our new microntation. Low law and tax regulation can attract a lot of income by medical research, genetic engineering, euthanasia, gambling, drug sales, financial opportunity, tourism and more.
Won't a "cruise micronation" be uncomfortable/dangerous to live on?
Cruise ships have almost everything you can find on land: houses (cabins), water tank, power generator, restaurant, hospital, cinema, entertaining, disco, teatres, shops of every kind, security service, swimming pools and much more. So life on a cruise will be at least comfortable.
If you think cruise ships can't afford long-term travels due to dangerous sea condition or pirates, keep in mind that cuire ships are MADE for this. Every huge ships have a "defence system" from waves and pirates. Anyway, we are looking for twin-hulled ships, because they are much more stable than other types.
Why do you think you can get freedom without interference?
It's known that cruise ships have great internal autonomy. Howevery we will set our own rules, and nobody will invade us as long as we don't interfere with the sovereign of other countries. But we have to be very careful and, for example, we'll have serious problems if we export illegal drugs.
How will you found your project?
We are looking for various solutions, by now the best of them is to self-finance the whole project. If there will be enought interested people we'll start a campaign to sponsor the project to attract people and/or businesses.
Why people will be interested to live or invest in the OFP?
Because we can offer something that you cannot get in you county. We are offering a new frontier for people interested in new businesses, a place with low laws and very low taxes. Here you can do what's illegal in your country, like genetic engeneering.