VIDEO: P&O Pacific Dawn is Ocean Builders' Crypto Cruise Ship MS Satoshi

   October 14, 2020 ,   Cruise Industry

The company that constructs “floating, off-grid seapod homes” - Ocean Builders, has bought the old Australian cruise ship Pacific Dawn and renamed it ‘Satoshi’. Ocean Builders plans to fill it with digital nomads, crypto companies and entrepreneurs off the coast of Panama.

According to Ocean Builders COO Chad Elwartowski, the vessel will comprise a hub for innovation, featuring a unique spot in which crypto entrepreneurs can network.

“We look forward to creating a hub for technology and innovation here in Panama. Our goal is to figure out how to live sustainably on the sea and chart new waters in this new frontier.”

The liner was built in 1991 (as Pacific Dawn) and has since been operated by Princess Cruises and P&O Australia. P&O's parent company, Carnival Corporation, decided to sell the vessel due to the impact of the pandemic on the cruising industry.

Pacific Dawn's sale had been announced earlier this year to become part of the UK-based Cruise and Maritime Voyages/CMV. She was part of a 2-ship deal - along with Pacific Aria. P&O Australia scheduled to deliver both vessels in early 2021. Carnival Corporation had included both ships in its earlier announcement about the number of liners it said would be departing the fleet.

However, CMV later went into administration/bankruptcy in the UK. The CMV ships (though owned by a separate company) were scheduled for auction in order to pay outstanding debts. The former CMV CEO has been working to re-establish the brand and recently agreed to buy assets of the travel agency business, such as the database and reservation systems, from the administrator.

The 'Crypto Cruise Ship' is named after Bitcoin’s (BTC) pseudonymous creator, Satoshi, with Elwartowski claiming the liner will host a waterpark, restaurants, casinos, and medical services. Satoshi will be anchored in the Gulf of Panama, the island home to a lot of crypto exchanges. BTC will be accepted to pay for onboard purchases, alongside U.S. dollars.

The first 200 of the 777 cabins aboard Satoshi will be sold via auctions scheduled for November 5-28. The staterooms are priced between USD 25,000-50,000. However, buyers have to pay ongoing monthly fees to acquire ownership of the "cruise apartments".

The staterooms will be sold one deck at a time to give entrepreneurs the chance to buy rooms adjacent to one another.

“Our idea for families with children is to buy a balcony or ocean view room for the parents and purchase a cheaper interior room across the hall for the children. We would like to think of your cabin as your bedroom while your living room is the rest of the ship.”

Satoshi is expected to be available for residency in early 2021.