The Floating Island that Kim Jong Un finds an Eyesore
Hotel on the sea? The idea doesn’t seem all that new, we had cruise ships that did just that. But one Italian-born Australian professional diver and entrepreneur, Doug Tarca had something else in mind. Having experienced the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef, he wanted the public to experience something similar. And having years of diving experience, he understood very well that cruise ships/hotels could never provide the breathtaking experience of the sea that he loved and adored.
That’s why he did something that most people found either wishful thinking or complete absurdity. Unfortunately for him, things really didn’t work out in his favor.
In this article, let’s dive into the story of the world’s first floating hotel that now sits idle in the demilitarized zone of Korea and that has become an eyesore for the leader of the state — Hotel Haegumgang.
State of the Art Idea
The idea of floating structures wasn’t anything new but had been around for quite some time.
The concept is referred to as the Very Large Floating Structures [VLFS for short] and it can be considered a part of ocean colonization or colonization of ocean space. The implication of which couldn’t be more clear. At a time when having power over the waters meant victory, world leaders were trying to find new ways to monopolize ocean territories.
Then in the early 90s, a man named Armstrong first came up with the idea of large modular floating structures. There were previous attempts made like the 1874 floating wooden railroad bridge in the Mississippi River in Wisconsin but after multiple rebuilding attempts, the project was abandoned.
The VLFS had multiple benefits such as fast construction time, ease of expansion and removal, and being environmentally friendly as compared to land structures. Later, VLFS became an ideal structure plan for building oil storage bases, emergency rescue bases, desalination plants, airports, and sewage treatment plans.
The idea of VLFS was ground-breaking, especially when considering its benefits. However, it had its fair share of cons which were typically why long-term or permanent accommodation on the sea was never considered an option.
But Doug had long dreamt of bringing people closer to the reef, for him, it was his life’s mission.
Doug’s son Peter Tarca recalled his father's fascination with this project.
He stated, “He was struck by the beauty of the reef, the wonder of it,”
“Being under the water, or just floating over the top snorkeling — it was just really something he wanted to share with people.”
Unfortunately, not all dreams are meant for greatness.
Doomed from the Beginning
The idea of permanent accommodation on the sea kept Doug awake all night and one day, he decided to bring Swedish engineer Sten Sjöstrand on board.
After discarding multiple floor plans, the company behind this project (Barrier Reef Hotels Limited) settled on an unprecedented blueprint and it was of the floating hotel that would lie right in the sight of the Great Barrier Reef.
It was obvious why everyone thought it was a great idea and an investment. The novelty itself was one of the biggest motivators.
And so began the construction.
According to Mr. Jones “In 1986, after all the designs were completed and the plans were there, it was given out to a Singapore-based firm for construction”.
We can skip a few details here which included a delay in construction and a cost blowout, details for which could be considered a little veiled.
And like any other opening for a “first of a kind”, the world’s first floating hotel witnessed a grand launch.
One guest recalled, “I remember so many amazing days living on the hotel, fishing trips, crew parties, diving under the hotel, having pizzas flown out by chopper.”
However, soon the “first of its kind” was going to face its first of the many upcoming challenges.
Call it bad luck or premonition, the hotel was hit by a cyclone and according to records, it wasn’t a pleasant experience for anyone involved. The hotel turned into an entrapment packed with seasick individuals and unprepared staff.
One person stated, “Getting the hotel ready for the cyclone was not a good experience,”.
Another mentioned, “We just had a boatload of guests arrive seasick because of the rough sea and we had to put them and us back on it to Townsville”.
“The sea was so rough that to get from one side of the boat to the other you had to go on all fours.”
Although the hotel wasn’t necessarily impacted much physically, its popularity definitely took a hit. And soon word of mouth spread causing a drastic drop in the number of guests.
It couldn’t be hard to guess what will happen to a hotel without any guests. Fortunately for once, the hotel was floating in nature and the owners decided to let it float into someone else’s waters.
Traveling around the world
After traveling from Singapore (where it was constructed) to Townsville, Australia, it was again on the move.
Once the decision for selling was set. The owners decided to sell it to a Vietnamese company.
According to Mr. De Jong “Just to cover the losses, the company sold the hotel to another company based in Ho Chi Minh City, in Vietnam.”
Only after spending a little over a year in Australia, it traveled another 5000 km (3106 miles) to meet its new owners. Here, the hotel was reportedly given a new identity as the Saigon Floating Hotel on the Saigon River, just next to the Tran Hung Dao Statue.
However, its time there was also short from 1989 to 1997. Known as “the Floater” by the locals, it met another financial crisis.
Yesterday’s World Renowned, Today’s Eye-sore
The Floater was then sold to a South Korean company, Hyundai Asan as a means to reconnect the two Korean nations.
It was renamed yet again. This time it became Hotel Haegumgang.
For some time, it acted as a safe haven for the grieved families to reconnect after years of separation. However, the sweet days didn’t last and with time, wear and tear hit.
And so, once the “symbol of Korean engagement” became an eyesore in the eyes of the leader of the state, Kim Jong Un who decided to demolish it.
And according to recent reports, the demolitions are already underway.
With this, we come to an end to the story of the world’s first floating hotel, a hotel that was doomed from the very beginning. There were reasons why many speculated its failure from high maintenance to exuberant expenses.
Resources:
The bizarre story of Australia’s floating hotel — in North Korea
Nanhai Marine Archaeology -What other say
Very Large Floating Structures
