After watching footage of the mega cruise ship Icon of the Seas arriving at a US harbor, people are left with the same question on their minds.
The Icon of the Seas, recognized as the world’s largest cruise ship, has been grabbing headlines since it embarked earlier this year, with people continually amazed by its enormous size.
The Royal Caribbean International ship first set sail on January 27 and continues to astonish people with its sheer, jaw-dropping size.
At 364.75 meters (1,196.7 feet) long and 66 meters (217 feet) wide at its widest points, the Icon of the Seas is often dubbed a “sailing city.” It boasts a water park, a mini shopping mall, and even an ice arena.
The ship was recently captured arriving at the Port of Miami, showcasing its incredible size. The footage has since gone viral on social media, leaving most viewers astonished and questioning how such a massive vessel manages to stay afloat.
“How the heck does this float?” one person posted on X, while another commented, “World’s largest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas—someone explain how this thing stays afloat.”
A third person remarked, “You could explain it to me a billion different ways, and I still wouldn’t understand how this thing floats.”
Fortunately, the internet provides access to engineering experts who can break down the science behind it in simple terms for everyone.
In response to a tweet asking for an explanation “like a five-year-old” about how the ship stays upright and afloat, an engineering student replied: “The water pushes up on the ship with a force equal to the weight of the water it displaces. Since the ship is so big, it displaces a lot of water, creating a strong upward force.”
They continued by explaining why the bottom of the ship doesn’t need to be deeply submerged: “The ship only needs to sink a little bit into the water to float. You can see the waterline—everything below that is pushing water out of the way, creating the upward force that keeps it afloat.”
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>The icon of the seas <br><br>Incredible entrance to Port Miami<br><br>🛂 Cruiseshipsailings <a href=”https://t.co/631lhIlVwe”>pic.twitter.com/631lhIlVwe</a></p>— Spellbinding Odyssey (@SpellOdyssey) <a href=”https://twitter.com/SpellOdyssey/status/1768255036830728677?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>March 14, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
They added, “Even though parts of the ship, like the hull, are very dense, the overall density of the vessel is less than that of water because of its largely hollow design. This lower average density is what allows such a giant structure to float effortlessly on water.”
So there you have it—the Icon of the Seas is perfectly safe to navigate the world’s oceans, no matter how ginormous it appears.
