Americans and Europeans are among those who already expressed interest in living on the Satoshi – formerly the Pacific Dawn, sailing for P&O Australia – according to Chad Elwartowski, chief operation officer of Ocean Builders.

“A lot of people [show interest] that are working from home already. So, they don’t have to go to work in a physical building, they can work from home, so they’re mainly saying ‘well, I can work from the ship’. Especially Americans because it’s a three-hour flight from Panama City, so even if they have to run back to the US for something, they can fly easily,” Elwartowski told Cruise Industry News.

The Pacific Dawn was acquired by Ocean Builders earlier this year. The plan was to turn her into a “floating community with shops and restaurants that accept bitcoins (as well as more conventional currencies).”

She has since been repainted and renovated and is now on her way to Gibraltar, where she will drydock for about a week. Then, the Satoshi will head to Panama, where she will be permanently based from December onwards.

The first 100 cabins – of the 777 available – are already open for auction, which will end on Nov. 28.

After Nov. 28, the cabin prices will go up, and short-term rentals will become available, Elwartowski said.

“We’re going to focus on tourism and getting people on the ship and not focus so much on real estate. I will still sell the cabins, but the prices will be higher,” he explained. “Most people have been saying that they want to come and stay on the ship and see what it’s like before buying.”