Streets of Monaco ship still in design stage three years on

FOR those who want Monaco wherever they go, a super ship designed to mimic the billionaires' playground is looking for an owner.

'The Streets Of Monaco' is still looking for an owner three years after the concept...

FOR those who want Monaco wherever they go, a super ship designed to mimic the billionaires' playground needs an owner, and is less than a third of its original asking price.

Ideally it would suit a buyer with buckets of cash and no taste.

The floating palace will set them back $400 million - just a drop in the ocean from its $1.3 billion price tag when the concept was first spruiked three years ago.

The "hyper yacht" called the Streets of Monaco is on the drawing board of UK-based ship designers Yacht Island Design. Whether it will ever get off that drawing board and into the ocean is yet to be seen. But the founders are hopeful.

The ship is aimed at the billionaire who is unable to get enough of the real Monaco.

Aimed at the billionaire who is unable to get enough of being moored off the real Monaco the the 155-metre vessel offers all a bored tax exile or Lotto winner could ever need.

Toys include a go-cart track that replicates the F1 circuit, a helipad, mini-submarine, speedboats, jet skis, swimming pools, tennis courts and cinema.

The interior of the ship is also designed to invoke the luxurious trappings of Monaco.

The Streets of Monaco's mock facade "reflects the style and sophistication of the Mediterranean principality", according to the marketing spiel.

They include the Hotel de Paris, Prince's Palace, Loews Hotel, Port Hercule and La Rascasse.

The ship would include a helipad, mini submarine, speedboats, jet skis and swimming pools and jacuzzis.

Rob McPherson, one of the founders of the project, said the idea for the ship was sparked by car racing and "developed into something more innovative".

"The desire to do something new and interesting as well as a significant interest in storytelling through architecture and environment were the driving forces," Mr McPherson said.

The real thing: An aerial view of a harbour in Monaco.

It remains a mystery how many of these super ships actually get commissioned, or who buys them, but Mr McPherson said Yacht Island Design is "actively looking for clients either private or commercial".

He said the $4000 million price tag was reasonable.

"The building cost is incredibly difficult to assess without a fully defined specification, but $400 million would be a sensible starting point, escalating from there," Mr McPherson.

He added: "We have had a significant amount of interest from the general public wanting to take cruises and a number of enquiries for potential commercial applications."