Dutchman's ark replica nears completion

By Thomas Burmeister Sep 15, 2011, 3:16 GMT

Dordrecht, Netherlands - 'And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die,' said God, according to the Old Testament.

The story of the flood and Noah's ark made an enormous impression on Dutchman Johan Huibers as a child. Later, as an adult, he had a dream back in 1992. 'I woke up covered in sweat and thought the Netherlands had been washed away,' he says. At the time he promised to 'do as Noah did, to build an ark'.

Now, almost 20 years later an enormous, wooden floating fortress is nearing completion in the town of Dordrecht near Rotterdam. At its prow stands a life-size model giraffe, at the stern an elephant. Huibers' ark follows the description in the book of Genesis.

'The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits,' are the dimensions God sets out for his ark in Genesis 'and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.'

However, Huibers had to make allowance for modern safety regulations. 'We had to follow the Dutch fire-safety code and put in additional dividing walls,' says the 52-year-old businessman. Instead of three decks, Huibers' ark has four.

It also has an elevator, two amphitheatres, restaurants, a cinema and a conference chamber with space for 1,500 people. There's also no mention in Genesis of pictures with biblical scenes hanging in Noah's ark nor, unsurprisingly, mention of flushing toilets.

'Mod cons and the best technology are essential for an amusement park,' says Huibers with a smile. The end justifies the means: 'We're making biblical history tangible for modern people.' Huibers is a member of the Netherlands' Protestant Reformed Church, which has strict views on faith, but is quite amenable when it comes to entertainment matters.

'We're not missionaries. We're just offering people the opportunity to while away a few hours,' he says. Everyone is welcome to come and experience Huibers' ark, whether they believe in God or not. Children will enjoy the giant-sized puzzle games on board. There's also an on-board mill with a millstone to grind wheat that is then used in the ark's bakery.

Aside from the 300 cubits, God asked Noah to build an ark 50 cubits wide and 30 high. Huibers set out to follow the building plan as closely as possible. He measured the length of his own right forearm from elbow to the tip of his ring finger and then converted the figures into metres. 'Our ark is 150 metres long, 25 wide and 15 high.' It weighs 3,000 tons.

Thanks to its size the ark is easily recognised from far away. From close up it's possible to even smell it; its wood planks emit a pleasant odour. Pinewood from Sweden and lumber from forests belonging to the Dutch royal family have been used to build it. Pinewood was chosen as its characteristics most closely resemble that of the cypress tree, according to Huibers. Cypress was the wood most likely available to a boat-builder in the Holy Land at that time.

Inside the colossus construction workers are making the finishing touches in preparation for the premier ark show at Christmas. Over 1,600 life-size plastic replica animals made in the Philippines have been placed on its decks. Just as God wanted it in the bible: 'Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.'

Huibers' three children are also working on the project while his wife is busy as a policewoman. 'Bianca had sleepless nights after I told her what it would all cost,' says Huibers. 'Six million euros.'

A portion of that money was earned with the construction of an earlier model of the ark. That version is about half the size of the new ark and after years as a floating museum was sold to a television magnate. Huibers also collected donations, including 100 euros from his 93-year-old mother. Half of the costs have been covered by banks.

'They wanted to see a concept where at least 125,000 people visit the ark every year,' says Huibers. 'We're going to exceed that.' The omens are good as already thousands of pre-bookings have been made for school groups, clubs, church congregations and businesses.

The big coup may happen next year. 'We're going to send the ark across the North Sea to London,' says Huibers. 'It will be moored at the Tower of London on the Thames.'