By Tim Binnall
A Dutch businessman who built a life-size replica of Noah's Ark now hopes to sail the mighty vessel to Israel. Johan Huibers made headlines back in 2012 when he completed his quest to create a modern version of the legendary ship using the precise specifications laid out in the Bible. Aiming to show that such a feat could be accomplished, he spent around $5 million over the course of four years to complete the monumental task.
Since finishing the project, Huibers told the Jewish Telegraph Agency, the 390-foot-long ship which boasts a height of 75 feet has become a bit problematic in his native Netherlands. The vessel had a brief run as a tourist attraction featuring a petting zoo and drawing visitors from around the world, but was soon shut down by officials in the community where the ship is moored. Although they cited safety concerns as the reason, Huibers theorized that their decision was actually because some "very strict individuals consider it a forbidden depiction of God’s image."
In response, Huibers has decided to revive his original plan from when he first built the ship and sail it to Israel. "This is a copy of God's ship," he mused, "it only makes sense to take it to God's land." However, it would appear that the highly devout ark builder will need a bit of help from the Lord to make his mission happen as the ship boasts no motor and, therefore, would have to be transported to Israel using tugboats at a cost of around $1.3 million. Although he gave no indication of how he will raise the funds, the fact that Huibers already defied skeptics by building a life-size Noah's Ark in the first place suggests that he'll find a way to make it happen.