Turkish firm turns high-speed ferry into floating office in Istanbul

As businesses in the Istanbul area struggle to find new space on which to build their premises, one firm near Turkey's largest city has come up with a novel solution -- a floating office.

A high-speed ferry, which once served passengers sailing between Britain and Ireland, is being turned into an office by its new Turkish owner.

Turkish Karadeniz (Black Sea) Holding bought One World Karadeniz -- formerly known as the HSS Stena Explorer -- from the Welsh port of Holyhead earlier this year.

The 19-year-old ship -- which is 125-meters long and was capable of carrying 1,500 tons -- was brought to Turkey's northwestern port of Yalova, around 80 kilometers [49 miles] close to Istanbul, after an 18-day journey, new owners Karadeniz Holding told Anadolu Agency.

Confirming that the ship will be used as office space for Karmarine Shipyard in Yalova -- a company tied to the holding -- Karadeniz Holding added:

"After some minor revisions particular areas will be furnished as an office space as a first step," the statement read.

"It will take some time to refit [the ferry] as a whole; extensive design work is still ongoing," it added.

Karadeniz Holding said that it was not planning to sell or rent the vessel.

The conglomerate is also known for developing a fleet of ships which generate electricity across the world.

Its main project, called 'Powership Energy Boat', sees a range of ships providing power to Middle Eastern, Asian and African countries.

"The current fleet with seven ships and 1,200 MW power is planned to reach 3,000 MW by the end of 2016," according to the holding.

The company provides floating power plants for safe and cost-effective electricity to countries in need of urgent energy.