Wandering across lands is definitely fun and pleasurable when you have a car or vehicle on the go. But roving across seas and bodies of water is utmost gratifying. Thanks to the advancement of yachts! A yacht (/jt/) is a sailing or motorized vessel used for cruising, racing, or pleasure. In 2016, there were around 10,000 superyachts over 24 meters in length around the world. We list down the top 11 superyachts in the world accentuating their amenities and world-class designs.
Here are the top 11 largest yachts in the world
- Nord (466 feet), Lürssen
Nord (Project Opus) has been in the works for a long time. She was revealed in 2015, but she didn’t make her first appearance on the water until November 2020, when she had sea trials in the Baltic Sea. The 466-foot yacht is Lürssen’s first boat to be launched from its newly improved floating shed in Vegasack, and incorporates interior design by Italian firm Nuvolari Lenard. The yacht features a sports and diving center on the lower deck, as well as various tenders ranging in size from 20 to 50 feet and a large swimming pool. The yacht’s long-range cruising capabilities for independent exploration are supported by two helipads, and a retractable hanger allows a helicopter to be slid neatly into the superstructure for storage when not in use. Nord has a sleek aft-sloping superstructure that gives her a unique profile on the water, with 20 staterooms spread across six decks and 36 guests. - A (468 feet, 5 inches), Nobiskrug
The futuristic aesthetic of sailing boat A, which was delivered in 2017, includes smooth, silver-metallic surfaces and practically invisible windows, three composite masts that bend slightly, and a deck protected by high bulwarks. The Philippe Starck design is a futuristic dream yacht. The German yard Nobiskrug won a technological success with the 468-foot sailing boat, which used composite fashion plates to produce the odd shapes without sacrificing strength or flow. It features the world’s highest freestanding composite masts, a diesel-electric propulsion system, and cutting-edge navigation technologies. The keel of the boat is said to include an underwater viewing platform. “Sailing yacht A is without a doubt one of Nobiskrug’s most visionary initiatives,” remarked Holger Kahl, the company’s managing director at the time. The interior of Starck’s house is a well-guarded secret. The yacht has a top speed of 21 knots, according to the yard.
3. El Mahrousa (478 feet, 1 inch), Samuda Brothers
Although the 478.1-footer has a separate history as Egypt’s royal yacht, El Mahrousa, which means “The Protected” in Arabic, is currently Egypt’s presidential yacht. The Samuda Brothers of London began construction in 1863, and it was completed in 1865. It was built for Khedive Ismail, the Ottoman governor of Egypt, and later carried three Egyptian rulers into exile. The vessel was also present at the Suez Canal’s opening in 1869. The world’s oldest superyacht was designed by British naval architect Sir Oliver Lang and has undergone numerous alterations throughout the years, including a 40-foot lengthening in 1872 and another 17-foot lengthening in 1905. The owners replaced the paddle-wheel engines with turbine-driven propellers during the second repair. The Egyptian Navy takes care of the yacht, which travels out to sea for a day or two every now and then. It was used to open the new Suez Canal in 2015.
4. Prince Abdulaziz (482 feet, 3 inches), Helsingør Værft
Helsingr Vrft in Denmark launched this bespoke yacht in 1984, and it was most recently refurbished in 2005. The 5,200-tonne Prince Abdulaziz is a yacht owned by the Saudi Royal family, with King Fahd as its initial owner. The yacht, designed by Maierform, was the world’s longest and highest at the time of its introduction. Prince Abdulaziz, who stood at 482.3 feet, maintained the record for 22 years, until Dubai opened in 2006. The interior designer was the late David Nightingale Hicks, who was recognized for his use of brilliant colors. The lobby is claimed to be a Titanic reproduction. It was last rebuilt in 2005, and it is reported to be equipped with surface-to-air missiles, though this could be a myth.
5. A+ (483 feet, 1 inch), Lürssen
A+ (previously Topaz), Lürssen’s fourth-largest yacht, was launched in 2012 with little information available other than the fact that it is the German shipyard’s fourth-largest yacht ever built. The exterior was designed by Tim Heywood Designs and has helipads on the foredeck and an additional deck amidships. A swimming pool is located on the lower aft deck. The interior of the Terence Disdale has not been photographed by the German yard. The A+, which is said to be owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan, the owner of Manchester City Football Club and the UAE’s deputy prime minister, has a top speed of 22 knots and can transport 62 passengers and up to 79 crew members.
- Al Saïd (508 feet, 5 inches), Lürssen
The first Project Sunflower, a 500-foot Lürssen yacht, was given the official name of Al Sad after its launch in 2016. The appearance of Espen Ino is reminiscent of a vintage cruise liner, replete with twin exhaust stacks in the superstructure’s center. The Sultan of Oman owns the six-decked Al Sad, which can carry 154 crew members and, according to some accounts, 70 passengers. Al Sad, according to Lürssen, has a top speed of 22 knots. The interior was created by the London-based Redman Whiteley Dixon studio, which contains a performance hall that can accommodate a 50-piece orchestra.
7. Dilbar (511 feet, 8 inches), Lürssen
With the launch of Dilbar in 2016, Lürssen became the first company to produce not only the world’s longest yacht (Azzam), but also the world’s largest yacht in terms of volume. The façade was designed by Espen Ino, who created a full-bodied superstructure with long, flowing decks and two helicopter platforms. Dilbar also boasts an 82-foot swimming pool that can store a whopping 6,357 cubic feet of water and is the world’s longest on a yacht, according to Lürssen. Winch Design’s interior is distinguished by “unique and special luxury materials,” according to the builder, who declined to elaborate. The world’s largest motor yacht, according to Lürssen, was one of the most difficult and challenging ships ever built due to its size and technology. Despite the yacht’s size, the designers did an excellent job of making it appear sleek, with no visible bulges along the length of the light-ivory and bronze-accented hull.
8. Dubai (531 feet, 5 inches), Platinum Yachts
This Andrew Winch design was originally commissioned for Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei as a joint project between Blohm+Voss and Lürssen, before it was halted in 1998 with just a bare hull and skeletal superstructure. The hull was sold to the government of Dubai, and, under the direction of the country’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, work on the 531.5-footer began again, though this time by Platinum Yachts. Dubai delivered in 2006 and is now the sheik’s royal yacht, with accommodations for 24 guests and quarters for 88 crew. The seven-decked yacht has an impressive 70-foot-wide atrium, landing pad for a Black Hawk helicopter, submarine garage, disco, and cinema. Full certification was obtained from Lloyd’s Register in October 2006, and it can reach a top speed of 26 knots.
9. Eclipse (533 feet, 1 inch), Blohm+Voss
The design and construction of Stately Eclipse, a 533.1-foot yacht gifted to billionaire Roman Abramovich, took five years. It was the world’s largest yacht when it left the Blohm+Voss shipyard in Hamburg in 2010. The interior contains 17 cabins and a lavish master suite, with room for 85 crew members. Terence Disdale designed both the inside and outside of the building. Tiered decks that sweep upward and curve ever so slightly at the aft end define a proportionate contour. Eclipse includes a 185-foot-long owner’s deck and the largest swimming pool on any superyacht at the time of its launch (the bottom raises and converts to a dance floor). Other notable features include the ability to accommodate three helicopters, one of which is housed below decks in a hangar, a sophisticated stabilization system, six tenders, and a massive spa, gym, and beach club.
10. Fulk Al Salamah (538 feet, 1 inch), Mariotti Yachts
The world’s second-longest superyacht, the custom-built Fulk Al Salamah, has been shrouded in mystery since it was initially unveiled in 2014. AIS data has even been used to determine the overall length of 538.1 feet. The enormous vessel, however, is thought to be owned by the Omani royal family and was built and delivered by Italian maker Mariotti Yachts in their Genoa shipyard in 2016. Studio de Jorio designed the exterior, which some say looks more like a support vessel than a superyacht. Aerial photos does, however, reveal a massive helideck, sloped masts, and a bathing platform.
11. Azzam (592 feet, 6 inches), Lürssen
It’s no surprise that the world’s longest yacht is built at a shipyard that has produced 13 of the top 25 superyachts. Because of the owner’s need for anonymity, Lürssen was never able to truly brag about Azzam after its inception in 2013. Mubarak Saad al Ahbabi led a team of designers and engineers who began with a bare concept, worked through the technical obstacles of what may be the world’s most sophisticated superyacht, and ended up with an extraordinarily big vessel capable of speeds exceeding 30 knots. The appearance of the Nauta Yacht has a long, elegant forward section with well-proportioned layers leading up to the sky deck. The interior, designed by Christophe Leoni, is “sophisticated, with luxurious decor inspired by the Empire style of the early nineteenth century,” according to Lürssen. Its gas turbines, which are connected to water jets, propel Azzam to speeds of more than 30 knots, allowing it to operate at high speeds.
Yacht expeditions lead your eyes to the wonders of the world. With their amenities that provide comfort to their stunning interior designs and technological features, truly, yachts are wonderful caterers of the world’s wanderers.
