what is the biggest yacht ever made

• Motorcycles
• Car of the Month
• Destinations
• Men’s Fashion
• Watch Collector
• Art & Collectibles
• Vacation Homes
• Celebrity Homes
• New Construction
• Home Design
• Electronics
• Fine Dining
• Baja Bay Club
• Costa Palmas
• Fairmont Doha
• Four Seasons
• Four Seasons Private Residences Dominican Republic at Tropicalia
• Jacob Cohën
• Reynolds Lake Oconee
• Wilson Audio
• 672 Wine Club
• Sports & Leisure
• Health & Wellness
• Best of the Best
• The Ultimate Gift Guide

The 25 Largest Yachts in the World Right Now

The 2023 newcomers to our annual list hail from german yard lürssen, dutch builder oceanco and turkish refit yard karmarine..

• Share This Article

As we round 2023, the size of the global superyacht fleet keeps on growing. The top 25 largest yachts in the world now total a combined 11,849 feet, with the smallest yacht on the list, Koru , measuring a whopping 417 feet. Built by shipyards all over the world—from the Netherlands to the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Turkey, Greece and the United Kingdom—new launches and refits are delivered each year. The latest newcomers to make the list hail from Lürssen, Oceanco and Karmarine. With many new gigayacht builds in the pipeline, the list promises to be even more competitive in the coming years. Here are the world’s top 25 yachts by size, from Koru to Azzam.

Azzam (592 feet, 6 inches), Lürssen

It’s not surprising that the world’s longest yacht hails from a shipyard with 13 out of the 25 top builds in the superyacht arena. Unfortunately, Lürssen could never really boast about Azzam after its launch in 2013 because of the owner’s penchant for privacy, though it did describe the interior by Christophe Leoni, which features a 95-foot-long main salon, as “inspired by the Empire style of the early 19th century.” The owner Mubarak Saad al Ahbabi directed a team of designers and engineers who started with the bare concept, worked through the technical challenges of what might be the most complex superyacht ever and finished with an unusually large vessel that can top the 30-knot mark. Nauta Yacht’s exterior features a long, sleek forward area, with well-proportioned tiers moving up to the skydeck. Lürssen describes the interior by Christophe Leoni as “sophisticated, with luxurious decor inspired by the Empire style of the early 19th century.” Its gas turbines, connected to water jets, push Azzam to more than 30 knots—as fast as a Navy frigate—giving it the ability to operate at high speed in shallow waters. It also boasts an impressive build time for a yacht of its size, with construction taking only three years after one year of engineering. Azzam  accommodates up to 36 guests, and a crew of 80.

Fulk Al Salamah (538 feet, 1 inch), Mariotti Yachts

Little information has been released about the world’s second-longest superyacht, custom-built Fulk Al Salamah , and it has been shrouded in mystery since first announced in 2014. Even the overall length of 538.1 feet has been estimated from AIS data. However, built and delivered by Italian builder Mariotti Yachts in their Genoa shipyard in 2016, the imposing vessel is believed to be owned by Sultan Haitham bin Tariq of Oman. Last refit in 2021, exterior design is by Studio de Jorio, and it is considered by some to resemble more of a support vessel than a superyacht. Nonetheless, aerial photography shows an impressively large helideck, raked masts and a bathing platform.

Eclipse (533 feet, 1 inch), Blohm+Voss

The 533.1-foot stately  Eclipse , the second yacht on this list owned by sanctioned billionaire Roman Abramovich, took five years to design and build. When it left the Blohm+Voss shipyard in Hamburg in 2010, it was the world’s largest yacht. The interior has 17 staterooms and a palatial master suite, with the capacity to carry 85 crew. Both the interior and exterior are designed by Terence Disdale. A proportional profile is defined by tiered decks that sweep upward and bend ever so slightly at the aft ends. Eclipse  has a 185-foot-long owner’s deck, the capacity to hold three helicopters, a sophisticated stabilization system, six tenders and an enormous spa, gym and beach club, not to mention one of the largest swimming pools on any superyacht. Other features reflecting its stature: Hybrid diesel-electric engines are connected to Azipod drives that give Eclipse a top-end speed of 21 knots, with a range of 6,000 nautical miles.

Dubai (531 feet, 5 inches), Platinum Yachts

Even at 531.5-feet, Dubai ’s all-white Winch-designed exterior belies the dramatic and vibrant interior within. Colorful mosaic floors, a spiraling glass staircase, 70-foot-wide atrium and bursts of red, blue and green create a carnival of scene. Originally commissioned for Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei as a joint project between Blohm+Voss and Lürssen, the project 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 sheikh’s royal yacht, with accommodations for 24 guests and quarters for 88 crew. The seven-decked yacht has a landing pad for a Black Hawk helicopter, submarine garage, disco and cinema, and can reach a top speed of 26 knots.

Blue (518 feet, 3 inches), Lürssen Yachts

Lürssen’s newest entry on the list, Blue , which delivered to its Middle Eastern owner in July 2022, may rank at number five out of the world’s largest yachts, but it’s diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system goes a long way to minimize emissions. The yacht also features an electric Azimuth pod drive that can be used independently or in conjunction with the twin propeller shafts. There is a waste-water treatment system and an advanced exhaust treatment system to help reduce NOx levels, as well as cut down on vibration and noise pollution. Interior and exterior design is by Terence Disdale, Blue is defined in profile by a raked bow with a helipad, an aft deck pool and twin balconies forward either side of the owner’s full-beam suite. There is a second, smaller helipad aft. The British designer has reportedly penned a feminine and elegant interior, though no images have yet been released.

Dilbar (511 feet, 8 inches), Lürssen

The 2016 launch of Dilbar gave Lürssen the distinction of not only building the longest yacht ever ( Azzam ), but also the largest in terms of volume. Espen Øino designed the exterior, creating a full-bodied superstructure of long, flowing decks, along with two helicopter pads. Dilbar also has an 82-foot swimming pool that can hold an incredible 6,357-cubic-feet of water and according to Lürssen, is the world’s longest on a yacht. The interior by  Winch Design  is defined by its “rare and exclusive luxury materials,” says the builder, declining to go into detail. Despite  Dilbar ’s volume, the designers did a masterful job making the yacht look relatively svelte, In June 2020, Dilbar returned to Lürssen for a significant refit, where the yacht remains following US sanctions placed on the owner, Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, in 2022.

Al Saïd (508 feet, 5 inches), Lürssen

Another 500-plus-foot yacht from Lürssen, the original Project Sunflower gained its official name of Al Saïd following its launch in 2016. Espen Øino’s exterior is akin to a classic cruise liner, complete with the twin-exhaust stacks in the center of the superstructure. Owned by the Sultan of Oman, the yacht was listed for the sale for the first time in April 2022 for an undisclosed sum. The six-decked  Al Saïd  can carry 154 crew and an estimated 70 guests across 26 suites. Lürssen reports a top speed of 22 knots. The London-based Redman Whiteley Dixon studio designed the interior, which includes a concert hall that can hold a 50-piece orchestra, a private cinema for 50 people, plus a medical room and dental care on board.

A+ (483 feet, 1 inch), Lürssen

Very little is known about A+ (formerly Topaz) , which was launched by Lürssen in 2012, other than it is the fourth-largest yacht ever built by the German shipyard. Tim Heywood Designs did the exterior, which features helipads on the foredeck and amidships on an upper deck. A lower aft deck includes a swimming pool. The German yard has not released any images of the Terence Disdale interior. Reported to be owned by Manchester City Football Club owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan—Emirati royalty and deputy prime minister of the UAE— A+ has a top speed of 22 knots and can carry 62 guests and up to 79 crew. It was last refit in 2022.

Prince Abdulaziz (482 feet, 3 inches), Helsingør Værft

This custom yacht, launched by Helsingør Værft in Denmark in 1984, is reportedly undergoing a refit in 2023. The 5,200-tonne Prince Abdulaziz is one of the Saudi Royal family’s yachts, its first owner being King Fahd. Designed by Maierform, the yacht was the longest and tallest in the world at the time of its launch, a title the 482.3-foot  Prince Abdulaziz  held for 22 years until  Dubai  launched in 2006. The late David Nightingale Hicks, known for his use of bright colors, was the interior designer. The lobby is said to be a replica of the Titanic . The yacht is also rumored to be carrying surface-to-air missiles, though that may be an urban legend.

OK (479 feet), Oshima Shipbuilding

Originally built by Japan’s Oshima Shipbuilding in 1982, the semisubmersible heavy lift ship was used for decades by DYT Yacht Transport as float-on yacht carrier. In 2022, the vessel underwent a private conversion at Karmarine shipyard in Turkey, turning it into a luxury, though highly unusual, yacht named OK . Modifications include a matte-black paint job, gold-tinted glazing and teak decking. The vessel’s 328-foot submersible aft deck—a feature that first attracted her new owner, who uses OK to transport their 150-foot ketch—is now covered in a carpet of artificial grass. A 40-tonne crane allows for the safe and easy launch and retrieval of a vast range of toys, including a seaplane. The interior by Bozca Design is reported to include accommodation for 20 guests, a botanical garden and a crazy Willy Wonka-inspired glass elevator that operates outside of the yacht’s superstructure.

El Mahrousa (478 feet, 1 inch), Samuda Brothers

El Mahrousa , which means “The Protected” in Arabic, is currently Egypt’s presidential yacht, though the 478.1-footer has a separate history as that country’s royal yacht. The London-based Samuda Brothers began the build in 1863, and it was launched in 1865. The world’s oldest superyacht—and formerly the world’s biggest—was originally built for the Ottoman governor of Egypt, Khedive Ismail, and later carried three Egyptian kings into exile. The yacht was also at the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. It features external design by the British naval architect Sir Oliver Lang, and has had multiple modifications over the years, including a lengthening by 40 feet in 1872 and another 17 feet in 1905. During the second refit, the owners replaced its paddle-wheel engines with turbine-driven propellers. The yacht, in care of the Egyptian Navy, occasionally goes to sea for a day or two. In 2015, it was used to inaugurate the new Suez Canal.

A (468 feet, 5 inches), Nobiskrug

Undoubtedly one of the most visionary projects ever delivered by German shipyard Nobiskrug, the Philippe Starck-designed A is a wild fantasy of the future. Delivered in 2017, the futuristic look of  sailing yacht  A includes smooth, silver-metallic surfaces and windows that look nearly invisible, three composite masts that bend slightly, and a deck hidden by high bulwarks. The Philippe Starck-design is a wild fantasy yacht of the future. The 468-foot sailing yacht is a technical victory for Nobiskrug , which developed composite fashion plates to create the unusual shapes without compromising any strength or fluidity. It has the tallest freestanding composite masts on any sailing vessel, a diesel-electric propulsion system and state-of-the-art navigation systems. The boat also reportedly has an underwater viewing platform in the keel. Starck’s traditional interior features dark wood, copper accents and cozy patterned carpets. The split-deck main salon is divided into zoned seating areas with integrated bookshelves. She remains today the world’s largest sailing yacht six years after her launch, though many argue she is better defined as a sail-assisted yacht.

Nord (466 feet), Lürssen

Nord (Project Opus) has been a long time coming. She was announced in 2015 but didn’t hit the water until November 2020 when she conducted sea trials in the Baltic Sea. The 466-foot yacht features interior design by Italian studio Nuvolari Lenard and is Lürssen’s first yacht launched from its newly upgraded floating shed at its facility in Vegasack. Boasting many top-tier amenities, the yacht includes a sports and diving center on the lower deck, multiple tenders ranging in size up to 50-feet and a large swimming pool. The two helipads support the yacht’s long-range cruising capabilities for autonomous exploration, and a retractable hangar means a helicopter can slide neatly into the superstructure for storage when not in use. A generous 20 staterooms accommodate 36 guests across six decks, while a sleek aft-sloping superstructure gives Nord an individual profile on the water.

Yas (462 feet, 6 inches), Abu Dhabi Mar

As a converted yacht, Yas is one of the most interesting vessels on this list. The dolphin-like exterior was originally a former Dutch Navy frigate that launched in 1978 and eventually sold to the navy of the United Arab Emirates, where it was renamed Al Emirat . The yacht underwent its dramatic conversion in a facility in Abu Dhabi’s main port, emerging as a gleaming superyacht in 2011, with one of the most interesting profiles on the water. It was eventually delivered four years later. Reportedly owned by Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed al Nahyan, half-brother of the president of the UAE, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the design by Paris-based Pierrejean Vision is defined by massive glass surfaces. Yas can accommodate 60 guests and 58 crew members. Mated to a steel hull, the superstructure is the largest composite edifice ever built.

Solaris (459 feet, 3 inches), Lloyd Werft

Owned by Russian businessman Roman Abramovich, the 476-foot  Solaris  was one of the largest yachts to deliver in 2021. Last refit in 2022 at MB92 in Barcelona, the vast, highly private explorer is built by German shipyard Lloyd Werft, and features a displacement steel hull with bulbous bow and steel superstructure with teak decks. The eight-deck exterior by Australian designer Marc Newson houses a large helipad, sundeck, spacious beach club aft and 21,527 sq. ft. of glass, the largest panes to ever be built into a yacht. Lloyd Werft also built the Russian billionaire’s previous explorer yacht Luna , which he reportedly sold for $360 million to his close friend Farkhad Akhmedov in 2014.

Ocean Victory (459 feet, 3 inches), Fincantieri

The largest motoryacht ever built in Italy, Fincantieri’s Ocean Victory was delivered to its owner, Russian billionaire Viktor Rashnikov, in 2014. The seven-deck exterior by Espen Øino includes two helideck platforms and a hangar belowdecks, as well as exceptional outdoor social areas and a floodable tender dock. Ocean Victory has accommodations for 28 guests as well as quarters for 56 crew. Ocean Victory also has six pools, a 3,300-square-foot spa, and an underwater observation room. The interior by Alberto Pinto remains a secret, aside from the yacht’s six pools, a 3,300-square-foot spa and an underwater observation room.

Scheherazade (459 feet, 3 inches), Lürssen

The 459.3-foot, Lürssen-built Scheherazade (formerly known as Project Lightning) was delivered in June 2020. Two helipads, forward and aft, and a large beach club aft are visible from aerial photographs, but aside from the yacht’s reported seven-foot beam further details have not yet been released of the highly private vessel, including the names of designers or naval architects involved with the build. The reason may lie with the yacht’s unofficial owner, believed to be Russian president Vladimir Putin. In May 2022, Italian authorities froze Scheherazade in the port of Marina di Carrara following an investigation conducted by Italian financial police who found the ship’s beneficial owner had “significant economic and business ties” to high-ranking Russian government officials, though the results of the investigation to date remain inconclusive.

Al Salamah (456 feet), Lürssen

When Lürssen launched Al Salamah in 1999, it was the third-largest yacht in the world. Its  number 18 ranking shows how much has changed in the last 20 years. Code-named MIPOS, or Mission Possible, the yacht was designed by Terence Disdale . Originally owned by Saudi Arabian Crown Prince, Sultan bin Abdulaziz, in 2013 the yacht was put up for sale for $280 million, before reportedly given to Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa as a gift. The large imposing exterior is primarily protected space, with an upper deck exposed to the elements. Al Salamah has staterooms for 40 guests, including two owner suites, 11 VIP staterooms and eight twin cabins. The yacht can carry up to 96 crew and has a top speed of 22 knots. Al Salamah was last refitted in 2009.

Rising Sun (454 feet, 1 inch), Lürssen

Designed by the original guru of yacht designers, Jon Bannenberg, Rising Sun was built by Lürssen for Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and is currently owned by billionaire David Geffen, who reportedly paid $590 million for the yacht. The yacht comes with a gym, grand piano, multiple swimming pools, a beauty salon, and a spa with a sauna. Delivered in 2004, and last refit in 2011, the yacht’s exterior is defined by banks of windows across the superstructure. Rising Sun has 86,000 square feet of living space in 82 rooms. It can accommodate 18 guests in nine cabins, with the capacity to carry up to 46 crew. The interior by Seccombe Design includes a gym, cinema and wine cellar. The rear cockpit deck was designed as a basketball court. Geffen received global media backlash in 2020 for his “tone deaf” social-media posts that pictured himself on board his yacht during Covid-19 lockdown.

Flying Fox (446 feet, 2 inches), Lürssen

The 446.2-foot  Flying Fox is arguably the most high-profile yacht on this list, primarily for being the largest yacht available on the charter market, as well as being singled out as “blocked property” by US authorities in 2022 due to its reported ownership by sanctioned Russian oligarch Dmitry Kamenshchik. Delivered jointly by Imperial and Lürssen in 2019, 446.2-foot Flying Fox is the largest yacht available on the charter market. Key features of the Espen Øino-designed exterior are a curvaceous dove-gray hull and a 3.7-foot swimming pool that runs athwartship on the main aft deck, the largest ever found on board a yacht. A two-decked spa also gives guests access to a cryosauna, hammam and relaxation room with a fold-down balcony at sea level. Packed to the rafters with the latest amenities, the yacht holds a diving center, decompression chamber and two helipads. Flying Fox is PYC compliant and can accommodate 25 guests.

Savarona (446 feet, 2 inches), Blohm+Voss

Launched in 1931, Savarona was built for American heiress Emily Roebling Cadwalader, and is easily identified by its two mustard-colored funnels. The yacht was eventually acquired by Turkey to be the presidential yacht of Kemal Atatürk, founder of modern Turkey. Jane’s Fighting Ships described the yacht in 1949 as “probably the most sumptuously fitted yacht afloat.”  Savarona was later converted to a training ship for the Turkish Navy and, in 1978, destroyed by fire. The yacht laid in tatters for 10 years. A Turkish businessman spent around $45 million refurbishing Savarona , commissioning Donald Starkey for the interior and replacing the original steam-turbine engines with modern Caterpillar diesels. Savarona became Turkey’s official presidential yacht again in 2014, accommodating up to 34 guests in 17 suits, and carrying up to 48 crew. Amenities include a swimming pool, Turkish bath, 280-foot grand staircase, a movie theater and a library dedicated to Atatürk.

Crescent (443 feet), Lürssen

Last refit in 2021, Espen Øino’s dark hull and tiered superstructure was one of the most exciting launches of 2018. Called Project Thunder internally at Lürssen, the custom-built yacht features cutouts along the hull sides that allow full ocean views from the saloon on the primary deck, as part of Crescent ’s distinctive curved superstructure. Its most noteworthy feature is the jaw-dropping bank of three-deck-high windows in the center of the yacht. This architectural feature serves as the centerpiece of a very compelling design. The yacht has accommodations for 18 guests in nine staterooms. Little is known about the François Zuretti-designed interior, other than Lürssen describes it as being “traditionally styled.” If it lives up to Crescent ’s brash exterior, the complete yacht promises to be an entirely groundbreaking design. In March 2022, Crescent was detained by Spain as property of Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin, who is sanctioned in connection with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Serene (439 feet, 3 inches), Fincantieri

Serene  is the yacht that launched Fincantieri into the superyacht segment, and what a debut it was. The largest yacht ever launched in Italy when it was delivered in 2011 (surpassed three years later by Ocean Victory ), the Espen Øino seven-deck design features a long, sleek blue hull crowned by a white superstructure. Pascale Reymond of Reymond Langton Design created the 43,056-square-foot interior for the Russian owner, which includes a double height atrium with a piano lounge at the top and a vast open-plan main salon below. Sunken LEDs and bright pink and purple neon lights create a modern party vibe in the social areas, which contrast with the elaborate yet more traditional guest suites. A spiral staircase with intricate metal banisters soars through the heart of the yacht. The open stern area has a winter garden (enclosed glasshouse) that allows dining in all seasons. Serene also has two helipads and a hangar, a big swimming pool and a tender garage large enough for a submarine. Pascale Reymond of Reymond Langton Design created the 43,056-square-foot interior for the Russian owner, though its details have remained closely guarded.

Al Mirqab (436 feet, 4 inches), Kusch Yachts

Al Mirqab was a yacht before its time. Launched in 2008, the yacht’s diesel-electric propulsion involves an azimuth pod drive and gives the 436.4-footer a top end of 21 knots. With 36 staterooms, and crew quarters for 45, it was built for Qatar’s former prime minister under the supervision of Kusch Yachts in the Peters Werft shipyard in Wewelsfleth, Germany. The Tim Heywood exterior includes a long, navy-blue hull with a white superstructure. The yacht’s diesel-electric propulsion involves an azimuth pod drive and gives the 436.4-footer a top end of 21 knots. Its interior by Andrew Winch won several awards, with images showing Arabic-influenced motifs on the marble floors of large social areas. The yacht’s centerpiece is a stunning, complicated floating staircase encircled by custom-made glass panels. Al Mirqab has staterooms for 36, and crew quarters for 45.

Koru (417 Feet), Oceanco

Only just making the cut on this list, Jeff Bezos’ new 417-foot sailing yacht, Koru , was the subject of worldwide controversy even before its 2023 delivery. Built by Dutch shipyard Oceanco and reportedly costing $450 million, the Amazon founder’s first vessel is the tallest sailing yacht in the world with masts that measure over 230 feet tall, the same height as the Great Pyramid of Giza. It’s so tall, in fact, that Bezos petitioned the Dutch city of Rotterdam to temporarily dismantle the Koningshaven Bridge, a 95-year-old landmark, to allow his yacht to pass under. His request was denied, and the yacht was instead partially towed through Rotterdam without its mast. The towering design also makes it unsafe to land a helicopter onboard, prompting Bezos to commission his second yacht, the 246-foot custom support yacht Wingman . Delivered in early 2023, and featuring a helipad, Wingman is Damen’s largest support vessel to date. No details have yet been released about Koru ’s interior or exterior design, including who penned the design.

Read More On:

• Blohm + Voss
• Dream Machines 2020

More Marine

This New 220-Foot Custom Superyacht Is Topped With an Epic Jacuzzi

This Custom 112-Foot Trideck Superyacht Feels Bigger Than It Actually Is

Azimut’s New 72-Foot Yacht Has One of the Largest Flybridges in Its Class. We Hopped Onboard.

You Can Charter Lürssen’s New 400-Foot Gigayacht for $3.3 Million a Week

Culinary Masters 2024

MAY 17 - 19 Join us for extraordinary meals from the nation’s brightest culinary minds.

Give the Gift of Luxury

Latest Galleries in Marine

‘Lady A’ Superyacht in Photos

8 Fascinating Facts About ‘Kokomo,’ the Lightning-Fast 192-Foot Sailing Superyacht

More from our brands, cisco revs up fashion and technology in its corporate stores, angel city for sale: nwsl’s most valuable team seeks new owner, angela mccluskey, singer for the wild colonials, dies at 64, andy warhol museum director patrick moore to resign amid scrutiny over pop district project, the best yoga mats for any practice, according to instructors.

Luxe Digital

Conscious, elevated living.

• Men's style
• Women's style
• Stricking superlatives
• Advertising

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY

Receive our finest finds, exclusive deals, and luxury news to stay in the know.

As Far As You Can Sea: World’s Largest Superyachts

Multimillion-dollar mega yachts.

by Emma Treagus Published on February 2, 2024

At Luxe Digital, we independently research, review, and recommend products we love and that we think you will love, too. Learn more about how we curate the best products for you .

With onboard swimming pools, cinemas, helicopter landing pads, and spas, the world’s largest superyachts have more facilities than your ‘average’ five-star hotel.

Owned by some of the world’s wealthiest people—along with a few anonymous owners who’d prefer to keep their luxury transport a secret—these mega yachts redefine the word “boat” into something indescribably sleek, stylish, and seriously impressive. 

If superyachts are your thing, you’ll want to read on for all the facts and figures on all of the largest yachts in the world.

The 26 largest yachts in the world

Multimillion-dollar mega yachts: our ranking methodology.

A superyacht or mega yacht is typically a motor yacht or sailing yacht with a length of 30 meters (100 feet) or more. For this ranking, we looked at the superyachts and luxury expedition mega yachts that are used privately or made available for charter. We excluded so-called ‘residential superyachts’ (think Njord and The World), which are essentially luxury apartment buildings at sea where people own private residences inside the superyacht rather than the whole yacht. By researching diverse, reliable sources like Wikipedia and the Superyacht Times, we compile a list of the largest yachts in the world.

Curious about other striking superlatives? Check our round-up of the most expensive cars in the world and the most expensive private jets in the world . They are both perfectly good alternatives to owning a yacht. And if you prefer to stay home, we’ve ranked the biggest homes and the most expensive houses in the world to give you some inspiration too.

26. Y721 (aka Koru) | 417 feet—127m

Ever wonder where Jeff Bezos spends his downtime? As of today, we’re predicting it to be on his $500 million superyacht. Y721—nicknamed Koru—is 127m long. And featuring three sky-high slender masts, Koru is said to be the largest sailing yacht in the world . 

With dark exteriors and natural wooden decks, Koru is inspired by another one of Bezos’ yachts—the Black Pearl. The clean lines and classically curved bow speak to an understated elegance despite the yacht’s mammoth size. While a long line of portals indicates at least 9 guest cabins. In light of all the secrecy surrounding Koru, we doubt Bezos will ever charter her out, but we can still dream.

25. Al Mirqab | 436 feet—133m

Adorned with cascading chandeliers and gold accents, Al Mirqab is renowned for its unrivaled interiors. Surrounded by suspended glass artworks, a grand staircase floats throughout the four floors. And inspired by authentic Arabian styles, the magnificent superyacht is reminiscent of a magic carpet ride through the seas . 

Built for the former Prime Minister of Qatar, Peterswerft-Kusch spared no expense in delivering Al Mirqab to an impossibly high standard for luxury. The large swimming pool is a standout feature as it opens up into the sea, creating the ultimate playground for adults. Al Mirqab has a capacity for up to 60 guests and is manned by an equal number of crew. Although you have to be invited by the politician himself as Al Mirqab isn’t available for private charter.

24. Serene | 439 feet—134m

Adeptly named, the magnificent superyacht embodies the serenity of a life at sea. Serene was built in Italy for a Russian owner in 2011. She was leased to Bill Gates for the Summer in 2014 for $5 million per week. 

Designed by Reymond Langton, the 134m mega yacht marries elegant sophistication with state-of-the-art technologies. The seven decks leave ample space for guests to soak in scintillating views. While the underwater viewing room—nicknamed the Nemo room—is a permanent gallery of resplendent sealife. The real-life snow room makes up to four inches of snow. And whilst this may seem odd when your billionaire boss asks for snow—you make it snow.

23. Crescent | 445 feet – 136 m

Yet another Lurssen masterpiece, Crescent pays homage to classic naval designs with traditional architecture and elegant interiors. Formerly named Project Thunder, she was built in Germany and delivered to Igor Sechin in 2018. The Russian oligarch’s superyacht was seized by Spain after sanctions were placed on Russia in 2022. 

Crescent features low bulwarks and full-height windows to maximize the view from the center of the boat. Her distinctive wing station provides unrivaled views for up to 18 guests. But don’t get your hopes up—Crescent is strictly for private use only and isn’t available for charter. 

22. Savarona | 446 feet – 136m

Savarona is the second-largest yacht built by Blohm & Voss and spends most of her time in the Mediterranean. This luxury superyacht is one of the oldest in the market — a perfect fusion of traditional charm and modern facilities. 

Previously named Gunes Dil, Savarona was designed by Cox & Stevens, with interior design carefully handled by Donald Starkey. She’s available to charter on a weekly basis and has been refurbished over the years. Back in the day, her cost price was $4 million, and in 1989, she was chartered by Kahraman Sadikoglu, owner of the Turkish Sadikoglu Group, who spent an estimated $50 million on refurbishing her from top to bottom.

21. Flying Fox | 446 feet – 136m

Flying Fox is known as the most expensive charter yacht in the world , and a week aboard will set you back around $3 million. Chartered by the one and only power couple Beyonce and Jay-Z in 2021, it’s filled to the brim with all of the luxury facilities you could ever possibly want. 

The Flying Fox is rumored to be owned by Jeff Bezos, although that’s a claim that’s never been totally certified. She spends most of her time in the Mediterranean, specifically Cannes, Capri, and Sardinia, although she’s recently visited Norway, too. She can accommodate the largest helicopters on the market, and it reportedly took more than 50 meetings with her owner for interior design to be completed.

20. Rising Sun | 454 feet – 138m

The Rising Sun’s original owner, Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle Corporation, sold her in 2010 as he considered her too large. Famously used by David Geffen for self-isolation, Rising Sun has also been a popular hang-out spot for celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Beatrice, the Princess of York. 

She’s a Superyacht with impressive attention to detail like interiors kitted out in teak and onyx and endless features like a full gym , a large wine cellar, a sauna, and a spa. She’s got a full-size basketball court that doubles up as a helicopter landing pad and a private cinema for those long evenings spent at sea.

19. Al Salamah | 457 feet – 139m

Al Salamah is part of the Omani Royal fleet and started her very secretive life in Genoa. Known as the world’s biggest superyacht right up until 2016, she’s a sleek masterpiece of a ship, with a distinctive cream color and beach club design. 

Al Salamah does everything in multiples, from the five galleys onboard (the main galley, a bakery, a crew galley, an owner’s diet galley, and an Arab galley), three hospitals (one for the owner, one for guests, and one for the crew) and 2,000 sqm of floor space. She was put on sale briefly for $280 million USD, before being delisted and instead given as a gift to the Crown Prince of Bahrain. 

18. Solaris | 458 feet – 139m

Everything about Solaris was supposed to be kept a secret when she was being built—a secret that didn’t last long when her huge size was spotted undergoing sea trials in the North Sea. One of this Superyacht’s main attractions is her beach club on the top floor: the perfect spot for relaxation during those long days out at sea. 

That beach club comes complemented with endless other stylish amenities, like a large helipad, sun deck, and a crane to launch tenders, toys, and subs. Interior design is largely unknown, but, if it’s anything as sleek and white as its exteriors, it’s sure to be impressive.

17. Scheherazade | 459 feet – 140m

Two helicopter landing pads, two outdoor Jacuzzis, and two outdoor fire pits: Scheherazade doesn’t hold back with not only the essentials but also the luxuries. Previously named Lightning, “Scheherazade” is mostly associated with a female character in the Middle Eastern folk tales in the series One Thousand and One Nights. 

Not much is known about this superyacht, and even her birth and building process were referred to under a codename: Project Lightning. No one involved in her creation, even Lurssen, has revealed anything about her interiors or her owner. All that’s really known is that she sailed from Germany to Norway initially after completion. 

16. Ocean Victory | 460 feet – 140m

Ocean Victory has traveled all over the world, from Europe to Southeast Asia and back again. Owned by Russian billionaire Viktor Rashnikov, she’s the upgraded vessel to follow his purchase of the 76-meter Ebony Shine. 

She’s one designed with pure luxury in mind, from the six individual swimming pools onboard to the 300-square meter spa area. She’s beautiful both inside and out, with a unique concept designed by Espen Oeino and interior designer Alberto Pinto. The largest superyacht ever built in Italy, Ocean Victory shows some of the finest in the world when it comes to premium quality adventures at sea.

15. Yas | 463 feet – 141m

Yas is known best for its seamless and rather unusual design — one that’s a little different from most superyachts out there. The owner of Yas wanted a yacht that lived up to his own heritage; one with a backbone reminiscent of the navy and with abstract lines throughout. 

He chose an existing boat in Abu Dhabi, which was deconstructed within the region before being shipped off and renovated into the wonder that it is today. The Yas yacht was originally a Dutch navy frigate, which you’d never guess from strolling around onboard today.

14. Nord | 465 feet – 142m

Nord’s distinctive bow design has never been seen before on a yacht. That’s one of the first things you’ll notice about her. The next thing you’ll notice is her unusual design, which verges on battle-esque and has been called “ a warship wearing a tuxedo ” by Dan Lenard of the Italian design studio Nuvolari-Lenard. 

She’s one of the best superyachts out there for fun, with a sports and diving center on the lower deck, a swimming pool higher up, overlooking the ocean, and a fleet of tenders. She was designed for global exploration: a yacht that will calmly cruise her way all across the world.

13. Sailing Yacht A | 469 feet—142.8m

Challenging the status quo and pushing design boundaries, Sailing Yacht A is an enigma. The sail-assisted superyacht was built in Germany and delivered to Russian tycoon Andrey Melnichenko in 2017. However, she was seized by the Italian police force, Guardia di Finanza, in 2022 after sanctions were placed on Russian businessmen following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

Distinguished by soaring rotating carbon fiber masts, Nobiskrug’s hybrid approach to superyachts makes Sailing Yacht A more eco-conscious than other luxury yachts of her size. The u nderwater viewing pod molded into the keel speaks to her unrivaled innovation. And many balconies are enclosed by some of the largest pieces of curved glass ever made. 

12. El Mahrousa | 478 feet – 146m

El Mahrousa had a few different names in her time, ranging from the translated “The Protected” to El Horreya, which in Arabic translates to “Freedom.” It’s not surprising that she’s had more than one name when you take into account her age. As the oldest superyacht in the world, she’s undergone a lot of restoration over time, including multiple lengthenings and faster engines. 

She was renamed back to El Mahrousa in 2000 and gained even more recognition for being the first ship to cross the new Suez Canal extension in 2015. Back in her original days, she was built on the River Thames and took her first trip in 1867.

11. OK | 479 feet—146m

Delivered in Japan in 1982, OK is one of the largest and most unique superyachts in the world. Sprawling over 479 feet, the water giant is engineered to submerge almost seventy percent. This is accredited to the work done by Karmarine Shipyard. While the majority of the vessel was built by Oshima Shipping, it was privately converted to a semi-submersible yacht in Turkey. 

The superlative finishing on OK superyacht was designed by Timur Bozca, winner of the Younger Designer of the Year award in 2015. The blueprint being as many games as possible. The extraordinary vessel has the uncanny ability to hold over seventy toys, including a sailing yacht, a sea plane, tenders, buggies and even a tennis court.

10. Opera | 480 feet—146.4m 

Like many of the most majestic water titans, Opera was delivered by Lurssen in Germany and built for Abu Dhabi royalty. This time, the owner is Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, son of the founder of the United Arab Emirates. And while it may not be quite as astronomical as Lurssen’s previous builds—Azzam, Blue and Dilbar—the streamlined vessel is equally impressive onboard. 

The three-story superyacht proves large enough for a pair of helipads and two swimming pools, amongst many other toys, while simultaneously making room for up to 48 guests and 80 crew members. When it comes to the interior, details are sparse, but we do know that it was designed by Terence Disdale, a London firm renowned for creating bespoke luxury spaces. 

9. Prince Abdulaziz | 482 feet – 147m

The Prince Abdulaziz’s yacht was ordered by King Fahd, who named her after his son Prince Abdul Aziz. Now, she’s owned by his brother, Abdullah. Just one of the yachts owned by the Saudi royal family, she’s spotted frequently throughout Europe, especially in Cannes, where the royal family owns a property. 

She’s been redecorated once — in 2007 — in a project that took 15 months to complete, without even taking into account the rest of the ship’s upkeep. The Prince Abdulaziz is known for its combination of bold colors and fusion of traditional and modern design, thanks to its influence from the late David Hicks.

8. A+ | 483 feet – 147m

What do you do when the name “A” is already taken for your superyacht? Choose the next closest thing: A+. Previously named Topaz, this superyacht was the world’s fourth-largest luxury yacht when she was built, before being stripped of that particular title only a few years later. 

Nevertheless, she’s a seriously impressive superyacht, with endless facilities like a large jacuzzi, double helicopter landing pads, a swimming pool with a swimming platform and underwater lights, as well as a fitness hall, cinema, and a large conference room. She’s also well equipped with water toys, like jet skis, inflatable boats, a catamaran, and even a mini-submarine.

7. Al Said | 508 feet – 155m

Another Superyacht built, shrouded in secrecy, Al-Said was referred to as “Project Sunflower” the entire time she was being created, right up until she was delivered to her owner in 2008. Not much is known about Al Said, from her movements through to her amenities — although she is known to have a huge concert room with space for a full 50-person orchestra. 

Currently, she’s flying the flag of Oman and has spent a lot of time in its surrounding waters. Her interior was styled by British designer design house RWD, with exterior design being credited to Espen Oeino. When she was delivered to the Sultan of Oman, she replaced a previous ship of a smaller size. 

6. Dilbar | 511 feet – 156m

Dilbar, or Project Omar, as it was originally known as, is another superyacht designed with the help of exterior expert Espen Oeino, but with interiors strikingly designed by Andrew Winch. Dilbar is famously known as the world’s largest yacht by gross tonnage (interior volume) but as the fifth-longest superyacht in the world. 

She’s home to a spa pool and beach club, as well as a large private cinema, spacious cabins set high on the main deck, a spacious dining room, and a salon with its own piano. She’s just as classy and beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.

5. Blue | 527 feet—160.6m

Sunday blues simply cease to exist on one of the world’s most extravagant superyachts. The elegant behemoth was built for member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi and billionaire, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan in 2022. Valued at over $600 million, Blue is one of the most expensive superyachts in the world. And with a strong emphasis on the environment, this superyacht is also one of the most sustainable. 

Blue strives to be as environmentally friendly as possible. She is equipped with a highly efficient Diesel-Electric Hybrid Propulsion Concept developed by Lürssen’s own engineering specialists. And the wastewater treatment plant allows water to be disposed of in drinking water quality.

4. Dubai | 531 feet – 162m

Dubai had multiple names in the planning stages—including Panhandle, Platinum, and Golden Star. Owned by the ruler of Dubai, it was aptly named after its home country and comes with all of the luxurious amenities you’d expect from such a name. 

The Dubai comes complete with a huge swimming pool and two jacuzzis. Further down, you’ll find a large dining room with striking blue and burgundy decor and space for up to 90 guests. Dubai usually spends her time moored at Sheikh Mohammed’s private island in front of his summer palace in Dubai. She’s basically the definition of a floating palace.

3. Eclipse | 533 feet – 162.5m

It took around five years for Eclipse to be built from start to finish. While she was always designed to be a huge, luxurious Superyacht, the focus was more on decking it out appropriately rather than breaking any records. An award-winning superyacht, she’s incredibly spacious, with endless rooms to explore and a sleek, neutral color palette running through. 

The Eclipse’s owner, Roman Abramovich, was more focused on facilities: he wanted more than one helicopter pad and a large swimming pool, too. Other than that, designer Terry Disdale had free reign for the rest of the superyacht. It’s just as much a clean piece of architectural styling as it is a stunning experience on deck.

2. Fulk Al Salamah | 538 feet – 164m

Fulk Al Salamah translates to “Ship of Peace” and that’s something that sounds like a given when you’ve taken a look at this superyacht’s incredible layout. Developed under the codename Project Saffron, Fulk Al Salamah is more of a support vessel than she is a typical superyacht. 

While she might still come complete with all of the necessities for a particularly relaxing voyage, she’s more so known for being a transport ship for the Royal Navy of Oman. She’s also used as a sort of friendship boat — pun intended — and is often sailed across the world with the intention of strengthening ties with the Sultanate. In some ports, influential people are welcomed onboard.

1. Azzam | 590 feet – 181m

Most superyachts in the top 10 category have a few mere inches between sizes, but the Azzam shoots far ahead with a large amount of extra length. The largest superyacht in the world, she was never designed to win the title — rather just to be a sleek and elegant vessel. Azzam was crafted backward, with the plans for her interior confirmed long before her exterior was fully signed off. 

Her length only came to be as such to incorporate everything required for the interiors, which added an extra 35 meters to her overall size. She’s also designed to look smaller than she actually is, with a blend of indoor and outdoor living. It took more than 4,000 people to build Azzam , clocking up six million man-hours over a period of four years.

The largest yachts in the world: Conclusion

The largest yachts in the world are:

• Azzam—590 feet
• Fulk Al Salamah—538 feet
• Eclipse—533 feet
• Dubai—531 feet
• Blue—527 feet
• Dilbar—511 feet
• Al Said —508 feet
• A+—483 feet
• Prince Abdulaziz—482 feet
• Opera—480 feet
• OK—479 feet
• El Mahrousa—478 feet
• Sailing Yacht A—469 feet
• Nord—465 feet
• Yas—463 feet
• Ocean Victory—460 feet
• Scheherazade —459 feet
• Solaris—458 feet
• Al Salamah—457 feet
• Rising Sun—454 feet
• Flying Fox—446 feet
• Savarona—446 feet
• Crescent—445 feet
• Serene —439 feet
• Al Mirqab—436 feet
• Y721 (aka Koru)—417 feet

The most expensive yacht in the world

The fact that the History Supreme, the world’s most expensive superyacht, comes coated in gold, is only part of the reason for its high cost. A superyacht with a real-life Midas touch, it was sold to an anonymous Malaysian businessman for $4.8 billion. 

Robert Kuok, the richest Malaysian businessman, is the rumored owner of History Supreme, but no one has confirmed for sure. The History Supreme also comes with plenty of other impressive touches: a master bedroom decked out in platinum, a wall feature made from meteoric stone, and a genuine T-Rex dinosaur bone, to add to the list. 

She took three years to build from scratch and comes with 10,000 kilograms of solid gold and platinum. Other seriously luxe features are her 68 kilograms 24-carat gold Aquavista Panoramic Wall Aquarium and a liquor bottle adorned with a rare 18.5-carat diamond . The base of the vessel comes wrapped in gold, too.

Frequently asked questions about the world’s largest yachts

The largest yachts in the world are owned by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, Roman Abramovich, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and Alisher Usmanov. Our guide tells you more about all the biggest yachts in the world .

At 417 feet (127 m), Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ sailing yacht, Koru (formerly Project Y721), is one of the world’s largest yachts.

The 181-m (590 ft) Azzam is the world’s longest yacht in length, but the 156-m Dilbar has a much larger internal volume (measured in Gross Tons) at 15,917 GT (Gross Tons) versus 13,136 GT for Azzam. As such, Dilbar is the world’s largest yacht in volume. Read our full guide to discover the largest yachts in the world .

The biggest yacht in the world is the Azzam , which has an estimated cost of $600 million. She’s owned by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and is not currently for sale.

In terms of the number of megayachts, the largest superyacht-owning country is the United States. Nationality-wise, beyond American, an increasing percentage of superyacht owners are Turkish, Greek, Emirati, German, Australian and Dutch.

About the author

Emma Treagus

Women’s fashion & travel editor.

A former fashion assistant and budding entrepreneur who calls the world her home, Emma writes many of Luxe Digital’s women’s style and travel stories, drawing on her passion and experience for slow fashion alongside an appreciation for current trends. When she’s not getting her way with words, you’ll find her exploring a new city (at quite a walking pace)—locating the nearest sushi restaurant or devouring a book on the beach.

Learn more about Emma Treagus

True Classic Tees Review: Flattering Tees For Every Body

or a more modern-fitting tee, reach for a classic.

Ridge Titanium Field Watch Review: Versatility Around The Clock & Further Afield

Vaultskin Mayfair Review: A Wallet That Fits The Bill Without Breaking The Bank

Western Rise Evolution Pants Review: Modern Fabric, Timeless Style

Axel Arigato Area Lo Sneakers Review: Vintage Style Powered By Culture

The Most Expensive Basquiat Paintings Are Message-Infused Masterpieces

Above And Beyond: The Best First-Class Airlines Redefine Sky-High Opulence

True Classic Pants Review: You Couldn’t Ask For Less

Experience The Real Cloud Nine With These Business-Class Airlines

An Invitation To The Ball: The Best Exclusive Members’ Clubs In Monaco

Proudly inspiring millions of readers like you .

Your Conscious,

Elevated Life

Starts Here.

• Striking superlatives

• Nautic Shows
• America’s Cup
• Classic Yachts
• Motor Yachts
• Sailing Yachts
• Superyachts
• Yachts News
• Destinations
• Yacht Clubs
• Boat Racing
• Meta Yachts

Despite the pandemic, the superyacht world continues to welcome new entries. These are the world’s biggest yachts by length.

Even in a pandemic, the size of the global superyacht fleet keeps on growing. The top 25 largest yachts in the world now total a combined 11,849 feet, with the smallest yacht on the list,  Maryah , measuring a whopping 410 feet. Built by shipyards all over the world—from the Netherlands to the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Turkey, Greece and the United Kingdom, to name just a few—new launches and refits are delivered each year. The 2021 newcomers hail from Lürssen, Dream Ship Victory and Lloyd Werft. With many new gigayacht builds in the pipeline, the list will be much more competitive in the coming years. Here are the world’s top 25 yachts by size, from  Maryah  to  Azzam.

25. ‘Maryah’ (410 feet, 1 inch), Neorion

Neorion’s  Maryah  Photo: Manuel Hernández LafuenteWATCH

This former Russian research vessel was originally launched by the Szczecinska yard in Poland. In 2010, it underwent a five-year rebuild at the Elefsis yard in Greece. The stodgy research vessel that went in reappeared in 2014 as a thoroughly modern custom-built superyacht. The UK-based  H2 Yacht Design  did both the interior and exterior, incorporating all the luxuries one would expect in a yacht this size. The swimming pool, spa, contemporary decor (including custom furniture, signature joinery, and bespoke details like fixtures and lighting), and generous interior space turned the ugly duckling into a swan.  Maryah , which reaches a top speed of 18 knots powered by a twin azipods propulsion system, has accommodation for 54 guests.

24. ‘Octopus’ (414 feet), Lürssen

Lürssen’s  Octopus  Elizabeth Withe

Originally built by Lürssen for Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen, eight-decked  Octopus  is the world’s largest expedition yacht. Allen kept all the luxurious features of a superyacht, but wanted  Octopus  to be able to set anchor at the ends of the earth for exploration. The Lürssen, delivered in 2003, has storage for two helicopters, seven tenders, a large SUV and an internal dock that extends through the hull holding two submersibles. A glass-bottomed observation lounge makes for spectacular viewing when cruising. The yacht has been involved in multiple exploration discoveries, aided by its onboard dive centre and hyperbaric chamber. Espen Øino drew the exterior, including a full-sized basketball court on the aft deck, while Jonathan Quinn Barnett did the interior. The yacht underwent a refit in 2019. It reaches a top end of 20 knots.

23. ‘Al Mirqab’ (436 feet, 4 inches), Kusch Yachts

Kusch Yachts’ Al Mirqab  Photo: Shutterstock / PitK

Launched in 2008,  Al Mirqab  was built for Qatar’s former prime minister under the supervision of  Kusch Yachts  in the  Peters Werft shipyard  in Wewelsfleth, Germany. The Tim Heywood exterior includes a long, navy-blue hull with a white superstructure. The yacht’s diesel-electric propulsion involves an azimuth pod drive and gives the 436.4-footer a top end of 21 knots. Its interior by Andrew Winch won several awards, with images showing Arabic-influenced motifs on the marble floors of large social areas. The yacht’s centerpiece is a stunning, complicated floating staircase encircled by custom-made glass panels.  Al Mirqab  has staterooms for 36, and crew quarters for 45.

22. ‘Serene’ (439 feet, 3 inches), Fincantieri

Fincantieri’s  Serene  Photo: Nick Wells

Serene  was  Fincantieri ’s launch into the superyacht segment, and what a debut it was. The largest yacht ever launched in Italy when it was delivered in 2011 (surpassed three years later by  Ocean Victory ), the Espen Øino seven-deck design features a long, sleek blue hull, crowned by a white superstructure. The somewhat racy curves serve as a nice counterpart to the more serious-looking sections of the yacht, which include cutouts along the main and upper decks to allow strong visibility from the saloon and staterooms. The curved balconies on three levels are a nice touch that work aesthetically—and practically for better views. The open stern area has a winter garden (enclosed glass house) that allows dining in all seasons.  Serene  also has two helipads and a hangar, a big swimming pool, and a tender garage large enough for a submarine. Pascale Reymond of Reymond Langton Design created the 43,056-square-foot interior for the Russian owner, though its details have remained closely guarded.

21. ‘Crescent’ (443 feet), Lürssen

Lürssen’s  Crescent  Photo: Klaus Jordan

Espen Øino’s dark hull and tiered superstructure was one of the most exciting launches of 2018. Custom-built Project Thunder, as it was called internally at Lürssen, features cut-outs along the hull sides that allow full ocean views from the saloon on the primary deck, as part of  Crescent ’s distinctive curved superstructure. Its most noteworthy feature is the jaw-dropping bank of three-deck-high windows in the center of the yacht. This architectural feature serves as the centerpiece of a very compelling design. The yacht has accommodations for 18 guests in nine staterooms. Little is known about the François Zuretti-designed interior, other than Lürssen describes it as being “traditionally styled.” If it lives up to  Crescent ’s brash exterior, the complete yacht promises to be an entirely groundbreaking design.

20. ‘Savarona’ (446 feet, 2 inches), Blohm+Voss

Blohm+Voss’s  Savarona  

Launched in 1931,  Savarona  was built for American heiress Emily Roebling Cadwallader. The yacht was eventually acquired by Turkey to be the presidential yacht of Kemal Atatürk, founder of modern Turkey.  Jane’s Fighting Ships  described the yacht in 1949 as “probably the most sumptuously fitted yacht afloat.”  Savarona  was later converted to a training ship for the Turkish Navy and, in 1978, destroyed by fire. The yacht laid in tatters for 10 years. A Turkish businessman spent around $45 million refurbishing  Savarona , commissioning Donald Starkey for the interior and replacing the original steam-turbine engines with modern Caterpillar diesels. The yacht’s interior was refitted again in 2013, once again becoming the official presidential yacht in 2014.  Savarona  features a swimming pool, Turkish bath, 280-foot grand staircase, a movie theater, and a library dedicated to Atatürk.

19: ‘Flying Fox’ (446 feet, 2 inches), Lürssen

Lürssen’s  Flying Fox  Photo: Courtesy of SuperYachtTimes/Youtube

Delivered jointly by Imperial and Lürssen in 2019, 446.2-foot  Flying Fox  is the largest yacht available on the charter market. Key features of the Espen Øino-designed exterior are a curvaceous dove-gray hull and a 3.7-foot swimming pool that runs athwartship on the main aft deck, the largest ever found on board a yacht. A two-decked spa also gives guests access to a cryosauna, hammam and relaxation room with a fold-down balcony at sea level. Packed to the rafters with the latest amenities, the yacht holds a diving center, decompression chamber and two helipads.  Flying Fox  is PYC compliant and can accommodate 25 guests.

18. ‘Rising Sun’ (454 feet, 1 inch), Lürssen

Lürssen’s  Rising Sun  Photo: Courtesy of Lürssen

Designed by the original guru of yacht designers, Jon Bannenberg,  Rising Sun  was built by Lürssen for Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, and is currently owned by billionaire David Geffen. The yacht was delivered in 2004 and last refitted in 2011. Defined by banks of windows across the superstructure,  Rising Sun  has 86,000 square feet of living space in 82 rooms. It can accommodate 18 guests in nine cabins, with the capacity to carry up to 46 crew. The interior by Seccombe Design includes a gym, cinema, and wine cellar. The rear cockpit deck was designed as a basketball court. Geffen received a global media backlash in 2020 for his “tone deaf” social media posts that pictured himself on board his yacht during Covid-19 lockdown.

17. ‘Al Salamah’ (456 feet), Lürssen

Lürssen’s  Al Salamah  Lürssen

When Lürssen launched  Al Salamah  in 1999, it was the third-largest yacht in the world. Its ranking at number 14 shows how much has changed in the last 20 years. Code-named MIPOS, or Mission Possible, the yacht was designed by  Terence Disdale . The large imposing exterior is primarily protected space, with an upper deck exposed to the elements.  Al Salamah  has staterooms for 40 guests, including two owner suites, 11 VIP staterooms, and eight twin cabins. The yacht can carry up to 96 crew and has a top speed of 22 knots.  Al Salamah  was last refitted in 2009.

16. ‘Scheherazade’ (459 feet, 3 inches), Lürssen

Lürssen’s  Scheherazade  Photo: SuperYacht Times/YouTube

The owner of 459.3-feet Lürssen-built  Scheherazade  (formerly known as Project Lightning) finally took delivery of the mega yacht in June 2020 after it was pictured during sea trials in November 2019. What can so far be deciphered from available photography includes two helipads, forward and aft, and a large beach club aft, as well as a reported seven-foot beam. Very few details have yet been released of the highly private vessel, including even the names of designers or naval architects involved with the build.

15: ‘Ocean Victory’ (459 feet, 3 inches), Fincantieri

Fincantieri’s  Ocean Victory  Photo: Trevor Coppock / TheYachtPhoto.com

The largest motoryacht ever built in Italy, Fincantieri’s  Ocean Victory  was delivered to its owner in 2014. The seven-deck exterior by Espen Øino includes two helideck platforms and a hangar belowdecks, as well as exceptional outdoor social areas, and a floodable tender dock.  Ocean Victory  has accommodations for 28 guests as well as quarters for 56 crew.  Ocean Victory  also has six pools, a 3,300-square-foot spa, and an underwater observation room. The interior by Alberto Pinto remains a secret.

14: ‘Solaris’ (459 feet, 3 inches), Lloyd Werft

Solaris  by Lloyd-Werft Courtesy Lloyd Werft

The 476-foot  Solaris  is one of the largest yachts to deliver in 2021, and yet still little is known about it. The highly private, vast explorer is built by German shipyard Lloyd Werft and undertook sea trials in the North Sea. The eight-deck exterior is by Australian designer Marc Newson and features a displacement steel hull with bulbous bow and steel superstructure with teak decks. Reportedly owned by Roman Abramovich, it houses a large helipad, sun deck and spacious beach club aft. Lloyd Werft built the Russian billionaire’s previous explorer yacht  Luna , which he reportedly sold for $360 million to his close friend Farkhad Akhmedov in 2014.

13. ‘Yas’ (462 feet, 6 inches), Abu Dhabi Mar

Abu Dhabi Mar’s  Yas  Photo: Harvey Barrison

As a converted yacht,  Yas  is one of the most interesting vessels on this list. The dolphin-like exterior was originally a former Dutch Navy frigate that launched in 1978 and eventually sold to the navy of the United Arab Emirates, where it was renamed  Al Emirat . The yacht underwent its dramatic conversion in a facility in Abu Dhabi’s main port, emerging as a gleaming superyacht in 2011, with one of the most interesting profiles on the water. It was eventually delivered four years later. The design by the Paris-based Pierrejean Vision, defined by massive glass surfaces, can accommodate 60 guests and 58 crew members. Mated to a steel hull, the superstructure is the largest composite edifice ever built.  Yas  is capable of a 26-knot top speed and was last refitted in 2019.

12. ‘Dream Symphony’ (462 feet, 6 inches), Dream Ship Victory

Dream Symphony  by Dream Ship Victory Courtesy Dream Ship Victory

Sailing yacht  Dream Symphony  is a magnificent 462.7-foot schooner built by the Turkish shipyard Dream Ship Victory. When delivered in 2021, she will become the largest private sailing yacht in the world, knocking current largest sailing yacht,  Black Pearl , off the podium. Featuring naval architecture by Dykstra Naval Architects and an exterior and interior by Ken Freivokh, she reunites the same team who were behind the legendary  Maltese Falcon ’s ground-breaking Falcon dynarig.  Dream  Symphony’s hull is being built in wood – glued and laminated using the latest epoxy and composite techniques. Wood, carbon and stainless-steel run throughout the contemporary interior, while the rig includes Hoyt booms for maximum control.  Dream Symphony  boasts a fully private owner’s duplex, with master suite, salon, and office at main deck level, and a further spa, gym and treatment rooms on the lower deck. A sheltered open deck between the owner’s facilities and the guest deck house can be closed off to bad weather, creating concealed channels for full protection. And when the sun is shining, a double-height glass swimming pool features a rising floor that can doubles up as a touch-and-go helipad or dancefloor.

11. ‘Nord’ (466 feet),  Lürssen

Lürssen’s  Nord  (Project Opus) Photo: SuperYacht Times/Youtube

Nord  (Project Opus) has been a long time coming. She was announced in 2015 but didn’t hit the water until November 2020 when she conducted sea trials in the Baltic Sea. The 466-foot yacht features interior design by Italian studio Nuvolari Lenard and is Lürssen’s first yacht launched from its newly upgraded floating shed at its facility in Vegasack. Boasting many top tier amenities, the yacht includes a sports and diving center on the lower deck, multiple tenders ranging in size up to 50-feet and a large swimming pool. The two helipads support the yacht’s long-range cruising capabilities for autonomous remote exploration and a retractable hangar means the helicopter can slide neatly into the superstructure for storage when not in use. A generous 20 staterooms accommodate 36 guests across six decks, while a sleek aft-sloping superstructure gives Nord an individual profile on the water.

10. ‘A’ (468 feet, 5 inches), Nobiskrug

Nobiskrug Sailing Yacht  A  Photo: Courtesy of Nobiskrug

Delivered in 2017, the futuristic look of sailing yacht  A  includes smooth, silver-metallic surfaces and windows that look nearly invisible, three composite masts that bend slightly, and a deck hidden by high bulwarks. The Philippe Starck-design is a wild fantasy yacht of the future. The 468-foot sailing yacht is a technical victory for German yard  Nobiskrug , which developed composite fashion plates to create the unusual shapes, without any compromises in strength or fluidity. It has the tallest freestanding composite masts on any sailing vessel, a hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system and state-of-the-art navigation systems. The boat also reportedly has an underwater viewing platform in the keel. “Sailing yacht  A  is undoubtedly one of the most visionary projects Nobiskrug has ever been involved in,” said Holger Kahl, the firm’s then managing director. Starck’s interior remains a secret. The yard reports the yacht has a top speed of 21 knots. She remains today the world’s largest sailing yacht three years after her launch.

9. ‘El Mahrousa’ (478 feet, 1 inch), Samuda Brothers

Egypt’s royal yacht,  El Mahrousa  Screengrab

El Mahrousa , which means “the protected” in Arabic, is currently Egypt’s presidential yacht, though the 478.1-footer has a separate history as that country’s royal yacht. The London-based Samuda Brothers began the build in 1863, and it was launched in 1865. It was originally built for the Ottoman governor of Egypt, Khedive Ismail, and later carried three Egyptian kings into exile. The yacht was also at the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. The world’s oldest superyacht features external design by the British naval architect Sir Oliver Lang, and has had multiple modifications over the years, including a lengthening by 40 feet in 1872 and another 17 feet in 1905. During the second refit, the owners replaced its paddle-wheel engines with turbine-driven propellers. The yacht, in care of the Egyptian Navy, occasionally goes to sea for a day or two. In 2015, it was used to inaugurate the new Suez Canal.

8. ‘Prince Abdulaziz’ (482 feet, 3 inches), Helsingør Værft

Helsingør Værft’s  Prince Abdulaziz  Photo: Shutterstock / Artesia Wells

This custom yacht, launched by Helsingør Værft in Denmark in 1984, was most recently refitted in 2005. The 5,200-tonne  Prince Abdulaziz  is one of the Saudi Royal family’s yachts, its first owner being King Fahd. Designed by Maierform, the yacht was the longest and tallest in the world at the time of its launch. At 482.3-feet,  Prince Abdulaziz  held the title for 22 years until  Dubai  launched in 2006. The late David Nightingale Hicks, known for his use of bright colors, was the interior designer. The lobby is said to be a replica of the  Titanic . Last refitted in 2005, it is rumored to be carrying surface-to-air missiles, though that may be an urban legend.

7. ‘A+’ (483 feet, 1 inch), Lürssen

Lürssen’s  A+  Photo: Klaus Jordan

Very little is known about  A+  (formerly  Topaz) , which was launched by Lürssen in 2012, other than it is the fourth-largest yacht ever built by the German shipyard. Tim Heywood Designs did the exterior, which features helipads on the foredeck and amidships on an upper deck. A lower aft deck includes a swimming pool. The German yard has not released any images of the Terence Disdale interior. Reported to be owned by Manchester City Football Club owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahnan – Emirati royalty and deputy prime minister of the UAE –  A+  has a top speed of 22 knots, and can carry 62 guests and up to 79 crew.

6. ‘Al Saïd’ (508 feet, 5 inches), Lürssen

Lürssen’s  Al Saïd  Courtesy of Shutterstock

Another 500-plus-foot yacht from Lürssen, the original Project Sunflower gained its official name of  Al Saïd  following its launch in 2016. Espen Øino’s exterior is akin to a classic cruise liner, complete with the twin exhaust stacks in the center of the superstructure. Owned by the Sultan of Oman, six-decked  Al Saïd  can carry 154 crew and, according to some sources, 70 guests. Lürssen says  Al Saïd  has a top speed of 22 knots. The London-based Redman Whiteley Dixon studio designed the interior, which includes a concert hall that can hold a 50-piece orchestra.

5. ‘Dilbar’ (511 feet, 8 inches), Lürssen

Lürssen’s  Dilbar  Photo: Josep Baresic

The 2016 launch of  Dilbar  gave Lürssen the distinction of not only building the longest yacht ever ( Azzam ), but also the largest in terms of volume. Espen Øino designed the exterior, creating a full-bodied superstructure of long, flowing decks, along with two helicopter pads.  Dilbar  also has an 82-foot swimming pool that can hold an incredible 6357-cubic-feet of water, and according to Lürssen, is the world’s longest on a yacht. The interior by Winch Design is defined by its “rare and exclusive luxury materials,” says the builder, declining to go into detail. Lürssen added that the world’s largest motor yacht was one of the most complex and challenging yachts ever built, because of its dimensions and technology. Despite  Dilbar ’s volume, the designers did a masterful job making the yacht look relatively svelte, with no obvious bulges along the length of the light ivory and bronze-accented hull. In June 2020, Dilbar returned to Lürssen for a significant refit, the details of which are yet to be revealed.

4. ‘Dubai’ (531 feet, 5 inches), Platinum Yachts

Sheikh Al Maktoum’s yacht,  Dubai  Bigstock

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 sheikh’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.

3. ‘Eclipse’ (533 feet, 1 inch), Blohm+Voss

Blohm+Voss’s  Eclipse  Photo: Shutterstock / R_Pilguj

Stately  Eclipse , the 533.1-foot yacht delivered to billionaire Roman Abramovich, took five years to design and build. When it left the Blohm+Voss shipyard in Hamburg in 2010, it was the world’s largest yacht. The interior has 17 staterooms and a palatial master suite, with the capacity to carry 85 crew. Both the interior and exterior are designed by Terence Disdale. A proportional profile is defined by tiered decks that sweep upward and bend ever so slightly at the aft ends.  Eclipse  has a 185-foot-long owner’s deck and, at the time of its launch, the largest swimming pool on any superyacht (the bottom raises and converts to a dance floor). Other features reflecting its stature: the capacity to hold three helicopters, including one in its belowdecks hangar, a sophisticated stabilization system, six tenders, and an enormous spa, gym, and beach club. Hybrid diesel-electric engines are connected to Azipod drives that give  Eclipse  a top-end speed of 21 knots, with a range of 6,000 nautical miles.

2. ‘Fulk Al Salamah’ (538 feet, 1 inch), Mariotti Yachts

Mariotti Yachts’  Fulk Al Salamah  Screengrab

Little information has ever been released about the world’s second-longest superyacht, custom-built  Fulk Al Salamah , and it has been shrouded in mystery since first announced in 2014. Even the overall length of 538.1 feet has been estimated from AIS data. However, built and delivered by Italian builder Mariotti Yachts in their Genoa shipyard in 2016, the imposing vessel is believed to be owned by the Omani royal family. Exterior design is by Studio de Jorio, and it is considered by some to resemble more of a support vessel than a superyacht. Nonetheless, aerial photography shows an impressively large helideck, raked masts and a bathing platform.

1: ‘Azzam’ (592 feet, 6 inches), Lürssen

Lürssen’s  Azzam  Screengrab

It’s not surprising that the world’s longest yacht hails from a shipyard with 13 out of the 25 top builds in the superyacht arena. Unfortunately,  Lürssen  could never really boast about  Azzam  after its launch in 2013 because of the owner’s penchant for privacy. Mubarak Saad al Ahbabi directed a team of designers and engineers who started with the bare concept, worked through the technical challenges of what might be the most complex superyacht ever, and finished with an unusually large vessel that can top the 30-knot mark. Nauta Yacht’s exterior features a long, sleek forward area, with well-proportioned tiers moving up to the skydeck. Lürssen describes the interior by Christophe Leoni as “sophisticated, with luxurious decor inspired by the Empire style of the early 19th century.” Its gas turbines, connected to water jets, push  Azzam  to more than 30 knots, giving it the ability to operate at high speed in shallow waters. She also boasts an impressive build time for a yacht of her size, with construction taking only three years after one year of engineering.  Azzam  was last refit in 2020 at MB92 in Barcelona.

• superyachts

RELATED ARTICLES

Making waves with king benji – the 47m superyacht designed for adventures, tankoa’s 230-ft milano superyacht concept: where italian elegance meets sustainability, rossinavi’s no limits brand achieves record sales: first yacht sold just two weeks after announcement, the 24th edition of benetti yachtmaster explores lifestyle and the central role of the captain, reverie, 262-foot superyacht has 3 spas 2 pools and 2 jacuzzis onboard, austria-based design firm, design storz, unveils skia: an innovative superyacht concept redefining boundaries.

Subscribe to our newsletter

To be updated with all the latest news, offers and special announcements.

LATEST ARTICLES

The luna rossa prada pirelli power team, hetairos wins the round antigua race, éric péron finishes fifth and completes the circle in the arkéa ultim challenge – brest, intensive training session for emirates team new zealand in perfect conditions, editor picks, canadian beau lake introduces the tahoe ’14 and lugano ’14 electric runabouts, underwater adventure and exploration with deepflight’s super falcon 3s, driving performance on land and on water: 41′ amg carbon edition, popular posts, young designer of the year 2022: ioana valentina corcodel reveals 65m ophelia concept, mirabaud sailing video of the century: celebrating 2 decades of passion, superyacht the flying fox seized in the dominican republic, popular category.

• Regatta 803
• America's Cup 377
• Motor Yachts 260
• Boating 215
• Superyachts 181
• Sailing 176
• Yachts News 173
• Sailing Yachts 161

Superyachts represent the very pinnacle of luxury travel but they can vary in size dramatically; from those at the smaller end of the spectrum measuring under 100 ft to gargantuan 500-ft+ custom-built creations that command price tags in the hundreds of millions(or even billions). Here at Elite Traveler, we have been exploring the latter as we take a look at the 10 biggest superyachts in the world.

[See more: The Best Luxury Yacht Builders in the World]

El Mahrousa

Builder: Samuda Brothers Year of build: 1865 LOA: 478.1 ft Number of guests: U nknown Number of crew: 160

The oldest by over 100 years to make our list of the biggest superyachts in the world, Egypt’s presidential yacht El Mahrousa is an enormous floating piece of history. Nearly four decades older than the Titanic , she set sail on her first voyage just as President Lincoln was beginning his second term in office. 

Built by the now-defunct London shipyard Samuda Brothers, El Mahrousa was designed by the most celebrated master-shipwright of the day, Sir Oliver Lang. Commissioned by Khedive Ismail, Egypt’s Ottoman governor, she went on to play a central role in many of Egypt’s defining moments including the opening of the Suez Canal as well as ferrying three of the country’s rulers to exile, including the last king of Egypt. 

She has had numerous modifications over the years, growing 57 ft in length since she first left the Thameside dockyard in 1865.  Today, she is the world’s oldest active superyacht and was the first to pass through the new Suez Canal extension in 2015.

Rolls-Royce Reveals Unique Arcadia Droptail Roadster

First Look: McLaren Artura Spider, a Hybrid Super Convertible

Sialia Yachts Launches Advanced Electric Explorer Yacht

Prince abdulaziz.

Prince Abdulaziz is one of the yachts owned by the Saudi royal family / ©Shutterstock

Builder: Helsingor Vaerf Year of build: 1984 LOA: 482.4 ft Number of guests: 64 Number of crew: 65

At 482.4 ft Prince Abdulaziz is the largest yacht built in the 20th century and is thought to be one of the last yachts built by the historic Danish shipyard, Helsingor Vaerf, which closed its doors for the last time shortly after she was completed. 

Commissioned by the Saudi royal family, Prince Abdulaziz has certainly stood the test of time, with regular sightings on the Mediterranean. Her original interiors were by iconic British interior designer David Hicks, famed for his use of color and pattern. Since then she has received fairly regular refits, with the most recent thought to have been in 2018. 

Content from our partners

A Weekend Travel Guide to Austin, Texas

Six Senses Southern Dunes, The Red Sea: An Oasis of Serenity

A Travel Guide to Yuma, the Sunniest Place on Earth

[See also: How to Charter a Superyacht]

A+ was originally named Topaz and is the first of four Lürssen-built yachts to make our list of the biggest superyachts in the world / ©Lürssen

Builder: Lürssen Year of build: 2012 LOA: 483.1 ft Number of guests: 62 Number of crew: 79

Built by famed yacht builder Lürssen at their Bremen shipyard, A+ , originally known as Topaz, is thought to have cost in excess of $500m. 

Not much is known about A+, and her owner has never been officially confirmed but she is widely believed to belong to Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahnan, the deputy prime minister of the UAE and the owner of  Manchester City Football Club.

Her exterior was designed by multi-award-winning designer Tim Heywood, and features two helipads, while her interior was placed in the hands of sought-after yacht interior designer Terence Disdale and includes 26 luxurious cabins. 

[See more: Lürssen Reveals Climate-Neutral Yacht Concept]

Custom-designed superyacht Al Said was allegedly named ‘Project Sunflower’ when it was under construction/ ©Klaus Jordan

Builder: Lürssen Year of build: 2008 LOA: 508.6 ft Number of guests: unknown Number of crew: unknown

Commissioned by the late Sultan Qaboos Bin Said of Oman, the Al Said first set sail in 2008 and like many royal yachts, her details are held under lock and key.

We do know however that her exterior was designed by the famed naval architect, Espen Øino – the man behind many of the world’s most famous superyachts – while her interiors were created by the respected British design studio, Redman Whiteley Dixon.

The interior of the ship has never been photographed which has led to much speculation of what lies inside. As well as accommodation for up to 74 guests, she is rumored to include a mini-concert hall capable of accommodating a full chamber orchestra.

Dilbar has one of the biggest swimming pools ever installed on a superyacht /®Kyle Conlin

Builder: Lürssen Year of build: 2016 LOA: 511.10 ft Number of guests: 36 Number of crew: 96

When Dilbar was built in 2016, she was the world’s largest yacht in terms of gross tonnage, at 15,917 GT and the team at   Lürssen described her as “ one of the most complex and challenging yachts ever built, in terms of both dimensions and technology.” 

Owned by Uzbek-born investor Alisher Usmanov s he wowed the judges at the prestigious World Superyacht Awards in 2017 to scoop the top prize of  ‘World Superyacht of the Year’. Her ivory exterior was custom-designed by Espen Øino, while her interior was the work of celebrated design studio, Winch Design. She boasts an 82 foot swimming pool, making it one of the largest to ever be installed on a superyacht, as well as two helipads.

[See more: Twenty for 20: Innovative Yachts of the 21st Century]

Dubai serves Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum / ©Shutterstock

Builder: Platinum Yachts  Year of build: 2006 LOA: 531.5 ft Number of guests: 24 Number of crew: 88

Originally commissioned by a member of Brunei’s royal family as a joint project between shipbuilders Blohm+Voss and Lürssen, the build was halted in 1998. The structure was subsequently bought by the Dubai government and the build continued under the exclusive Dubai-based shipyard Platinum Yachts. Today it serves as the royal yacht of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai’s ruler. 

Designed by Winch Design , she spans over seven flowing decks and features an atrium nearly 70 ft in size. 11  luxurious guest suites have the benefit of their own private balconies while other features onboard include a swimming pool, a cinema and a disco.

Jetting off on an air excursion is easy as Dubai is equipped with a helipad for a Blackhawk helicopter while the yacht’s submarine and vast selection of water toys are housed in the yacht’s garage. 

[See also: These are the Yacht Interior Designers to Know]

Both the exterior and interior of Eclipse were designed by Terence Disdale / ©Shutterstock

Builder: Blohm+Voss Year of build: 2010 LOA: 533.1 ft Number of guests: 36 Number of crew: 70

The fourth-largest ship on our list of the biggest superyachts in the world is Eclipse. The German-built vessel   was voted ‘Motor Yacht of the Year’ at the World Superyacht Awards in 2011 and both her exterior and interior designed by the acclaimed Terence Disdale.

Owned by Russian businessman Roman Abramovich, the estimated $1bn+ superyacht was reported to have undergone a refit in 2015 and is packed with tenders and toys including two helipads, three launch boats and a mini leisure submarine. 

Her custom-designed interior includes a 183.7-ft deck and an expansive swimming pool which can convert into a raised dance floor. She also has her own missile defense system, a feature that appears to be increasing in popularity amongst the owners of the world’s biggest superyachts. 

Fulk Al Salamah

Very little detail has ever been released about the Fulk Al Salamah / ©Shutterstock

Builder: Mariotti Year of build: 2016 LOA: 538.1 ft Number of guests: unknown Number of crew: unknown

Very little detail has ever been released about the Fulk Al Salamah, which t ranslates into English as ‘ship of peace’.  Built for the Omani royal family by ultra-luxury shipbuilder Mariotti in its Genoa shipyard, her lack of outdoor entertaining space has led to unconfirmed reports that she is in fact a support vessel, used to shadow the late Sultan of Oman’s Al Said superyacht .

While it isn’t the longest superyacht in the world , when it comes to actual volume, the Fulk Al Salamah is thought to outsize both Azzam and REV (below), with an estimated total gross tonnage upwards of 20,000 GT (REV is 17,440 GT and Azzam 13,136 GT).

Azzam has held the title of world’s longest superyacht since 2013/ ©Klaus Jordan

Builder: Lürssen Year of build: 2013 LOA: 590.6 ft Number of guests: 36 Number of crew: 80

Thought to have cost well in excess of $500m, Azzam has held the title of world’s longest superyacht since 2013 however her reign is about to draw to a close thanks to the next superyacht on our list, REV . 

Owned by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nayan, President of the United Arab Emirates and Emir of Abu Dhabi, Azzam’s sophisticated exterior was designed by Italian studio Nauta Design.  Much of the yacht’s interiors –  which were created by French designer Christophe Leoni – remain shrouded in mystery but Leoni describes the aesthetic as: “sophisticated, with luxurious decor inspired by the Empire style of the early 19th century”.

Azzam has every nifty feature you could wish for including a helipad, gym, pool and even a golf training room so guests can practice their swing onboard. Like Eclipse, she also boasts her own missile defense system. Despite her stature, she can lay claim to being one of the world’s fastest superyachts with a top speed of 33 knots. 

[See more: Top 10 Explorer Yachts in the World]

REV was designed by Espen Øino / ©REV Ocean

Builder: VARD Year of build: Due 2023 LOA: 600  ft Number of guests: 36 Number of crew: 54

Currently still in build, REV is set to steal the crown from Azzam to become the biggest superyacht in the world once she is delivered. But this is no normal superyacht. Funded by Norwegian business-man Kjell Inge Røkke, REV is a totally unique, state-of-the-art research and expedition vessel with one ambition: to make the ocean healthy again.

Designed by Espen Øino , the vessel is creating a huge amount of excitement within the industry due to the technological advances she is set to offer including cutting-edge marine science facilities. The super-sized vessel is equipped with the very latest observation and mapping equipment for conducting research encapsulating the entire marine ecosystem. One of many exciting features is the 25-ft moon pool in the hull, designed to lower scientific tools and submersibles into the ocean’s depths, including a three-passenger submarine. 

REV is expected to be available to charter for one-third of the year, which will include both conventional charters as well as on a single cabin basis to accompany experts on expeditions. 

[See also: How Much Does it Actually Cost to Charter a Yacht?]

Emma Al-Mousawi

Latest in luxury, the explorer.

Thank you for subscribing to Elite Traveler.

Yachting World

• Digital Edition

The world’s biggest yachts – what’s behind the growth of the gigayacht

• Helen Fretter
• March 14, 2017

The last few years have seen launches of some of the world's largest yachts, truly gigayachts. Helen Fretter delves into the world of the gigayacht

Dwarfing not only any other yacht that happened to be on the River Eider, but even the buildings along the foreshore, the monolithic Sailing Yacht A made quite an impression when she was launched from the Nobriskrug yard in Hamburg in the autumn of 2016.

The 142m, eight-deck behemoth is the archetypal ‘gigayacht’, phenomenal not just in her dimensions but also in her radicalism.

The Philippe Starck-designed Sailing Yacht A , with her 20m freeboard, begs the question: is she even a sailing yacht? The last yacht to divide opinion, and attract the shock and awe of the non-sailing public in the same manner was Maltese Falcon , the glossy, experimental megayacht designed for Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tom Perkins.

But the Falcon was launched a decade ago, and Sailing Yacht A is just one of a crop of extraordinary gigayachts, or sailing superyachts of 80, 90 or 100m plus, to touch the water in 2016.

Besides the 142m Sailing Yacht A , another three-masted design was launched from OceanCo this autumn, the 106m  Black Pearl , which looks set to become the largest sailing yacht in the world – for a while at least. Black Pearl represents a modern evolution of the rotating Dynarig pioneered by Maltese Falcon . Meanwhile in the spring, the largest Bermudan rigged yacht ever launched, the 86m ketch Aquijo , powered through sail trials in preparation for a global adventure.

There are more in the pipeline also. Royal Huisman announced this autumn that they had been commissioned to design and build the 86m Project 400 , another three masted design, this one more conventionally rigged. A proposal for the 114m Endurance has just been unveiled, an explorer concept designed to be able to cruise unassisted for three months. There is also the 86m Komorebi , an experimental wingsail-assisted hybrid trimaran design from the French multihull experts VPLP.

Rise and rise of the gigayacht

Why the sudden flurry of these stratospherically ambitious projects? In truth, it is not that sudden – initial pitches for what ultimately became Sailing Yacht A were invited back in 2008, and pre-studies began in 2011. A decade between projects seems rather shorter when design and build takes at least five years – gigayacht owners may be exacting, but they also have to be extraordinarily patient.

The 141m four-masted Dream Symphony is currently in build out of wood in Turkey, and includes vast living accommodation, and a swimming pool that converts to become a helipad platform.

What is remarkable, though, is how rapidly the yachts have grown in size – raising the upper ceiling from 88 to over 140m in a decade. Dutch naval architecture firm Dykstra has been instrumental in many of the world’s most innovative megayachts, including Sailing Yacht A , Black Pearl , and Maltese Falcon .

Managing director Thys Nikkels comments, “Ten years ago a big boat was a very different size than a big boat is now. I can still remember when I started working in ’91 a 40-metre yacht in those days was a big boat. In the mid-90s we started to design the yacht Athena , which we thought was the biggest boat we were ever going to see in our lives, as a sailing yacht she was 80 metres on the water.”

The largest single sloop rigged yacht in the world remains Mirabella V , launched back in 2003 and since renamed (and slightly lengthened during a refit) M5 at just over 77m. Rob Doyle, who worked on the project led by Ron Holland, recalls:

“We started designing her 17 years ago now. We hit a very natural sweet spot with Mirabella and that’s why it has taken so long for other boats to suddenly go over her length and over her rig height.

“ Mirabella still has the highest ‘P’ measurement [distance from boom to top of mast] and the longest boom in the world, though there are taller masts now.

“She set a bar and we didn’t realise we’d actually set it. It came down to a ratio of the rig weight to the draught and the keel weights, and everything else to be able to carry that amount of sail and that ballast to satisfy the rules.

“We pushed technology a lot – about 16 companies went bust over Mirabella  because the jump was so massive. We were jumping from a 64m to a 75m [yacht] and that jump was like learning to fly, then going to the moon!”

Article continues below

Video of Sailing Yacht A, the world’s largest sail-assisted vessel, during early sea trials

This video footage of Sailing Yacht A shows her with her towering free-standing masts and illustrates the jaw-dropping scale of the world’s…

A look on board the extraordinary 86m Aquijo, the world’s largest ketch

The largest Bermudan rigged ketch ever launched, the 86m Aquijo was designed by Bill Tripp and launched last year. The build came…

Ken Freivokh, who was responsible for the radical styling of Maltese Falcon , also points out that after the much publicised launch of the Falcon many buyers did not want to be seen to be emulating Tom Perkins’s unique style, preferring to wait, or opt for a conservative design. After the Falcon , Freivokh’s next radical Dynarig yacht was Black Pearl , which he began work on six years ago. At 106m Black Pearl dwarfs Maltese Falcon , with a 2,700GT volume that puts her just under the key 3,000GT limit.

Surprisingly, Dykstra’s Thys Nikkels says that the Dynarigs being built today are not markedly different to the one developed for Maltese Falcon a decade ago. “In concept it is not very different. In detail there are a number of improvements that have been made.

But Maltese Falcon was – for her time – years far ahead and she proved to be very successful in sail handling and sailing, so there are not many improvements to be done. Nowadays you just have different materials you can use, or different electronics and software systems that you can use for control.”

Maltese Falcon, launched in 2006, pioneered the Dynarig concept utilised on many of the next generation of larger gigayachts.

Sail handling

Meanwhile a decade of development in superyacht rigs and sail systems, means that Aquijo ’s owner could opt for a conventional ketch rig, which can deploy over 3,000m2 of sails in around six minutes.

Sail handling routines are necessarily different – the jib is furled when tacking. “Vitters organised a nice system that keeps just a nice amount of tension on the jib sheets furling in and out so that they are not flailing about,” explains Aquijo ’s designer, Bill Tripp. “So it’s not a dinghy tack, but it is safe and orderly.

“The spinnaker is on a fast furler and furls up in 30 seconds, making gybes less complex. There is the ketch choreography of bringing the main and mizzen in, but the steering is precise and there is no need to put too much sail up for the conditions.”

Aquijo master cabin

The forces generated on yachts such as Aquijo may be enormous – mast compression can reach around 580 tons – but are no longer beyond the realms of riggers’ experience. “When we started building boats like Saudade [the 2009 45m Wally], 14 tonnes was a very big load. Once we understood racing these boats, and understood they were controllable, you can take another step.

“We were delighted when sailing Aquijo upwind in a lot of breeze that the load on the mainsheet was showing around 12 tonnes. It’s 2:1 so that’s 24 tonnes. I’m not saying that’s not a massive load, but it’s similar to what we have on Saudade ’s big sheet 1:1, and we have years of experience with handling that.” Custom built 40 ton carbon and alloy winches help manage the sheet loads.

Tripp notes that a Dynarig was never considered as an option. “What you’re really asking is do you want the ease of sailing or do you want to be able to access something exciting? And we wanted both of them.

“Sailors tend to like the more fundamental experiences, and when the technology allows them to access those more fundamental experiences, well that’s a great joy.”

Aquijo is the world’s largest ketch, with a mainsail that can be furled or unfurled in around four seconds

Finding the limit

Just how big can a sailing yacht go? Five years ago plans were unveiled for a 101m sloop, with a single 125m carbon mast, which raised a few eyebrows and discussions over whether it might be possible. Malcolm McKeon worked on the proposal and says that it was the cost, rather than technical limitations, which put the brakes on the project.

“It was an evolving process. The owner has a 50m-plus sailing superyacht, and he wanted a new yacht big enough that he could put a reasonably sized chase boat on board. He wanted an explorer type sailboat that he could go to the Pacific on, and carry all his toys with him, and not have to have a support boat.

“The design started at 65 or 70m and it just grew and grew and grew until it got to 100m, and then it basically just got too expensive.

Recent sail trials on Sailing Yacht A saw the 1,464m2 mainsail unfurled from the 27.5m carbon U-shaped boom. Incredibly she is designed to heel up to a maximum angle of 12 degrees under full sail.

“The big problem with the large sail boats is the mast price goes up by a bigger proportion to everything else so the rig price becomes a much bigger percentage of the overall build. Technically it can all be done, it’s just the value of that part becomes a much more significant part and sometimes more difficult for an owner to accept.

“If somebody came to me and said they wanted to build a boat with a 200m mast I would think well, is that really possible? Certainly rigs up to 100m and a bit more I think are possible today, but where we’re going to go after that I don’t know.”

Rob Doyle points out that sailing superyacht owners pay around a 30 per cent premium over opting for a motoryacht, yet the boats lose around a third of the equivalent interior volume. However, for him the biggest limitations are the humans onboard.

“I think we are coming to a stage where we need a new type of rig, to be honest, to be able to safely deploy these sails without killing people. I think we are getting very close to where the metal meets the flesh at the deck level where the people and the guests are hanging around.”

With the ever-increasing winch and line speeds needed to handle the huge loads, serious hand and limb injuries can happen in the blink of an eye. “There is a moral hazard there that keeps playing on my mind,” says Doyle. “We are building very dangerous machines and we have to be very careful of people.”

The newly announced Endurance concept design is a 114m four-masted explorer design with a 6,000 mile range under power.

More prosaically, the bigger your gigayacht, the bigger the challenge of just getting on and off it. “Once you are getting to a stage where you can’t get into anchorages you are in constant fear of drifting – even putting down an anchor you need a huge amount of space around you.

“So then you anchor further out into the slop and the big waves, so the owners find it difficult to get on and off the boat, and suddenly other problems can overwhelm the project,” Doyle points out. One increasingly popular solution to that particular problem is a luxury landing craft.

Too big for the Panama Canal

It might seem counter-intuitive, but it is Aquijo ’s owner’s focus on the sailing experience that has enabled the designers of the 86m ketch to push the size limits of a traditionally rigged yacht.

“ Aquijo is a sophisticated machine and brings most aspects of a 1,600GT motor yacht with her,” comments designer Bill Tripp. “But she does not aspire to helicopters or submarines, the feeling of the boat is one of use. She is for getting out there, and for going out sailing. In Greece this summer, she would go out for an afternoon of sailing in 35 knot Meltemi because it is so much fun to sail at 20 knots, as if on rails.

“We have always done sailboats that can get under the Panama Canal bridge, and the biggest we were happy to do and put under the bridge was really 46m because after that we didn’t have big enough sails for the boat.

“Then five years ago we launched A Better Place , and the owner said ‘I’ll go around, I don’t want to limit my boat because of the bridges.’ With Aquijo they said, we want to go to these places anyway, so let’s get the best sailboat we can. So suddenly, instead of having this 63m limit on the rig, that all opened up and we could start doing a sailing boat that had a gross tonnage like some of the bigger motoryachts.

“I think we’re going to see more of that. You can look at the Strait of Magellan [an alternative route to rounding Cape Horn ], as a place that’s a really long way away or a place you really want to go.”

The three-masted Black Pearl  has an angular ‘Pacman’ bow with a wave-piercing reverse sheer lower section, and extended traditional foredeck above

The wish list

Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko is keeping his Sailing Yacht A tightly wrapped under non-disclosure agreements, but a few intriguing details have been released, including magnifying windows which appear larger inside than outside, and a gimballed crow’s nest, accessible by lift, 60m high in the curved mast.

An observation pod embedded in the keel with foot-thick glass gives a mesmerising – and frankly terrifying-sounding – view of the propellers, and there’s a three-man submarine.

Gigayacht designers have come up with some imaginative solutions to meet owners’ foibles and demands. Drawings for the 101m sloop incorporated an entirely retractable hardtop to the flybridge to give the owner his requested uninterrupted view of the sails and sky.

Plans for the Japanese-influenced Komorebi design feature a live tree on the aft deck. Watersports toys are old news – now tender garages are specified to house motorbikes, amphibious quad bikes, even custom-built marinised supercars.

On Aquijo , the headline feature is the ‘beach club’ on the lower deck. “For a sailing boat it is a huge area, they have a sauna, hamman [Turkish Bath], a rainfall shower, a relaxing area, this huge whirlpool in the middle, a little pantry, and enough space for gym equipment around the pool,” explains interior designer Robert Voges.

Beach club on Aquijo.

Voges says the trickiest element on the yacht was the flawless high shine steel mast claddings which run through the interior. “It is like a piece of art. The mast was going through the main saloon and guest corridor, and we didn’t want to hide it. So we decided to make a feature out of it with seamless stainless steel cladding with integrated LED strip lights from top to bottom over two decks.”

One of the most radical projects in progress is the 141m Dream Symphony , a four-masted design currently in build in Turkey. Originally slated for launch this year, the project is progressing slowly – in part due to the fact the yacht is constructed of wood. Her design includes a large aft deck swimming pool that transforms into a raised helipad area.

This is the type of concept which seemed fantastical just a few years ago, but is now reality in the motoryachts world where designs like the 81m Alfa Nero have deployed it successfully.

“It’s a good solution because you usually have to drop down all the stanchions and any elements that are higher than the helipad itself, whereas if you lift the helipad you don’t have to lower the other elements,” explains Dream Symphony designer Ken Freivokh.

The 141m four-masted Dream Symphony

“The brief did not call for a resident helicopter that would have its own hanger – it’s just a ‘touch and go’. You don’t want to set aside space for a helicopter permanently that’s almost never there, so if you have a reasonably sized swimming pool why not use the base of a pool to just receive the helicopter, and then once the helicopter flies away you can put it back to normal operations?” Why not indeed?

No matter how grandiose your ideas, however, not even the vast volumes of a gigayacht can be entirely filled with art galleries and Reiki studios. Robert Voges explains that, like any other ship, “We have to start with all the emergency exits, the corridors, staircases . . . and from there we can work with the other areas which are left over.”

Ken Freivokh estimates that at least 20 per cent of the interior space has to be allocated to the back-of-house systems required to maintain the equivalent of a small hotel – air conditioning, waste, media, and other unglamorous elements behind the touch-screen luxury.

Edge of reason

At 12,700 GT, Sailing Yacht A has the vastest volume of all. But can she be called a sailing yacht? She carries three of the world’s largest carbon rigs – curved, unstayed, capable of rotating a maximum of 70 degrees – featuring in-boom furling that can deploy 3,747 square metres of sail area (67 per cent more than Maltese Falcon ) from a finger tip command. And yet she cannot help but look implausible.

The hull has a maximum beam of 24.8m and includes 24 shell doors.

No matter how innovative the technology on board, or how vast the expense, the elements will not bend to the will of man or millionaire. Various estimates have put her cost at $400-500million, or in the region of £320 to £400 million – to put those sort of figures in context, the bill for the London Olympics Aquatics centre came in at under £300m.

Sailing Yacht A will be ‘sail-assisted’, not wind-powered. Confounding, aggressive in her styling, she’s a yacht that has attracted scathing opinions as often as wide-eyed wonder. But what is the point of creating a gigayacht that doesn’t?

“It is a creative process with the owner,” comments Aquijo ’s designer Bill Tripp, “They have this idea that they can make something that speaks to them. They don’t write symphonies, and they’re not great painters or sculptors, but on the other hand money is vital energy, and they can create these things that wouldn’t exist otherwise.

“It’s great when someone says, ‘Life’s short, I’m just going to do this.’”

• Frank Magazine
• Denison History
• Virtual Tours
• Alaskan Yachts
• Azimut Yachts
• Back Cove Yachts
• Beneteau Yachts
• Benetti Superyachts
• Bertram Yachts
• Boston Whaler
• Broward Yachts
• Buddy Davis Sportfish
• Burger Yachts
• Cabo Yachts
• Carver Motoryachts
• Center Console
• Chris-Craft Yachts
• Cruisers Yachts
• DeFever Trawlers
• Dufour Sailboats
• Fairline Yachts
• Feadship Yachts
• Ferretti Yachts
• Formula Yachts
• Fountaine Pajot Cats
• Grady-White
• Grand Banks Trawlers
• Hargrave Yachts
• Hatteras Yachts
• Hinckley Picnic Boats
• Horizon Yachts
• Hydra-Sports
• Intrepid Boats
• Jarrett Bay Sportfish
• Jeanneau Yachts
• Kadey-Krogen Trawlers
• Lazzara Yachts
• Luhrs Sportfish
• Marlow Yachts
• Maritimo Yachts
• Marquis Yachts
• McKinna Motoryachts
• Meridian Yachts
• Midnight Express
• Mochi Craft
• Neptunus Motoryachts
• Nordhavn Trawlers
• Nordic Tugs
• Ocean Alexander Yachts
• Offshore Yachts
• Oyster Sailing Yachts
• Pacific Mariner Yachts
• Palmer Johnson Yachts
• Pershing Yachts
• Prestige Yachts
• Princess Yachts
• Pursuit Yachts
• Riva Yachts
• Riviera Yachts
• Sabre Downeast
• San Lorenzo Yachts
• Sea Ray Boats
• SeaVee Central Consoles
• Selene Trawlers
• Scout Yachts
• Sunseeker Yachts
• Tiara Yachts
• Trinity Superyachts
• Viking Yachts
• Westport Yachts

Top 10 Largest Yachts In The World 2021

Discover the world’s biggest superyachts..

Breaking records is cool. Especially when it has to do with building the biggest, longest, tallest, largest superyachts in the world. Technically speaking, each of those superlatives has its own category when it comes to shipbuilding. Number 2 on this list is *technically* bigger than number 1, which is longer. And one of the yachts on this list holds the title of oldest while also being one of the largest. It gets confusing, but when you’re building boats for people who want to break records, it matters.

Think you’ve seen a big superyacht? Think again. Here are the 10 largest yachts in the world for 2021. When yachts get this big, it can be difficult to discern a cruise ship from a superyacht.

10. SAILING YACHT A | 142 Meter (468 Foot) Nobiskrug 2017

Zoom into the future — SAILING YACHT A is the largest private sail-assisted motor yacht in the world. At 468 feet and built by Nobiskrug in 2017. She’s an advanced superyacht with unique features such as an underwater observation pod, a hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system, and state-of-the-art navigation systems.

The luxury sailing yacht’s three masts are the tallest and the most highly loaded freestanding composite structures in the world. The nearly invisible windows give this yacht a futuristic look offering no peep into the interior, which is still a mystery. SAILING YACHT A is owned by Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko.

9. EL MAHROUSA | 145 Meter (478 Foot) Samuda Brothers 1865

Fresh out of the history and record books is EL MAHROUSA, a 478-foot Samuda Brothers yacht launched in 1865 (erm, yeah you read that right). This yacht was built for the Ottoman governor of Egypt and even made an appearance at the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 (thankfully it never got stuck in the canal).

Of course, she underwent plenty of refits over the years, including the replacement of its paddle wheel engines by turbine-driven propellers in 1905. It also had a telegraph installed in 1912. EL MAHROUSA was also lengthened by 40 feet in 1872 and another 17 feet in 1905. The yacht is currently in the care of the Egyptian Navy and occasionally used as the Presidential Yacht. It is the oldest active superyacht in the world and the ninth largest one.

8. PRINCE ABDULAZIZ | 147 Meter (482 Foot) Helsingor Vaerft 1984

PRINCE ABDULAZIZ is a 147- meter motor yacht built by Helsingor Vaerft and delivered in 1984. For many years, it was the world’s largest yacht in terms of length and height. It’s one of the royal yachts of the Saudi royal family, originally owned by King Fahd. Although its interior was designed by the late David Nightingale Hicks, you’re not going to find any pictures of it. All we know is that it’s as luxurious as the TITANIC.

7. A+ | 147 Meter (482 Foot) Lürssen 2012

The seventh-largest yacht in the world is A+ (formally known as TOPAZ) at 147 meters long. With her gross tonnage of 12,532 GT, A+ is also one of the world’s largest superyachts in terms of volume. This 2012 Lürssen superyacht is reportedly owned by Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, owner of Manchester City Football Club and Emirate royalty.

This 8 deck vessel features 2 helipads, a gym, 2 Jacuzzis, a movie theatre, and a conference room. While not much is revealed about the Terence Disdale styled interior, A+ can accommodate up to 62 guests in 26 cabins, along with 79 crew members.

6. AL SAID | 155 Meter (508 Foot) Lürrsen 2007

At 509 feet long, AL SAID is the sixth-largest superyacht in the world. It was launched by Lürssen in 2007 and resembles a classic cruise liner. At its widest point, the ship measures nearly 79 feet across. It is owned by the Sultan of Oman and can supposedly accommodate 70 guests and up to 154 professional crewmembers. The vessel features 6 decks and a concert hall big enough for a 50 piece orchestra.

5. DILBAR | 156 Meter (511 Foot) Lürrsen 2016

DILBAR is a 156-meter superyacht built by Lürssen in 2016. Her exterior was designed by Espen Øino, who created a classic profile with a light ivory hull. Her interior design is said to be decorated in rare and exclusive luxury materials by Winch Design, but additional details and photos are not made public.

At 15,917 tons and 156-meters long, Lürssen announced that DILBAR is one of the most complex and challenging yachts ever built, in terms of dimensions and technology. Her features include a 25-meter swimming pool (the largest ever installed on a yacht) and 2 helipads. It’s owned by one of Russia’s richest men , Alisher Usmanov.

4. DUBAI | 162 Meter (532 Foot) Platinum Yachts 2006

Make room for DUBAI , a 161-meter yacht with a nonlinear build history. This superyacht was originally a joint project between Blohm+Voss and Lürssen in 1998. But the project was halted with a skeletal superstructure.

The hull was sold to the government of Dubai, and the project began again under the direction of the new owner, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (ruler of Dubai), and Platinum Yachts. The yacht was finished in 2006. Some of its stand-out features include 7 decks, helipad, submarine garage, nightclub, cinema, and 70-foot-wide atrium. DUBAI can accommodate 24 guests.

3. ECLIPSE | 162 Meter (531 Foot) Blohm+Voss 2010

By the time it left the Blohm+Voss German shipyard in 2010, ECLIPSE was the largest superyacht in the world. Today, it’s been knocked down a few pegs at 162 meters in length. It’s owned by Russian businessman, Roman Abramovich. ECLIPSE boasts 18 staterooms and can accommodate 36 guests.

At the time of its launch, it hosted the largest swimming pool (with adjustable depth to become a dance floor) onboard a yacht at 16 meters long. This luxury yacht has interesting features including a missile detection system (you know, just in case), bulletproof windows (again, just in case), a submarine, three helicopters, six tenders, spa, gym, and beach club. It’s currently valued at $1.2 billion and considered the world’s most expensive yacht .

2. FULK AL SALAMAH | 164 Meter (538 Foot) Mariotti 2016

FULK AL SALAMAH , translated to Ship of Peace, is a 164-meter Mariotti mega yacht built in 2016. This monster of a yacht is believed to be owned by the Omani royal family. Although, not the longest yacht, she is the biggest in terms of volume at 22,000 gross tonnage. The exterior design is by Studio de Jorio and resembles more of a cruise ship than a private superyacht. Not many details are revealed about FULK AL SALAMAH as this project and delivery has been kept under wraps from its beginning.

1. AZZAM | 180 Meter (590 Foot) Lürssen 2013

At a whopping 180 meters in length, AZZAM is the longest private yacht in the world. This superyacht was launched in 2013 by Lürssen Yachts, and currently owned by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Abu Dhabi. It cost more than $600 million to build.

AZZAM has a beam of 20.8 meters (68 feet) and an unusually shallow draft of 4.3 meters (14 feet). Exterior designer, Nauta Design created this vessel to be sleek and timeless while appearing smaller than her size. The 9,000kW MTU engines give her a speed of 18 knots over long distances, with a top speed of 33 knots.

As the longest private yacht in the world, AZZAM can accommodate 36 guests and up to 80 crew. The interior style is largely a secret, but it’s rumored that some of the wood furniture onboard is intricately veneered with mother of pearl marquetry. Other onboard features include a gym, pool, and golf training room.

While these top 10 largest yachts in the world may seem out of reach, let’s bring it down to earth and explore Denison’s featured listings . You’ll find yachts from 10 feet to 174 feet , all different brands, models, lengths, heights, volume, age… you get the point. Contact a Denison yacht broker to find your perfectly sized yacht.

Speak With A Superyacht Specialist:

Latest news.

NEWS | March 15, 2024

Brightline train: best way to get to the 2024 palm beach boat show.

Brightline Train: Best Way to Get to the 2024 Palm Beach Boat Show The new South Florida high-speed Brightline train features multiple stations, making it easier than ever to get around, especially during busy times such as boat shows. There are now stops in most of the major cities in South Florida, including

NEWS | March 14, 2024

2024 boat show calendar: denison on display.

2024 Boat Show Calendar: Denison On Display Denison is proud to take part in this year’s boat shows. 2024 has started off to a great start with some successful boat shows, including the Miami Boat Show last month. Denison is looking forward to a busy season with

Cruising Antarctica: The Call of the Wild

Cruising Antarctica: The Call of the Wild The ability to hear and breathe clean, pure, 1,000-year-old “vintage air” is just one of the many reasons Antarctica is among the most exclusive cruising destinations on Earth. Words by Bill Springer. Photography by Reeve Jolliffe. The first thing I

• Yacht Charter

• Top 10 World's Biggest Yachts in 2021

Biggest yachts

Biggest super yachts, the most expensive yachts, the most luxurious yachts, the widest yachts, list of the largest yachts, list of the widest yachts, list of most expensive yachts, list of the most luxurious yachts, fulk al salamah, prince abdulaziz, el mahrousa, sailing yacht a.

The World's Largest Superyachts are on display in 2021

It's fun to break records. Particularly when it comes to building the world's highest, longest, tallest, and largest superyachts. When it comes to yacht building , each of those superlatives technically has its own type. This list's number two is technically smaller than the first, which is longer. And one of the yachts on this list is both the oldest and the largest on the planet. It may be perplexing, but it matters when you're building boats for people who want to set world records.

Can you think you've seen a superyacht? Reconsider your place. The ten largest yachts in the world for 2021 are listed below. It's difficult to tell the difference between a cruise ship and a superyacht when they get this high. As you can see below, the German Lürssen shipyard has produced most of the 10 largest yachts and has dominated the list. Also, if you are wondering about the 10 World's Most Expensive Yachts 2022  list, you can follow the current list from this link.

10. SAILING YACHT A | 142 Mt. (468 Feet) Built by Nobiskrug in 2017

In the future, SAILING YACHT A will be the world's first private sail-assisted motor yacht. Nobiskrug designed it in 2017 at a height of 468 feet. She's a cutting-edge superyacht with features including an underwater observation pod, a hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system, and cutting-edge navigation.

The three masts of the luxurious sailing yacht are the world's largest and most heavily loaded freestanding composite structures. The virtually invisible windows give this yacht a futuristic appearance while providing no glimpse of the interior, which remains a mystery. Andrey Melnichenko, a Russian billionaire, owns SAILING YACHT A.

9. EL MAHROUSA | 145 Mt. (478 feet) built by Samuda Brothers in 1865

EL MAHROUSA, a 478-foot Samuda Brothers yacht built in 1865, is fresh from history and records. This yacht was designed for Egypt's Ottoman governor and also made an appearance at the Suez Canal's opening in 1869.

Of necessity, she underwent several upgrades over the years, including the 1905 replacement of paddle wheel engines with turbine-driven propellers. In 1912, a telegraph was also built. In 1872, EL MAHROUSA was lengthened by 40 feet, and again in 1905 by 17 feet. The yacht is actually in the Egyptian Navy's care and is used as the Presidential Yacht on occasion. It is the world's oldest operating superyacht and the ninth highest.

8. PRINCE ABDULAZIZ | 147 Mt. (482 Feet) built by Helsingor Vaerft in 1984

The 147-meter motor yacht PRINCE ABDULAZIZ was designed by Helsingor Vaerft and delivered in 1984. It was the world's largest yacht in terms of length and height for several years. It is one of the Saudi royal family's royal yachts, and it was originally owned by King Fahd . There are no photos of the interior, despite the fact that it was designed by the late David Nightingale Hicks . We just know that it would be as luxurious as the TITANIC .

7. A+ | 147 Mt (482 Feet) built by Lürssen in 2012

A+ (formerly known as TOPAZ ) is the world's seventh-largest yacht, measuring 147 meters in length. A+ is one of the world's largest superyachts in terms of volume, with a gross tonnage of 12,532 GT. Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan , owner of Manchester City Football Club and Emirate monarchy, is said to own this Lürssen superyacht from 2012.

Two helipads, a spa, two Jacuzzis, a movie theater, and a meeting center are among the amenities on this eight-deck yacht. Although little is known about the Terence Disdale-designed interior, the A+ can handle 62 passengers in 26 cabins, as well as 79 crew members.

6. AL SAID | 155 Mt (508 Feet) built by Lürrsen in 2007

AL SAID is the world's sixth-largest superyacht, measuring 509 feet in length. It was launched in 2007 by Lürssen and is designed to look like a classic cruise ship. The ship is about 79 feet tall at its widest point. It is operated by the Sultan of Oman and has a capacity of 70 passengers and 154 trained crew members. The ship has six decks and a concert hall that can accommodate a 50-piece orchestra.

5. DILBAR | 156 Mt (511 Feett) built by Lürrsen in 2016

Lürssen launched the 156-meter superyacht DILBAR in 2016. Espen Øino modeled her exterior, which has a classic profile with a soft ivory hull. Winch Design is said to have furnished her interior with unique and exclusive luxury fabrics, but no other specifics or photographs have been published.

DILBAR is one of the most complicated and demanding yachts ever made, according to Lürssen, with a displacement of 15,917 tons and a length of 156 meters. A 25-meter swimming pool (the largest ever built on a yacht) and two helipads are among her features. Alisher Usmanov , one of Russia's wealthiest citizens, owns it.

4. DUBAI | 162 Mt (532 Feet) built by Platinum Yachts in 2006 

Allow room for DUBAI , a 161-meter yacht with a nonlinear construction history. Blohm+Voss and Lürssen collaborated on the design of this superyacht in 1998. However, the proposal was put on hold due to a skeletal superstructure.

The hull was sold to the Dubai government, and the project was restarted under the leadership of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (ruler of Dubai) and Platinum Yachts . In 2006, the yacht was completed. Seven decks, a helipad, a submarine garage, a nightclub, a theater, and a 70-foot-wide atrium are only a few of the highlights. DUBAI has a capacity of 24 people.

3. ECLIPSE | 162 Mt (531 Feet) built by Blohm+Voss in 2010

ECLIPSE was the world's biggest superyacht when it left the German shipyard Blohm+Voss in 2010. It's now 162 meters long, having been pushed down a couple pegs. Roman Abramovich , a Russian businessman, owns it. ECLIPSE has 18 staterooms and can hold a total of 36 people.

It had the biggest swimming pool (with adjustable depth to become a dance floor) onboard a yacht at the time of its arrival, measuring 16 meters long. A missile warning syste, bulletproof windows, a submarine, three helicopters, six tenders, a pool, gym, and beach club are just some of the fascinating features on this luxurious yacht. It is reportedly priced at $1.2 billion and is the most luxurious yacht in the world.

2. FULK AL SALAMAH | 164 Mt. (538 Feet) built by Mariotti in 2016

The 164-meter Mariotti super yacht FULK AL SALAMAH , which translates to "Ship of Peace," was built in 2016. The Omani royal family is thought to own this monstrosity of a yacht. She is not the longest yacht, but she is the largest in terms of length, with a gross tonnage of 22,000 tons. Studio de Jorio designed the exterior, which looks more like a cruise ship than a private superyacht. FULK AL SALAMAH is a project that has been kept under wraps since its inception, but not much is known about it.

1. AZZAM | 180 Mt. (590 Feet) buit by Lürssen in 2013

AZZAM is the world's longest private yacht, measuring 180 meters in length. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan , President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, owns this superyacht, which was launched by Lürssen Yachts in 2013. It was built at a cost of more than $600 million .

AZZAM has a beam of 20.8 meters (68 feet) and a draft of 4.3 meters, which is unusually shallow (14 feet). Nauta Design created the exterior of this vessel to be streamlined and eternal while being smaller than it is. Over long distances, the 9,000kW MTU engines propel her at 18 knots, with a top speed of 33 knots.

AZZAM, the world's longest private yacht, can hold 36 visitors and up to 80 crew members. The interior design is a closely guarded secret, but some of the wood furniture aboard is rumored to be intricately veneered with mother of pearl marquetry. A spa, pool, and golf simulator area are among the other amenities aboard.

Although the world's top ten largest yachts may seem too expensive and unreachable, let's get down to earth and look at our featured listings . You'll find yachts ranging in size from 10 to 174 feet, with a variety of builders, styles, dimensions, heights, volume, age, and so on. To find your ideal yacht, contact a Ada Yacht Broker team.

Find anything, super fast.

• Destinations
• Documentaries

Top 100: Largest Superyacht Launches of 2021

By Danny Wiser

An eco-concious development, a family-friendly giant and two enormous explorer yachts, 2021 had it all in the yachting world. With a range of phenomenal releases, we look back at some of the largest superyacht launches the year had to offer...

 #76: VIVA Known for her advanced hybrid propulsion system, Feadship wowed yacht enthusiasts with the launch of its ecologically-minded superyacht in February. The owner's brief was to keep the environmental output of the 94m at the same level as his significantly smaller superyacht he already owned, which was achieved through VIVA's range of technologically advanced systems she has in place. Though VIVA reaches a top speed in pure-diesel mode of 20 knots, her hybrid system allows her to cruise at 12 knots when her exhaust emissions are treated via the IMO Tier III catalytic converts and diesel particulate filters. Feadship ensured that her air-conditioning system would be optimised to prevent excessive power consumption and that VIVA would include an effective heat recovery system in order to minimise energy wastage. With a minimalist design, as per the owner's instructions, the Dutch shipbuilders worked in conjunction with Peter Marino Architects who delivered the superyacht’s ‘open beach-house-style interior’ to complement VIVA's modern and airy feel.

#72: BLISS  The month of May saw the launch of yet another Feadship sea-bound behemoth, as BLISS prepared to make her way out of Feadship's Makkum shipyard. A prime example of a custom build, BLISS was built almost entirely with the close involvement of her new owners, with their vision now brought to life for the family who can set sail across the globe exploring the delights this planet has to offer. BLISS' capacity for adventure was made possible with the introdcution of her deep water anchor, dynamic positioning system and Polar certification. With a range of 6,000 nautical miles BLISS is likely to give her new owners a sense of freedom that very people are blessed with. 

#35: AHPO Lürssen delivered yet another 100m+ yacht packed with family-focused features ranging from a ginormous gym to a wellness area. The six deck AHPO's name translates as 'grand lady' from Mandarin. She is packed out with innovative engineering systems including Dynamic Positioning for electronic anchoring and a heat recovery system to heat the swimming pool. With accommodation for 14 guests, AHPO is kitted out with a sleek design crafted by the team at Nuvolari & Lenard.

#13: SOLARIS The biggest superyacht of the year measures up at a whopping 140m, making her the largest explorer yacht to ever be built. Delivered by Lloyd Werft, the explorer yacht SOLARIS features the largest ABB Azipod® system ever installed on a superyacht and over 2,000 square metres of glass. As a natural evolution from Lloyd Werft's flagship LUNA, the German shipyard marked itself as a major player on the mega yacht scene with the delivery of yet another ginormous vessel. Featuring eight decks and a sleek white superstructure, little else is known about Solaris and it is her mystery that adds to her allure and charm. 

"Many years from now [AHPO] will be timeless and yet still ahead of its time." Peter Lürssen, Lürssen CEO

"Many years from now [AHPO] will be timeless and yet still ahead of its time."

More news About…

Companies linked to this story, yachts in this story, more news from ..., largest yachts news.

featured hotel destinations

• Atlantic City
• Los Angeles
• New Orleans
• Napa Valley
• Philadelphia
• San Francisco
• Washington DC

hotels by continent

• Middle East
• North America
• South America

• lifestyle home
• resort & spas
• travel home
• jewelry & watches
• womens style
• fashion home
• CITY GUIDES
• BEST OF LUXE
• LUXE INSIDER
• YACHT SHOWROOM

The Top Ten Largest Yachts in The World: Who Made and Designed Them

The final list of the top 101 largest yachts in the world according to length overall, has been released by BOAT International, a global superyacht authority. The full 101 list appears in the January issue of BOAT International .

But here, JustLuxe includes five of the top ten, with images. These five entries are new, showcasing the strength of Northern European shipyards, along with a growing trend in hybrid propulsion systems.  

The largest boat delivered this year was 140-metre (nearly 500 feet) Solaris, built by German yard Lloyd Werft. The eight-deck yacht’s striking exterior and interiors were designed by Australian Marc Newson , who has not spoken very much about the mammoth project. But what is known is that it has a grey-hulled exterior, and reportedly, has accommodation for 36 guests. Solaris is known to feature more than 2,000 square meters (21,527 square feet)  of glass surfaces, including the largest panes ever built into a yacht. Glass is also incorporated in the main deck pool where the floor lights and transparent surface showcase the beach club below. Solaris is driven by eight MTU ( high speed diesel) engines with a combined output of more than 14,000kW, which will achieve more than 18 knots. 

Twenty-five meters (82 feet) shorter, 115-metre (377 feet) Apho was delivered to a repeat client by Lürssen. Trading up from an 86-meter (282 feet) vessel,  the owners once again enlisted Nuvolari Lenard for the yacht’s interior and exterior design. The “family-focused” yacht features seven cabins, including a cavernous 200-square-meter (2152 square feet) owner’s duplex suite. Fitness was a key requirement of its vision; there is an 80-square-meter ( 861 square feet) gym on the top deck. Other standout features include a dining room decorated by a wine display, and a wellness area with a pool that is filled with water warmed by the used heat captured from the generators.  

It was a great year for Feadship, the Dutch shipyard, as they are responsible for the other three yachts to break into the Top 101 –? 94.75-meter ( 31,000 feet) Bliss, 94-metre (30839 feet) Viva and 88.38-metre (28,996 feet)  Zen. 

The Bliss was designed with the mantra “leave no trace.” The yacht is powered by diesel electric propulsion, with the option to run on pure electric power, thanks to a large battery bank, as well as a dynamic positioning system to ensure that the vessel doesn’t damage the seabed by dropping anchor. With a Polar Coded hull, Studio de Voogt drew the lines, while Remi Tessier was responsible for the interior, which includes nine luxurious cabins. Built for an active family, Bliss has expansive exterior deck spaces with a large pool and a commercially certified helideck that converts into a full sports and games deck.   

With a length overall, or LOA, just a few centimeters shorter than Bliss, Viva is a very different boat, with long, clean lines that feel nearly architectural. New York designer Peter Marino – most recognized for his work on flagship stores for the likes of Armani, Chanel and Louis Vuitton – was responsible for the yacht’s beach house-style interior. Feadship also reported that the owner of Viva set a very stiff target: to ensure the yacht had an environmental footprint no larger than his previous 62-meter (203.4 feet) Feadship. One of the ways in which this highly ambitious goal was approached was to install an advanced hybrid propulsion system. 

Completing the group, Zen was the first yacht to be built at Feadship’s newest shipyard, located on an older, commercial dock west of Amsterdam. As with Bliss, Studio De Voogt was responsible for the exterior, that includes a classic white hull with clean lines and an abundance  of dark glass. The interior was designed by Italy’s Nauta Design, but little has been revealed about the styling. What has been revealed through photos of the exterior, is that it has a large swimming pool aft, a forward-facing Jacuzzi on the sundeck, and a circular, sunken lounge area in the foredeck. The bridge deck also features a vast amount of private exterior space under the cover of the sundeck. Reports suggest that the boat will accommodate 16 guests and 25 crew. 

The five yachts mark an exciting addition to the superyacht fleet and 2022 looks to be an exceptional year. Among the most notable yachts expected to be delivered is 127-meter (416 feett) sailing yacht Project Y721, which was reportedly commissioned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. It will become the largest sailing yacht in the world. Impressively Project Y721 is one of four 100-meter plus ( 4328 plus feet) yachts expected to be delivered by Dutch yacht builder Oceanco next year. Other notable yachts to look out for include 107-meter ( 357 feet) Lürssen explorer Northern Star III, in build for Canadian John Risley and the largest ever Feadship, 118-metre (387 feet) Project 1010.  

The 10 largest yachts in the world:  

1.    Azzam (180.61m) 

2.    Eclipse (162.5m) 

3.    Dubai (162m) 

4.    Dilbar (156m) 

5.    Al Said (155m)  

6.    A+ (147.25m) 

7.    Prince Abdulaziz (147m) 

8.    El Mahrousa (145.7m) 

9.    Sailing Yacht A (142.81M) 

10.  Nord (142m) 

For further information, see Boat International Magazine. January 2022 Edition

Twitter: @boatint 

Instagram/Facebook: @boatinternational

Susan Kime's career combines publishing, journalism and editing. She was the Destination Club/Fractional Update Editor for Elite Traveler, and senior club news correspondent for The Robb Report's Vacation Homes. Her work has been published in Stratos, Luxury Living, European CEO, The London Telegraph, Caviar Affair, ARDA Developments, and Luxist/AOL. She was the Editor-in-Chief of Travel Conno... (Read More)

Related Articles

Swap2Zero Cruise SHIP Project: Ponant Joins Other Operators In A Mission To Cut Carbon Emissions

A Guide to Buying Your First Yacht

The Steamer 888 Is A Stunning 289-Foot Art Deco-Inspired Superyacht Concept

Matthew Stone, Awards-Winning IYC Yacht Broker on The Future of The Luxury Yacht Market

Around the web.

JustLuxe.com and LivingLuxe are entities and marks owned by Luxemont LLC. 2004-2024 All rights reserved. Privacy | Terms

• Best of Luxe
• City Guides
• Destinations
• Custom Content

10 Largest Yachts In The World | 2023 Updated

In a world where constant change and innovation are needed to stay ahead of the curve, remaining static is not an option. Shipyards worldwide are pushing the limits to get an edge over their rivals and build the best yachts, each bigger and more luxurious than the last.

Each yacht on this list is a masterpiece of design and engineering. Continue reading the article to explore the ten largest yachts in the world as of 2023.

1. Sailing Yacht A

Length: 143 m Launch: 2017 Owner: Andrey Melnichenko

Sailing Boat A is the biggest private sail-assisted motor yacht in the world. She is a cutting-edge superyacht with unique features like an underwater observation pod, a hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system, and advanced navigational equipment.

It has a top speed of 21 knots and a keel-mounted underwater observation platform. This ship has 54 crew members and can accommodate as many guests as possible. The almost invisible windows give this yacht a futuristic appearance while keeping the interior, which is still a mystery, hidden from view. Andrey Melnichenko, a millionaire from Russia, is the owner of Sailing Yacht A.

2. El Mahrousa

Length: 145.72 m Launch: 1865 Owner: Egyptian Navy

The 145-meter Samuda Brother’s yacht El Mahrousa, launched in 1865, was recently discovered in history and records. This boat was made for the Ottoman governor of Egypt. It showed up at the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869.

She underwent many changes, like switching from paddle-wheel motors to turbine-driven propellers in 1905. In 1912, a telegraph was additionally installed on the yacht. El Mahrousa was also extended by 40 feet in 1872 and another 17 feet in 1905. This boat can go as fast as 16 knots, and the Egyptian Navy is in charge of it now. It is sometimes used as the president’s yacht.

3. Prince Abdulaziz

Length: 147 m Launch: 1984 Owner: Royal Family Of Saudi Arabia

Helsingor Vaerft constructed the 147-meter motor yacht Prince Abdulaziz in 1984. It held the record for the largest vessel in the world for a long time in both length and height. This yacht was initially made for the late King Fahd of Saudi Arabia. Abdullah, the brother of the late King Fahd, now owns it.

There are no photos of its interior, even though the late David Nightingale Hicks created it. We only know that it is as luxurious as the Titanic. However, this ship has a crew capacity of 60 people and is capable of 22 knots of speed. It can fit the same number of guests who can use the indoor pool and other facilities. The ship features a helipad on the deck.

4. A+ Yacht

Length: 147 m Launch: 2012 Owner: Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan

A+, formerly known as TOPAZ, is the seventh-largest yacht in the world, measuring 147 meters in length. A+ is also one of the largest superyachts in the world in terms of volume, with a gross tonnage of 12,532 GT. Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the owner of Manchester City Football Club and a member of Emirate royalty, is said to be the owner of this 2012 Lürssen superyacht.

The superstructure and hull of the yacht A+ are both made of aluminum. Her six Wärtsilä engines enable her to reach a top speed of 19.5 knots. It has eight decks, two helipads, a gym, two Jacuzzis, a conference room, and a theater. The A+ can carry 79 crew members and up to 62 passengers in 26 cabins.

Length: 155 m Launch: 2008 Owner: Sultan Qaboos (Sultan of Oman)

The sixth-largest superyacht in the world, Al Said, is 155 meters in length and was launched by Lürssen in 2007. The Omani royal family owns and uses this yacht. Two MTU engines power Al Said, which has a cruising speed of 20 knots and can reach a top speed of 22 knots.

Aluminum makes up the superstructure, while steel makes up the hull of the yacht Al Said. It has six decks, and the performance hall can accommodate a 50-piece orchestra. This yacht has space for up to 154 trained crew members and 70 guests.

Length: 156 m Launch: 2016 Owner: Alisher Usmanov

Lürssen created a 156-meter superyacht named DILBAR in 2016. Espen Ino gave her a traditional shape and a light ivory hull when he designed her outside. Lürssen says that DILBAR, which is 156 meters long and weighs 15,917 tons , is one of the biggest and most technologically advanced yachts ever built.

Dilbar has a speed of 22.5 knots due to technological advancements and a 30,000-kilowatt diesel-electric power plant. She has two places for helicopters to land and a 25-meter-long swimming pool, the largest one ever built on a yacht. Dilbar is owned by Russia’s richest businessman, Alisher Usmanov.

Length: 162 m Launch: 2006 Owner: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Make room for the 162-meter yacht Dubai, which had a nonlinear construction history. Blohm+Voss and Lürssen first collaborated on this superyacht in 1998. However, with only a skeletal structure, the project was halted.

The project was restarted under the supervision of the new owner, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (the ruler of Dubai), and Platinum Yachts. In 2006, the yacht was completed. Four MTU diesel engines give her a top speed of 26.0 knots and a cruising speed of 22.0.

She can carry 48 passengers in 22 cabins. She weighs 12488.0 GT gross and has a beam length of 22.0 m. It has seven decks, a helipad, a garage for submarines, a nightclub, a movie theater, and an atrium.

Length: 162.5 m Launch: 2009 Owner: Roman Abramovich

The Eclipse was the largest yacht in the world when Roman Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea Football Club, received it from the construction company in 2010. Terence Disdale Design was in charge of all the interior design, deck layout, and design and construction of the ship’s superstructure.

They made custom interior finishes for the Eclipse. The hull and superstructure of the Eclipse are made of steel and aluminum. She is propelled by four MTU engines, which allow her to reach a top speed of 25.0 knots and a cruising speed of 22.0 knots.

There are 24 guest cabins on board, interior swimming pools and hot tubs, a disco, a gym, a spa, and a working submarine. Eclipse has won many awards, including “Motor Yacht of the Decade” at the 2015 World Superyacht Awards.

9. Fulk Al Salamah

Length : 164 m Launch : 2016 Owner : Omani Royal Family

The mega yacht Fulk Al Salamah, also called the “Ship of Peace,” was constructed by Mariotti in 2016. The Omani royal family is thought to be the owner of this magnificent yacht. Despite not being the longest yacht, she has the most capacity at 22,000 gross tons.

It has a beam of 24.0 m and a draught of 9.3 m. Studio de Jorio created the exterior design, which is less like a private superyacht and more like a cruise ship . Steel makes up the hull, whereas steel and aluminum make up the superstructure of the yacht Fulk Al Salamah. Four Wärtsilä engines propel her.

Length : 180 Meters Owner : Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Launch : 2013

Azzam is the world’s largest private yacht. This superyacht was built by Lürssen Yachts in 2013 and is now owned by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi. It cost more than $600 million to build.

Azzam has a beam of 20.8 meters (68 feet) and a draft of 4.3 meters, which is unusually shallow (14 feet). The outside of this ship was made by Nauta Design to look sleek and timeless while making it look smaller than it is. The 9,000 kW MTU engines give her a long-distance speed of 18 knots and a top speed of 33 knots.

It can hold up to 80 crew members and 36 guests. Most of the interior design is a mystery, but some wood furniture is said to have beautiful mother-of-pearl marquetry on the surface. A gym, pool, and golf training area are also available inside the yacht.

Many people’s top wish lists would include a yacht if they had the money to buy one. Millionaires and billionaires often own yachts to show off how much money they have. In their minds, the bigger the yacht, the better. Entertainment firms also use superyachts to attract wealthy passengers looking for a rich experience.

These features frequently increase their owners’ enjoyment and sense of luxury. But yachts, which are very valuable from an economic and social point of view, can help create jobs and boost the economies of travel destinations while giving people a unique way to spend their free time.As of 2023, the Azzam holds the record for being the longest yacht in the world.

Out of these 10 largest yachts in the world, let us know which one you find fascinating!

Related Posts

Please use a modern browser to view this website. Some elements might not work as expected when using Internet Explorer.

• Why Charter Homepage
• Luxury Yacht Vacation Types
• Corporate Yacht Charter
• Tailor Made Vacations
• Luxury Exploration Vacations
• ALL 3,565 Yachts For Charter
• Motor Yachts
• Sailing Yachts
• Classic Yachts
• Catamaran Yachts
• Special Offers
• by Destination

Yacht Reviews

• Destination Guides
• Inspiration & Features
• Mediterranean Charter Yachts
• France Charter Yachts
• Italy Charter Yachts
• Croatia Charter Yachts
• Greece Charter Yachts
• Turkey Charter Yachts
• Bahamas Charter Yachts
• Caribbean Charter Yachts
• Australia Charter Yachts
• Thailand Charter Yachts
• Dubai Charter Yachts
• Destination News
• New To Fleet
• Charter Fleet Updates
• Industry News
• Yacht Shows
• Corporate Charter
• Charter Advice
• Why Use a Yacht Broker
• Charter Costs Explained
• Add my yacht

• Yacht Charter Fleet
• Luxury Charter Yachts
• Yacht Features

The Largest Yachts for Charter

By Oliver Pearson |   Last Updated 13 January 2023

• Share this on Facebook
• Share this on X
• Share via Email

Elegant, sophisticated and utterly mind-blowing, the world's largest charter yachts show that the only limit is your imagination when it comes to flawless design and jaw-dropping amenities. Any feature you could ever dream of is made a reality on these floating paradises, from multiple helipads and submarines to waterfalls and glass-bottomed swimming pools, read on to discover the largest yachts on the charter market right now. 

Superyacht FLYING FOX

The vessel that currently tops the list as the largest yacht to charter is the impressive 136m (446ft) superyacht FLYING FOX . Delivered by  Lürssen  in 2019, this spectacular yacht can accommodate up to 25 guests across 11 sumptuous cabins — all of which come complete with their own intimate sea terraces. The superyacht also boasts more than 55 crew, including former Olympian athletes, to attend to every possible whim.

Motor yacht FLYING FOX has a world-class, two-deck spa, PADI certified dive center, hospital, twin helipads, a cryotherapy center, and the world's largest transverse swimming pool

But this is barely touching the surface of her uber-luxe offering: she's replete with a world-class two-deck spa, PADI certified dive center, hospital, twin helipads, a cryotherapy center (the first-ever installed on a yacht) and the world's largest transverse swimming pool at the time of her delivery.

Her impressive features extend to her veritable treasure trove of a tender garage: home to 7 tenders and every toy imaginable.

Expedition yacht OCTOPUS

Dubbed the first 'true' expedition yacht , the 126m (414ft) vessel OCTOPUS showcases meticulous craftsmanship coupled with high-end luxurious finishes that makes her stand out in the crowd. After years of being a wholly private yacht and undergoing an extensive refit in 2021, yacht OCTOPUS joined the charter fleet where she has swiftly become one of the most iconic vessels in her class.

Lucky charterers can enjoy a whole raft of impressive amenities, including a gym, spa, glass-bottomed observation lounge, 15-person cinema and extensive library, as well as an expansive swimming pool on her bridge deck surrounded by multiple bars, loungers and dining areas for the prime convivial hub whilst on board.

As befitting her world-class explorer status, she also boasts 7 tenders, 2 helicopters with a dedicated hangar and a fully-equipped dive center with a hyperbaric chamber. If that wasn’t enough, the garage holds a trove of adrenaline-fuelled toys allowing guests to further explore their yacht rental destination , including a personal submarine for 8 people, plus 2 crew.

The expedition yacht can accommodate up to 12 guests across 13 cabins so it is very flexible for a variety of charter party configurations.

Motor yacht AHPO

Delivered from the ever-outstanding Lürssen shipyard in November 2021, AHPO is a 115m (377ft) superyacht that turns heads wherever she goes. Boasting six voluminous decks, a sprawling full-beam Owner’s duplex and a very striking exterior lighting design, the motor yacht is sleek, modern and provides guests with a true taste of the superyacht lifestyle. 

The building brief for the yacht was all about connecting her spaces across all six decks, with an emphasis on family. Guests can therefore expect a raft of convivial living areas, alongside a number of sports and leisure facilities, generous cabins and luxurious amenities. One of her most outstanding features has to be her sweeping waterfront beach club spa. Instantly eye-catching, her spectacular unfolding sea terrace is adjoined by a lounge area, a turquoise-tiled dip pool and a luxurious curved bar where guests can socialize, entertain and relax. 

Comfortably accommodating 16 guests across 8 beautiful cabins, the yacht is filled to the brim with state-of-the-art technology and a raft of spectacular wellness amenities. It is certain that charter yacht AHPO has everything you could ask for when it comes to creating a luxury yacht charter vacation and is guaranteed to draw attention wherever she goes.

Superyacht IJE

Boasting a length of 108m (354ft), the luxury superyacht IJE is an outstanding charter option for those looking to kick back, socialize and entertain in ultimate style and comfort. With an abundance of space and superlative amenities across her luxurious decks, the Benetti superyacht is the perfect yacht for private charter vacations. 

There are a handful of modern-day superyachts that have climbed the ranks to celebrity status – and Benetti’s 108-meter superyacht IJE is certainly one of them.

Lavish, sophisticated and elegant, superyacht IJE is certainly one of a kind. Built for a very experienced owner with the aim to be the 'ultimate world-cruising family yacht', the vessel is packed with unique features that help to create a comfortable and unforgettable yacht charter vacation. From the stunning main deck which features an impressive pool and open-air dining spaces to the sweeping beach club, beauty salon and sauna, this yacht has it all. 

Additional onboard highlights include a state-of-the-art gym, a dancefloor, a movie theatre and an elevator for convenient access between decks. Accomodating 12 guests across 11 cabins, the yacht can also hold up to 28 crew members who will ensure a smooth and seamless experience during your charter.

Motor yacht LANA

The 107m (351ft) Benetti Superyacht LANA is a palatial delight, with endless dazzling features to ensure her yacht charter guests have the experience of a lifetime. Boasting a sweeping oversized sundeck pool, a touch-and-go Helipad and an expansive beach club, this motor yacht is built for world-class luxury yachting.

Adjacent to the decadent beach club is a Hammam-style spa, home to a luxurious massage room that can be used whenever pampering calls. Additional onboard highlights include an onboard cinema room, a vast array of brand-new water toys and a well-equipped gym so guests can keep up with their fitness routine at sea. Comfortably accommodating up to 12 guests across 8 cabins comprising of 1 master and 7 VIPs. she is truly exceptional in her capabilities.

Sailing yacht BLACK PEARL

Delivered in 2018 by esteemed Dutch shipyard Oceanco , the remarkable 107m (350ft) superyacht BLACK PEARL is a groundbreaking tri-deck sailing yacht renowned for being one of the largest and most ecological sailing yachts in the world. 

Truly distinctive and endlessly fascinating, sailing yacht BLACK PEARL perfectly blends style with performance

Boasting an iconic DynaRig sailing system, a striking bow and a solid high-tech design, the exceptional sailing yacht is guaranteed to turn heads wherever she goes. Home to various outstanding onboard highlights from her vast alfresco deck spaces where guests can dine in style to her 4,000-bottle wine cellar and tasting room, the luxurious yacht has something everyone in your charter party will enjoy. Guests can also enjoy her expansive Jacuzzi and bar during the day and once the sun sets, they can head to the sweeping beach club which features ceiling lights mimicking the night sky constellations for a dreamy evening onboard. 

Accommodating 14 guests across 5 well-appointed cabins, the yacht is incredibly versatile for various charter party configurations. 

Motor yacht DREAM

With room for up to 36 guests across 22 cabins, the 106m (349ft) superyacht DREAM  was originally served as a cruise ship before being converted into a luxury 6-deck superyacht in 2018. Spacious and sophisticated, the opulent vessel is now the embodiment of luxury, providing charter guests with their every want and need. 

Her onboard highlights include a dedicated cinema, a two-level mosaic pool with a swim-up bar, a sprawling dive center and a touch-and-go helipad for quick and easy exploration no matter your yacht charter destination. With an abundance of alfresco socializing and dining options onboard, guests can dine and socialize to their heart's content whilst they make the most of the beautiful and stylish interior spaces. 

Iconic yacht CHRISTINA O

The 99m (325ft) motor yacht CHRISTINA O  remains in the top 10 largest superyachts available for private charter vacations. Retaining some of her original 1950s glamour whilst adopting some modern flourishes during her 2020 refit, the superyacht is still unquestionably one of the biggest icons on the water today.

It isn’t just her list of prestigious guests — a roll call which runs from JFK to Marilyn Monroe to Winston Churchill — but also her remarkable design which has earned her such an outstanding reputation.

As for CHRISTINA O's crowning jewel, it is certainly the mosaic, bronze-edged swimming pool at the bow, but other standout features include an elegant piano lounge complete with its own bar, a fully-equipped children's play area, and a luxurious spa. Of course, discerning guests will also be eager to experience the renowned ‘Onassis Suite’ which comes with its own oak-paneled study, lounge, and an onyx fireplace and whose walls have plenty of stories to tell.

A total of 34 guests have more than 17 staterooms to choose between onboard CHRISTINA O with an additional 38 crew members on hand to cater to every need.

Superyacht FAITH

97m (316ft) superyacht FAITH is a triumph of forward-thinking design, delivered by Feadship in 2017 and benefitting from a refit in 2022, this charter yacht is designed for exquisite indoor/outdoor living and boasts many beautiful interior and exterior spaces across her several decks. 

With a wow-factor around every corner, Feadship superyacht FAITH is the very embodiment of forward-thinking design

Boasting plenty of entertainment options (including an indoor cinema and games deck for football, tennis, padel, volleyball and basketball) she also offers extensive spa facilities filled with every conceivable luxury to soothe tired toes or rest sun-baked limbs. For those looking to unwind after a long day of exploration on the water, you will find a dedicated and comfortable movie theatre, a luxurious spa, a massage room and a large hammam. There's also an exhilarating number of water toys to whip out for when guests seek adrenaline-fuelled capers.

Able to accommodate 12 guests across 7 voluminous cabins, superyacht FAITH guarantees excellent service with an additional 31 crew members onboard to cater to your every need. 

Motor yacht WHISPER

Multi-award-winning and fitted with an outstanding number of unique features, 95m (312ft) motor yacht WHISPER is no doubt one of the most exquisite charter vessels. Featuring the pioneering styling of the acclaimed Espen Oeino, the exterior of superyacht WHISPER has been gracefully shaped in order to meet the owner’s brief for a yacht that would be an unrivaled charter choice and a premier entertainer. 

Indeed, with video screens integrated into the walls, a dedicated winter garden deck, vast spa facilities, and a multi-level swimming pool on the exterior, the superyacht has everything a charter guest could ever desire. Another outstanding addition to the exterior is the secondary helipad on the foredeck which conveniently doubles up as a basketball court, whilst the helipad on the bridge deck is easily converted into an amazingly unique and relaxed outdoor lounging area. Keen to keep guests entertained at night as well as by day, a fire pit with an integrated waterfall has been installed on the aft deck to provide just the right amount of heat for guests who want to enjoy their meals al fresco at the lavish dining table just a short distance away. 

With a total of 7 superb staterooms on offer, motor yacht WHISPER is capable of sleeping up to 12 guests. 

Superyacht MADSUMMER

For guests looking to kick back and unwind in the lap of luxury during their charter vacation , then look no further than the 95m (311ft) Lurssen superyacht MADSUMMER . She has a multitude of showstopping amenities, including a staggering 12-meter-long swimming pool and a dedicated spa, providing you with ample opportunity to indulge during leisurely sun-kissed afternoons.

With a wealth of amenities and onboard extras, luxury yacht MADSUMMER is the prime candidate for a lavish superyacht charter with friends and family.

Additional onboard highlights also include an expansive dancefloor, movie theatre, spa, gym and an elevator for easier access between decks. The yacht is also home to a Vast array of water sport toys and tenders including an 11-meter limo tender and Husky seaplane for endless hours of fun, adventure and exploration. Offering plush staterooms for up to 12 guests across 10 color-themed cabins with ensuites, including a fabulous bridge deck master suite with a private access terrace, she's the prime vessel for a lavish superyacht charter.

Motor yacht O'PARI

Sleek, stylish and truly mesmerizing, the 95m (311ft) superyacht O'PARI is a veritable masterclass in heavenly superyacht design. She luxuriously accommodates up to 12 guests across 14 staterooms all with en-suites. Additionally, all rooms benefit from lavishly large windows so guests can relish their oasis in complete seclusion. 

A masterclass in exterior design and interior styling, charter yacht O'PARI is the yacht of choice for those looking for limitless luxury.

Custom-built for world-class luxury yacht chartering, superyacht O'Pari was delivered by Greek shipyard Golden Yachts in 2020 and has been turning heads ever since. Your eyes will be undeniably wide with wonder when you step aboard this vessel. Over five stately floors, yacht charter guests can enjoy a multitude of decks for leisure and relaxation, including a capacious sun deck with a Jacuzzi, a bridge deck jacuzzi as well as a large aft deck pool and foredeck helipad. 

Superyacht KISMET

Brand new to the global yacht charter fleet in 2024, 400.3ft (122m) superyacht KISMET is a floating oasis packed with a host of premium amenities including a fully equipped gym, state-of-the-art cinema, a spa-quality health and wellness area, and an abundance of alfresco dining and lounge options to make the most of every Mediterranean yacht charter .

Offering accommodation in a lavish eight-cabin layout for up to 12 charter guests, the Lurssen yacht charter features collaborative design input from Nuvolari Lenard on the exteriors and Reymond Langton Design on the interiors.

Laden with artistic touches and streamlined finishes, luxury yacht charter KISMET makes a statement wherever she goes, and with her iconic jaguar emblem on the bowsprit she is instantly recognizable at every yacht charter destination .

In order to find out more about any of the superyachts mentioned in this feature, please get in touch with your preferred charter broker  who will be able to help you create your dream yacht charter vacation. 

Book with Ease - Speak with a Charter Expert

Our yacht charter experts will:

• Discuss your vacation plans
• Check availability & shortlist suitable yachts
• Negotiate booking & prepare your itinerary

Enquire now for yacht availability & free consultation.

WORLD'S LARGEST YACHTS FOR CHARTER

136m Lurssen 2019

107m Olympic Yacht Services 1997 / 2022

99m Canadian Vickers 1943 / 2020

97m Feadship 2017 / 2022

95m Lurssen 2019

95m Golden Yachts 2020

95m Lurssen 2014

93m Feadship 2019

92m Nobiskrug 2000 / 2023

Related Articles

The World's Most Expensive Yachts Available for Charter in 2024

The Best Charter Yachts for 12 Guests and Above

The Best Party Superyachts for Charter

Best Superyacht Limo Tenders

• READ MORE ABOUT:
• Largest yachts for charter
• World's Largest Yacht
• World's Largest Yachts

Latest News

15 March 2024

14 March 2024

13 March 2024

• See All News

Charter Yacht of the week

• See All Reviews

Featured Luxury Yachts for Charter

This is a small selection of the global luxury yacht charter fleet, with 3565 motor yachts, sail yachts, explorer yachts and catamarans to choose from including superyachts and megayachts, the world is your oyster. Why search for your ideal yacht charter vacation anywhere else?

136m | Lurssen

from $4,376,000 p/week ♦︎

115m | Lurssen

from $2,844,000 p/week ♦︎

85m | Golden Yachts

from $985,000 p/week ♦︎

88m | Golden Yachts

from $1,203,000 p/week ♦︎

83m | Feadship

from $1,089,000 p/week ♦︎

93m | Feadship

from $1,532,000 p/week ♦︎

Maltese Falcon

88m | Perini Navi

from $490,000 p/week

76m | Oceanco

from $860,000 p/week ♦︎

85m | SilverYachts

from $960,000 p/week

As Featured In

The YachtCharterFleet Difference

YachtCharterFleet makes it easy to find the yacht charter vacation that is right for you. We combine thousands of yacht listings with local destination information, sample itineraries and experiences to deliver the world's most comprehensive yacht charter website.

San Francisco

• Like us on Facebook
• Follow us on X
• Follow us on Instagram
• Find us on LinkedIn
• Add My Yacht
• Affiliates & Partners

Popular Destinations & Events

• St Tropez Yacht Charter
• Monaco Yacht Charter
• St Barts Yacht Charter
• Greece Yacht Charter
• Mykonos Yacht Charter
• Caribbean Yacht Charter

Featured Charter Yachts

• Maltese Falcon Yacht Charter
• Wheels Yacht Charter
• Victorious Yacht Charter
• Andrea Yacht Charter
• Titania Yacht Charter
• Ahpo Yacht Charter

Receive our latest offers, trends and stories direct to your inbox.

Please enter a valid e-mail.

Thanks for subscribing.

Search for Yachts, Destinations, Events, News... everything related to Luxury Yachts for Charter.

Yachts in your shortlist

• Election 2024
• Entertainment
• Newsletters
• Photography
• Press Releases
• Israel-Hamas War
• Russia-Ukraine War
• Global elections
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East
• AP Top 25 College Football Poll
• Movie reviews
• Book reviews
• Financial Markets
• Business Highlights
• Financial wellness
• Artificial Intelligence
• Social Media

MH370 disappeared a decade ago. Here’s what we know about one of aviation’s biggest mysteries

A decade ago this week, a Malaysia Airlines flight vanished without a trace to become one of aviation’s biggest mystery. Investigators still do not know exactly what happened to the plane and its 239 passengers. (Mar 6)

66-year-old Li Eryou counts each day since the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 with his son onboard, traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014. In the decade that has passed, the families of those on the flight are still searching for answers. (AP Video: Olivia Zhang, Caroline Chen)

FILE - Flight officer Rayan Gharazeddine scans the water in the southern Indian Ocean off Australia from a Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion during a search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 on March 22, 2014. A decade ago this week, a Malaysia Airlines flight vanished without a trace to become one of aviation’s biggest mystery. Investigators still do not know exactly what happened to the plane and its 239 passengers. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith, File)

• Copy Link copied

FILE - A girl stands in front of a condolence message board during a Day of Remembrance for MH370 event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on March 3, 2019. A decade ago this week, a Malaysia Airlines flight vanished without a trace to become one of aviation’s biggest mystery. Investigators still do not know exactly what happened to the plane and its 239 passengers. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)

FILE - Debris from the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is displayed during a Day of Remembrance for MH370 event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on March 3, 2019. A decade ago this week, a Malaysia Airlines flight vanished without a trace to become one of aviation’s biggest mystery. Investigators still do not know exactly what happened to the plane and its 239 passengers. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)

FILE - Two Malaysian children stand in front of a messages board and well wishes on it to people involved with the missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner MH370, in Sepang, Malaysia, on March 16, 2014. A decade ago this week, a Malaysia Airlines flight vanished without a trace to become one of aviation’s biggest mystery. Investigators still do not know exactly what happened to the plane and its 239 passengers. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)

FILE - The shadow of a Royal New Zealand Air Force P3 Orion is seen on low level cloud while the aircraft searches for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean, near the coast of Western Australia, on March 31, 2014. A decade ago this week, a Malaysia Airlines flight vanished without a trace to become one of aviation’s biggest mystery. Investigators still do not know exactly what happened to the plane and its 239 passengers. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith, File)

FILE - An office building is illuminated with lights displaying “Pray for MH370" in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 24, 2014. A decade ago this week, a Malaysia Airlines flight vanished without a trace to become one of aviation’s biggest mystery. Investigators still do not know exactly what happened to the plane and its 239 passengers. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A decade ago on March 8 , a Malaysia Airlines flight vanished without a trace, becoming one of aviation’s biggest mysteries.

Investigators still do not know exactly what happened to the plane and its 239 passengers. But Malaysia’s government said Sunday it may renew the hunt for MH370 after an American marine robotics company that tried to find the plane in 2018 proposed a fresh search.

A massive multinational search in the southern Indian Ocean, where the jet is believed to have crashed, found nothing . Apart from some small fragments that later washed ashore, no bodies or wreckage have ever been found.

Here’s what we know about the deadly aviation tragedy.

WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT MH370’S DISAPPEARANCE?

The Boeing 777 plane disappeared from air control radar 39 minutes after leaving Kuala Lumpur en route to Beijing on March 8, 2014.

Two Malaysian children stand in front of a messages board and well wishes on it to people involved with the missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner MH370, in Sepang, Malaysia, on March 16, 2014.(AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)

The pilot sent a last radio call to Kuala Lumpur before leaving Malaysia — “Good Night Malaysian Three Seven Zero” — but failed to check in with air traffic controllers in Ho Chi Minh City when the plane crossed into Vietnam’s airspace.

Minutes later, the plane’s transponder — a communication system that transmits the plane’s location to air traffic control — shut down. Military radar saw the plane turn around to travel over the Andaman Sea before it vanished, and satellite data showed it continued to fly for hours, possibly until it ran out of fuel. The plane is believed to have crashed in a remote part of the southern Indian Ocean.

Theories about what happened on board range from hijacking to a loss of oxygen in the cabin to power failure. But there was no distress call, no ransom demand, nor bad weather or evidence of technical failures. Malaysian safety investigators cleared all on board in a 2018 report, but didn’t rule out “unlawful interference.”

Malaysia’s government has said that someone intentionally severed communications with the ground and diverted the plane .

WHO WAS ON THE PLANE?

The plane carried 227 passengers, including five young children, as well as 12 crew members. Most of those aboard were from China, but there were also people from other countries, including the United States, Indonesia, France and Russia.

The passengers included two young Iranian men using stolen passports to seek a new life in Europe; a group of Chinese calligraphy artists returning from an exhibition of their work; 20 employees of U.S. tech firm Freescale Semiconductor; a stunt double for actor Jet Li; families with young children; and a Malaysian couple on a long-delayed honeymoon. Many families lost multiple members in the tragedy.

WHAT EFFORTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO FIND THE PLANE?

Dozens of ships and aircraft from various countries began the search between Malaysia and Vietnam in the South China Sea, before moving to the Andaman Sea and the Indian Ocean.

Australia, alongside Malaysia and China, then led the largest and most expensive underwater search ever undertaken, covering some 120,000 square kilometers (46,000 square miles) of seabed off western Australia, using aircraft, vessels equipped to pick up sonar signals, and robotic submarines.

Flight officer Rayan Gharazeddine scans the water in the southern Indian Ocean off Australia from a Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion during a search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 on March 22, 2014. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith, File)

Search vessels detected ultrasonic signals that might have been from the plane’s black box and shipwrecks believed to be 19th century merchant vessels, but never found the plane. In July 2015, a fragment later confirmed to be a flaperon from Flight 370 was found on France’s Reunion Island in the western Indian Ocean, the first hard evidence that MH370 ended its flight in the Indian Ocean. Several more pieces of debris were later found washed ashore on the east coast of Africa. The search was suspended in January 2017.

U.S. marine robotics company Ocean Infinity picked up the search in January 2018 under a “no find, no fee” contract with Malaysia, focusing on an area north of the earlier search identified by a debris drift study. But it ended a few months later without success.

WHY IS THE SEARCH SO HARD?

One reason why such an extensive search fail to turn up clues is that no one knows exactly where to look. The Indian Ocean is the world’s third largest, and the search was conducted in a difficult area, where searchers encountered bad weather and average depths of around 4 kilometers (2.5 miles).

It’s not common for planes to disappear in the deep sea, but when they do remains can be very hard to locate. Over the past 50 years, dozens of planes have vanished, according to the Aviation Safety Network.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Malaysia’s government has consistently said it will only resume the hunt if there is credible new evidence. It is now considering an Ocean Infinity proposal for a fresh search with new technology, although it is unclear if the company has new evidence of the plane’s location.

An office building is illuminated with lights displaying “Pray for MH370" in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 24, 2014. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)

Many families who lost people in the disappearance remain steadfast in their quest for answers. They argue the mystery must be resolved, not just for personal closure but also to prevent future disasters.

The disaster has also helped to bolster aviation safety. Starting in 2025, the International Civil Aviation Organization will mandate that jets carry a device that will broadcast their position every minute if they encounter trouble, to allow authorities to locate the plane if a disaster occurs. The devices will be triggered automatically and can’t be manually turned off. But the rule applies only to new jets — not the thousands of older planes still in service.

Advertisement

Supported by

Texas Fires Span Over 1.2 Million Acres. Here Is What We Know.

The largest fire, Smokehouse Creek, burned over one million acres but is now 74 percent contained.

• Share full article

By Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs ,  Jacey Fortin and Anna Betts

The Smokehouse Creek fire, the largest on record in Texas, has burned more than one million acres in the state’s Panhandle and continues to pose challenges for firefighters, who have not yet been able to contain it fully.

The blaze is 74 percent contained, fire officials said on Thursday, meaning that they believe a majority of the fire’s perimeter is hemmed in and that the fire will no longer spread. Much of the fire had been put out, but firefighters were worried that strong winds could still fuel powerful flare-ups.

The fire is already one of the largest in U.S. history . It has devastated cattle ranches, killing thousands of cows and other animals, and it has killed at least two people as it has raced across dry grasslands and consumed homes.

On Thursday, Xcel Energy, a utility company, said that its power equipment appeared to have caused the fire. A lawsuit had claimed that one of the company’s utility poles, near Stinnett, Texas, had been blown over by strong winds and then sparked the initial blaze.

Firefighters are stretched across three active wildfires with a combined acreage of more than 1.2 million acres, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. They have put out several smaller blazes.

Here is what we know so far.

When did it begin?

The Smokehouse Creek fire was ignited on Feb. 26, near Stinnett, a small town about an hour’s drive northeast of Amarillo.

The fire spread to the town of Canadian, a cattle-country community of about 2,200 people near the Oklahoma border, and, within a couple of days, spread further to vast swaths of ranchlands in the Panhandle.

Melanie Lee McQuiddy, a homeowner in Hemphill County, which includes Canadian, sued Xcel Energy, saying her home was burned in the blaze and Xcel was responsible.

While Xcel acknowledged being the most likely cause of the fire, it denied that it acted negligently in maintaining its equipment.

Where has the fire been spreading?

The fire has been burning across a sparsely populated area of Texas that is home to most of the state’s cattle: millions of cows, calves, steers and bulls. Its sprawling ranches are not always easily traversable by road.

Wildfires are nothing new for Panhandle ranchers, many of whom know how to transform their pickups into makeshift fire trucks to fight a blaze. But the scale of this fire is without precedent in Texas.

In addition to the ranchers, residents of the small communities that dot the landscape, like Fritch and Canadian, have seen their homes, cars and churches reduced to rubble.

Two deaths have been connected to the fires so far. Joyce Blankenship, an 83-year-old woman living on the outskirts of Stinnett, perished in her home when flames overtook her property on Feb. 27. Cindy Owen, 44, died from burns after flames surrounded her company truck the same day as she drove home to Amarillo from Oklahoma. She died at a hospital.

Gov. Greg Abbott said on Friday that early assessments suggested that about 400 to 500 structures in the region had been destroyed by the fire, and he cautioned that the number could rise as surveys continued. Officials also said that several firefighters and other emergency workers had been injured.

Is the blaze being contained?

The Smokehouse Creek fire was 74 percent contained as of Thursday afternoon, the authorities said.

The rugged terrain of the Canadian River Valley, where the fire started, has been a major obstacle for firefighters because fire trucks cannot navigate some of the area’s cliffs, valleys and steep hills.

Residents and firefighters are hoping for rain, but fire officials said on Thursday that high winds were expected to blow across dry grass and other vegetation, potentially powering wildfires.

“New ignitions may be resistant to firefighters’ suppression efforts,” the Texas A&M Forest Service warned.

What about the cattle?

The Panhandle is home to about 85 percent of the roughly 12 million cattle in Texas, the state agriculture commissioner, Sid Miller, said. But most of them are kept concentrated in feedlots and dairy farms, and those operations have been largely unaffected by the fires.

Still, wide swaths of the grassland that Texas cattle rely on for food have been charred. Thousands of cattle may have already died or been so injured in the blazes that they would have to be killed, Mr. Miller said.

Even those ranchers whose cattle had survived were left scrambling to find a place for their herds to eat. Scorched grazing land means their surviving cows may starve if left alone. Mr. Miller said a rancher he knew had 1,500 head of steer but “no grass and no water” and was in a desperate situation, adding that the rancher might have to move the cattle across state lines.

The fire and smoke could also cause health problems down the road or lead pregnant cows to give birth prematurely.

For many ranchers, the tasks ahead feel gargantuan. They face burying dead cattle, mending broken fences and distributing bales of hay trucked in from hundreds of miles away.

Starting over will not be easy, ranchers say, as cattle prices have shot up amid dry conditions in recent years and interest rates remain high, making loans less appealing, especially as many ranchers are facing a stack of bills this time of year as they prepare for spring.

Is this fire unusual?

In most of Texas, wildfires happen in the summer. But in the Panhandle, the fire risk is highest around March, when temperatures rise, strong winds blow over the flat landscape and dry grass can easily catch fire.

Climate change is most likely making fire season start earlier and last longer by increasing the number of days in a year with hot and dry weather conditions that enable wildfires, said John Nielsen-Gammon, the Texas state climatologist and a professor of atmospheric science at Texas A&M University.

Temperatures in Texas have risen by 0.61 degrees Fahrenheit per decade since 1975, according to a 2021 report by the state climatologist’s office. The relative humidity in the Panhandle region has been decreasing as well.

Reporting was contributed by Colbi Edmonds , Delger Erdenesanaa , Christopher Flavelle , J. David Goodman , Lucinda Holt and Miglena Sternadori .

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs reports on national stories across the United States with a focus on criminal justice. He is from upstate New York. More about Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs

Jacey Fortin covers a wide range of subjects for the National desk of The Times, including extreme weather, court cases and state politics all across the country. More about Jacey Fortin

Anna Betts reports on national events, including politics, education, and natural or man-made disasters, among other things. More about Anna Betts

Meet the Guy Behind the World's Biggest Playlists

J.J. Italiano—who curates Spotify's New Music Friday, Today's Top Hits, and more—takes us behind the scenes of his astronomically desirable job.

Well, that job is real, and J.J. Italiano has it right now. The Head of Global Music Curation & Discovery at Spotify , Italiano creates some of the biggest playlists in the world. Yeah, that thing you thought you born to do when you listened to the mixtape you made for your high school girlfriend? Sorry, but you work in a cubicle now, and Italiano is responsible for your background music. He listens to, selects, and orders the tracks on playlists like Spotify’s New Music Friday and Today's Top Hits along with his team.

Italiano took us along for a day in his life for our TikTok, which you can view below. If you want to know more about his astronomically desirable job, we asked him for the secret to making the perfect playlist, the pressures involved in shaping the taste of the world’s largest music audience, the role of AI and algorithms in Spotify's music curation, and much more.

This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

ESQUIRE: Tell me a little bit about what you do, and walk me through a day in your work life.

J.J. ITALIANO: I'm on the editorial team here at Spotify. I lead a team called Global Music Curation and Discovery, so I do a couple of different things. Our team brings an understanding of the nuance of music and how that can impact the product. I work on some of the bigger playlists, like New Music Friday and Today's Top Hits, and try to make the best decisions about what songs go into those playlists. That's a dialogue with a lot of folks. We have genre specialists and a lot of people listening to a lot of music. Most of my days are actually spent learning from other people about what they're interested in, [so we can] reach the best product on a week to week basis.

What's the process for curating those big playlists?

This is core to our philosophy: every playlist starts as a hypothesis. What is this? Who's it for? What do people expect? For Today's Top Hits, for example, that’s our most popular songs—but it's decidedly not a chart. There's a lot of data that goes into that. We look at where people are listening to this music, what it fits with, what kind of neighboring tracks are people listening to. I spend a lot of time looking at data, just to make sure that the playlist is healthy. Then, I make a good decision about what goes in and what comes out.

How do you choose the order of the songs?

It varies from playlist to playlist. Sometimes, if I'm especially nerdy that day—let's say with New Music Friday—I can get really, really, really into the sequence of the playlist and what I think is the best way to hear some songs. Sometimes, if you have a song that's a little bit different sonically, you want to position it in between other songs—so that it's less likely to get skipped. We're oriented kind of in the same way as a DJ, where we think about that stuff all the time.

Sometimes, in New Music Friday, there is the editorial component that’s a little bit like telling the news, right? What are the big releases this week? So, we maybe sequence in a less creative or musical way. In places like Today's Top Hits, we have a lot of user behavior, too. We know what people are gravitating towards, what's growing, and what people are starting to get burned out on. We move something down if it's been too high for too long.

So users can influence the sequence in some way.

Users are definitely the biggest influence on–I would say on everything!–but definitely on our sequencing decisions and on what goes in and goes out. That’s oversimplifying a little bit, but we're a service business. Our job is to try to make the best possible experience for our users, who have trusted us with curating their daily music. We pay a lot of attention to that.

If I were you and someone played a song at a party that was obscure, I would be like, Oh, I put that in your brain.

There are moments. One of the weird things you start noticing out in the world, if you're at a restaurant or something like that, you can tell what playlist they've got on. Or you know what playlist they were listening to to have been able to find certain things. Maybe we've taken an early bet on a particular song, then you're out and about in the world and you're like, I know exactly where they discovered this song.

At Esquire, we have to watch a lot of TV for work. At a certain point, it kind of feels like work. Has listening to music ever felt like work to you? Does it ever get to the point where you're like, OK, I don't want to listen to any more music today.

It's a tricky question because, yes, it feels like work every day. But I am living my dream job from when I was 16 years old. I'm not complaining about it. But I've got so much music to listen to. Certainly there are people with hard jobs—there are people that are making a more significant impact in society.

For most editors, you're gonna listen to music that's maybe not super core to your interests. One of the marks of a great editor is being able to recognize quality in something that you don't immediately connect to. You may not be a fan of this genre, this style of music, or maybe this artist, but you recognize that there is this audience for that and know that you're working for them. Ultimately, we're just prescribing music for other people—not everyone in the world is gonna feel the way that you do.

.css-f6drgc:before{margin:-0.99rem auto 0 -1.33rem;left:50%;width:2.1875rem;border:0.3125rem solid #FF3A30;height:2.1875rem;content:'';display:block;position:absolute;border-radius:100%;} .css-1aglugu{font-family:Lausanne,Lausanne-fallback,Lausanne-roboto,Lausanne-local,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:1.625rem;line-height:1.2;margin:0rem;}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-1aglugu{font-size:1.75rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1aglugu{font-size:2.375rem;line-height:1.2;}}.css-1aglugu b,.css-1aglugu strong{font-family:inherit;font-weight:bold;}.css-1aglugu em,.css-1aglugu i{font-style:italic;font-family:inherit;}.css-1aglugu:before{content:'＂';display:block;padding:0.3125rem 0.875rem 0 0;font-size:3.5rem;line-height:0.8;font-style:italic;font-family:Lausanne,Lausanne-fallback,Lausanne-styleitalic-roboto,Lausanne-styleitalic-local,Arial,sans-serif;} The most important part of a playlist is this balance between having someone rediscover something they haven't heard in a while—and perpetually delighting someone.

What is it like for the editor of a playlist when it goes viral? I’m thinking of Sad Girl…

Sad Girl Starter Pack! It is super exciting. It’s part of why we want to work in music. Everybody starts from that space where you think Wow, it would be cool to do that job. But if you really dial in—why it would be cool to do this job? [Because] music is about connecting with other people. When you hear a song that really speaks to you—lyrically, melodically, emotionally—it says something to you. You feel like, I'm less alone in this world than I was before. The natural instinct is you want to share it with everybody else and see who else loves it as much as you do. It's like a language. So that feeling is super intense if you have a playlist and it's really starting to take off and go viral. You're like, Oh wow, there's all these other people out there in the world that are like me. It’s a really, really good feeling.

How you feel about the role of Spotify's AI-generated playlists versus the human-made ones?

Probably the best innovations in the space of curating music are yet to come. There's something really cool and special about being a cultural destination where people can see what's happening right now in the state of music. There's another equally magical element of having a product, like Spotify, that understands you and can meet you in the moment with what's good for you. In a perfect world, these things just continue to work symbiotically. I don't think it's this or that. Again, I'm a bit of a nerd for this stuff. So one of the most exciting parts of my job is thinking about what more we can do in the interplay between those two things to help people discover music.

Do you still make playlists just for yourself?

I do, but there's a professional element to it. I keep track of every time someone's excited about something—particularly when we're programming New Music Friday, where we have everybody in a room, everybody's listening to a ton of music, and they're sharing the things that they're most excited about... So, yeah, I build a lot of personal playlists. It was in my Wrapped. My Wrapped was like, you make a lot of playlists.

You're like, Yeah, I would hope so ! It’s my job! Is your Wrapped a reflection of your personal taste? Or is it half work?

My personal taste, for sure. I listened to a lot of Billy Joel last year. You're not gonna find a lot of that in Today’s Top Hits.

What's the secret sauce to making a perfect playlist?

The most important part of a playlist is this balance between having someone rediscover something they haven't heard in a while—and perpetually delighting someone. Ultimately, if you asked 120 editors, you would get 120 different answers.

Speaking of a clear hypothesis... tell me the title of your current Daylist.

[ Checks phone. ] It is '80s R&B Old School Wednesday Afternoon. That’s pretty solid. Goes from Hall & Oates to Prince to TLC. Yeah, I'm in this mood.

Perfect. And you're in Miami.

Yeah, I mean Hall & Oates in Miami. A little yacht rock. If I go down this road, maybe I'll end up with a yacht rock evening. "A Yacht Rock Evening in Miami."

@media(max-width: 73.75rem){.css-1ktbcds:before{margin-right:0.4375rem;color:#FF3A30;content:'_';display:inline-block;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1ktbcds:before{margin-right:0.5625rem;color:#FF3A30;content:'_';display:inline-block;}} Music

Every James Bond Theme Songs, Ranked

You Can Buy Official Concert Merch on Amazon

The Best Songs of 2024 (So Far)

How Miles Davis Recorded a Jazz Masterpiece

Everything We Know About Beyoncé's 'Act II' Album

Usher's Super Bowl Halftime Show Was a Party

Jay-Z Called Out the Grammys

Everything We Know About Taylor Swift's New Album

Trevor Noah's Grammys Monologue Hit the Right Note

11 Rare Vintage Photos of Lou Reed

The 2024 Super Bowl Lineup is Finally Set

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Republicans baffled by Katie Britt’s State of the Union response: ‘One of our biggest disasters’

The 42-year-old Alabama senator is a rising Republican star but her kitchen table speech did not land well even in her own party

• Joe Biden delivers feisty State of the Union address with vision for his second term
• ‘Not fair at all’: Sex trafficking victim says Britt distorted her story

Katie Britt’s Republican response to Joe Biden’s State of the Union address drew reactions ranging from the baffled to the satirical to the appalled, even among fellow rightwingers.

“What the hell am I watching right now?” an unnamed Trump adviser told Rolling Stone.

“It’s one of our biggest disasters ever,” another unnamed Republican strategist told the Daily Beast.

Delivering the official State of the Union response can be a thankless task, as the former Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal and the Florida senator Marco Rubio , deliverers of previously panned speeches, would ruefully attest.

Nonetheless, the 42-year-old Alabama senator is a rising Republican star, widely respected on Capitol Hill and her selection to respond to Biden was a golden opportunity to introduce herself to the wider American electorate.

In his address Biden used his bully pulpit effectively, attacking Republicans in a fiery speech and inviting a strong response . But Britt’s speech, delivered with overt theatricality, oscillating in tone between the wholesome and the wholly horrific, did not land well even in her own party.

Charlie Kirk, founder of the far-right Turning Point USA youth group, said : “I’m sure Katie Britt is a sweet mom and person, but this speech is not what we need. Joe Biden just declared war on the American right and Katie Britt is talking like she’s hosting a cooking show, whispering about how Democrats ‘dont get it’.”

That pointed to widespread confusion over the setting for such a figure to give such an important speech: a kitchen.

As a Gallup poll showed 57% of American voters think the US would be better off if more women were in elected office, Alyssa Farah Griffin, a Trump aide turned never-Trumper, said : “Senator Katie Britt is a very impressive person … I do not understand the decision to put her in a KITCHEN for one of the most important speeches she’s ever given.”

Speaking to CNN, Griffin added : “The staging of this was bizarre to me. Women can be both wives and mothers and also stateswomen, so to put her in a kitchen, not at a podium or in the Senate chamber where she was elected after running a hard-fought race, I think fell very flat and was completely confusing to some women watching it.”

Allie Beth Stuckey , host of the Relatable podcast, which “analyses culture, news and politics from a biblical perspective”, said : “Ok, GOP. Never again. I know y’all were going for the relatable mom speaking in her kitchen from her heart, but it didn’t work. Just a straight, strong speech will do in the future. Thanks.”

Kirk asked followers if they liked the speech. Blue-ticked conservative verdicts included “Man, it was so disappointing”, “No, very babysitter-reading-a-bedtime story-like”, “way too dramatic”, and “the up and down emotion was bizarre”.

Among satirical responses, Tom Nichols, an anti-Trump conservative columnist, spoke for many when he said : “There is no way that this Katie Britt address does not end up as part of the Saturday Night Live cold open.”

Elsewhere, the gonzo filmmaker Tom Arnold said : “Katie Britt is so bad she couldn’t be in one of my movies.”

Julia Ioffe, Washington correspondent for Puck News, said : “Imagine you’re sleeping over at a friend’s house and you get up in the middle of the night to pee and you hear a weird sound so you follow it to the kitchen, where your friend’s mom is drunk, crying, and rambling about the national debt. Those are the vibes from Katie Britt right now.”

From the other side of the political spectrum, however, the gun control advocate Shannon Watts highlighted a darker side to Britt’s performance, as expressed in a particularly lurid passage.

With wavering voice, the senator described meeting a migrant woman who she said described being “sex trafficked by the cartels starting at the age of 12” and who, Britt said, spoke of being repeatedly raped “on a mattress in a shoebox of a room”.

Watts said : “Senator Katie Britt says sexual assault is the worst thing that can happen to a woman while encouraging Americans to vote for a convicted sexual predator.”

Last month, Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, was ordered to pay $83.3m in a civil defamation case arising from a rape allegation a judge said was “substantially true”. Accused of sexual assault or misconduct by more than 20 other women, Trump also faces trial this month on 34 charges arising from hush-money payments to an adult film star who claimed an affair.

Britt endorsed Trump last December.

• State of the Union address
• US politics
• Republicans

Most viewed

Screen Rant

Spawn's new ruler of hell is one of the franchise's biggest status quo changes ever.

In Spawn #350, history is made as for the first time Hell gets a new and unexpected ruler after the throne sat empty for more than 20 years.

• After 33 years, Spawn #350 crowns a new ruler of Hell in an historic moment that changes the franchise forever.
• In an unexpected twist, Spawn's ultimate plan involves Nyx becoming the Queen of Hell, not himself.
• Nyx's rule brings consequences, as she banishes Spawn from Hell and sets the stage for future conflicts.

Warning! Spoilers for Spawn #350 ahead! History is being made, as for the first time in the Spawn comic series’ 33-year history, Hell finally has a new ruler. This development promises to forever change the direction of the franchise, and there’s no backing out from this massive upheaval of the status quo. In an extra long 50-page issue, the battle for the Throne of Hell commences in Spawn #350, and one character emerges victorious.

This started in 2000 when the first King of Hell, Malebolgia, was killed by the title character, Spawn in Spawn #100. While there have been unofficial and self-declared leaders of Hell since then, officially, the extraordinarily powerful Throne of Hell has sat empty - until Spawn #350 by Todd McFarlane, Rory McConville, Brett Booth, and Carlo Barberi.

Ruling Hell isn't a ceremonial position; the throne is known to both empower and corrupt whoever manages to claim it. While there have been decades of theories about the identity of the next ruler, the character who actually claimed that title was entirely unexpected.

After the release of Spawn #100 by Todd McFarlane, Steve Niles, Brian Holguin, Angel Medina, and Greg Capullo, it was widely assumed Spawn would take the throne of Hell, but he never did.

Spawn Gets Brand New Costume as The New King of Hell is Crowned in Issue #350

Three main contenders have fought to rule hell.

After years of build-up, Spawn, Clown, and Cogliostro have emerged as the final three candidates fighting for power. Spawn aka Al Simmons has had the opportunity to rule Hell in the past, but he declined the opportunity to seize power. Simmons had instead become a de facto ruler of Hell, intent on making it a utopia, until his betrayal by Cogliostro . However, now it’s do or die with Clown and Cogliostro rushing towards the throne and the immense power that comes with it. Due to this, Spawn no longer has the luxury of letting the throne be left alone.

By contrast, Clown aka “Violator” has been power-hungry since Todd McFarlane's Spawn #2. Unlike Spawn and Cogliostro, Clown is a Hell-born demon rather than a Hellspawn and is convinced he’ll be the next king because of this. Given his status as a long-term, power-hungry “big bad” throughout the franchise, it goes without saying that Violator ruling Hell would benefit only him. Everything he does is for his own benefit. Not only that, but Clown has already done what no ruler of Hell has succeeded in by managing to defeat Heaven . If powered-up by the throne, he’d be an unstoppable force.

Lastly, Cogliostro, has made attempts for the throne in the past. In Spawn #9 by Todd McFarlane and Neil Gaiman, Cogliostro aka Sinn starts as Spawn’s mentor. However, Spawn isn’t the first person Sinn has betrayed. After all, he was the first murderer, Cain, with his victim being his brother. From the moment Sinn was turned into a Hellspawn by Malebolgia, he has thirsted for the throne . When he has unofficially seized power in the past, his immediate goal has been to invade Heaven. With Heaven already brought to its knees by Clown, conquering Earth would likely be his next goal.

The First Battle For Hell: Cogliostro vs. Clown

With this battle, Cogliostro and Clown’s millennia-long rivalry is finally coming to an end. They've been at odds with each other since Cogliostro became a Hellspawn, and the two have only worked together when it was mutually beneficial. Throughout the fight, Clown can’t help but brag about the destruction of Heaven in an attempt to show-up Sinn one final time. The venue for the final battle is fitting as the two fight to the death in front of the skull of their former mentor to claim his throne. In the end, Cogliostro puts Clown and their rivalry to rest.

The Second Battle For Hell: Spawn vs. Cogliostro

The fate of all of creation rests on this final battle for control of Hell. With Heaven defeated, nothing is left to stop Cogliostro, and both he and Spawn know this. Everything Sinn has done since arriving in Hell has led up to this point. Moreover, even when Spawn attacks Cogliostro with a weapon made specifically to kill him by Heaven’s celestial forge, Sinn refuses to die. To die would be to give up, and that has never been an option for him. Before either can lose, the battle ends for them.

These 1990s Spawn Storylines Cemented The Enduring Popularity Of Todd McFarlane's Creation

A new ruler of hell is crowned.

A burst of green light signals the battle is over as a new ruler emerges. With Clown murdered and Spawn and Cogliostro still fighting, confusion ensues on both sides. No one understands who could have claimed the throne without anyone knowing. Those still fighting, such as Redeemer, immediately give up. After all, nothing more can be done. There is no denying the intense power of the throne, and thus, no reason to bother trying to change what has happened. There is nothing anyone can do but wait.

Even Sinn, who refusee death itself when staring it in the face moments ago, knows there is nothing left he can do. He is moments away from beating Spawn, but the fight ends as soon as he sees the throne is claimed. Although Cogliostro, Spawn, and Clown have all failed to claim the throne for themselves, one of the three still believes they have won. This is because one of the contenders for the throne has been hoping this would happen the entire time.

Spawn’s Ultimate Plan Is Revealed

Everyone believes he is going to finally rule Hell, but Spawn sitting on the throne has never and will never be an option.

Spawn has never intended to claim the throne for himself. In fact, five minutes before Cogliostro arrives, he has the opportunity to claim the throne but refuses to. Spawn’s real plan is kept a secret from everyone, including his allies, until he absolutely has to tell someone. Additionally, he waits to tell anyone until the last possible moment. Everyone believes he is going to finally rule Hell, but Spawn sitting on the throne has never and will never be an option.

Even those who know Spawn is their last hope fear what the corruption of Hell’s throne will do to him . His ex-wife, Wanda, who is allowing herself to be tortured for Spawn to become the King of Hell, begged him to find someone else to rule Hell. Not because she doesn’t trust Spawn, but because she knows how all-consuming the corruption of the throne can be. Spawn also doesn’t trust himself, which is why he doesn’t claim the throne after killing Malebolgia.

Spawn’s plan relies on finding someone who can claim the throne without being corrupted by it. This would be a near-impossible task. In order to claim the throne, one has to either be born of Hell or touched by it and turned into a Hellspawn. Demonic beings are corruptible by their very nature, even those like Spawn who fight to overcome it. However, he knows one person who wants nothing to do with the throne, and whom he believes can resist its influence: his longtime ally Nyx . Spawn just has to convince Nyx to do the one thing she desperately wants to avoid.

The Queen Of Hell Takes Her Throne

Despite her reluctance, Nyx does take the throne and in turn becomes the Queen of Hell. Her original plan is to stop Spawn, Cogliostro, and Clown all from taking the throne using any means necessary. Nyx knows none of them can resist the corruption of the throne. She herself is a Wiccan and, technically, neither Hellspawn nor Hell-born. However, she was once a Hellspawn due to having Spawn’s own symbiote at one time. This makes her touched by Hell and thus able to rule it. The fact that Nyx is not demonic means she may be able to withstand the influence of the throne.

This Record-Breaking SPAWN Issue Set Up the Franchise's Rat City Spin-Off Half A Decade Ago

Spawn must atone for his sins.

Nyx is now far more powerful than ever before, with the Throne of Hell empowering her.

Spawn is an antihero at his core, but even regular heroes are often criticized for the destruction they cause “saving the day.” For his battle for the throne alone, he’s disregarded the suffering of those he cares about. Spawn may not be aware of the pain he has caused, but Nyx is. As one of her first actions as Hell’s queen, she banishes Spawn from Hell. She says it’s to punish him for his pride and arrogance. For once, Spawn has to suffer the consequences of his mistakes.

At least, she says it’s a punishment for his actions, yet this may not be the case. When Spawn arrives on Earth from his banishment, he’s not the only one there. Jessica Priest has also been banished to Earth despite this supposedly being a punishment for Spawn. As Jessica notes, Nyx works for Greenworld. Now, with Heaven defeated and Nyx on the throne, there is nothing stopping her from controlling Heaven, Hell, and Greenworld. Punishment is an excuse to banish Spawn, so he can’t stop her from achieving her own goals.

Not only is Spawn banished, but he, Jessica, and everyone else find themselves unable to use their powers . This is also Spawn’s fault. While Spawn was in Hell, the Dead Zones have rapidly expanded and now cover all of Earth. As a result, no one has any powers. Plus, there is nothing stopping movement between Heaven, Hell, and Earth with all of Earth being a Dead Zone. All in all, it’s a recipe for disaster for Spawn and his allies .

In future comics, the inhabitants of Greenworld and Nyx are set to be the next major antagonists. Moreover, Nyx is now far more powerful than ever before, with the Throne of Hell empowering her. She doesn’t have to worry about Hell corrupting her because she is already corrupt. However, this does open up opportunities for Hell and Heaven to work together. After all, both are far too weak to resist Nyx on their own. With four more issues of Spawn already announced, Spawn will have to reduce the size of the Dead Zone and regain his powers.

Spawn #350 is available now from Image Comics.

The global authority in superyachting

• NEWSLETTERS
• Yachts Home
• The Superyacht Directory
• Yacht Reports
• Brokerage News
• The largest yachts in the world
• The Register
• Yacht Advice
• Yacht Design
• 12m to 24m yachts
• Monaco Yacht Show
• Builder Directory
• Designer Directory
• Interior Design Directory
• Naval Architect Directory
• Yachts for sale home
• Motor yachts
• Sailing yachts
• Explorer yachts
• Classic yachts
• Sale Broker Directory
• Charter Home
• Yachts for Charter
• Charter Destinations
• Charter Broker Directory
• Destinations Home
• Mediterranean
• South Pacific
• Rest of the World
• Boat Life Home
• Owners' Experiences
• Interiors Suppliers
• Owners' Club
• Captains' Club
• BOAT Showcase
• Boat Presents
• Events Home
• World Superyacht Awards
• Superyacht Design Festival
• Design and Innovation Awards
• Young Designer of the Year Award
• Artistry and Craft Awards
• Explorer Yachts Summit
• Ocean Talks
• The Ocean Awards
• BOAT Connect
• Between the bays
• Golf Invitational
• Boat Pro Home
• Pricing Plan
• Superyacht Insight
• Product Features
• Premium Content
• Testimonials
• Global Order Book
• Tenders & Equipment

Echo Yachts signs contract for world's largest sail-powered catamaran

Australian builder Echo Yachts has announced the construction of a full-custom, 57-metre catamaran. 

Commissioned by an "experienced [and] private client", it is slated to become the world's largest sail-powered catamaran and supersede the recently-delivered ArtExplorer . This marks the shipyard's entry into the large, custom sailing yacht market.

The catamaran will have a total sail area of 1660 square metres and an "extremely efficient" aluminium hull form for "eco-efficient, long range cruising".

Dykstra Naval Architects will be responsible for exterior styling, layout and naval architecture, while One2Three Naval Architects will work across details and structural design. The team's combined portfolio includes the 106.7-metre Black Pearl , the 66.9-metre Hetairos , the world's largest trimaran White Rabbit and Australia's largest catamaran, Charley 2 .

"Echo Yachts are extremely excited and proud to have been selected to custom build this magnificent catamaran sailing superyacht, and look forward to bringing the yacht to fruition with our client, Dykstra and One2Three," said shipyard owner and director Mark Stothard. "This new superyacht will truly elevate the term ‘green superyacht design’ with its low resistance catamaran hull form, sail-powered capability and other emission-reducing technologies."

One2Three Naval Architects owner and director Steve Quigley added: "This sailing catamaran will cement Echo Yachts’ Australian build capability on the world stage for unique superyachts."

The news follows Charley 2 's delivery in October 2023.

More stories

Most popular, from our partners, sponsored listings.