Floating Luxury: 7 of The World's Largest Superyachts - Objects of luxury

Helipads and pools are customary, and some have everything from discos to movie theaters.

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While your average yacht measures from about 33 to 80 feet, a superyacht is, if the name is any indication, expectedly bigger. The Azzam, for example, is the world’s largest at 592 feet. With no expenses spared, the world’s richest tap global shipyards and renowned designers to build them the floating playgrounds of their dreams. 

From a privately owned yacht that serves as an expedition vessel to a country’s national superyacht, here are seven of the world’s most gargantuan luxury watercrafts, their amenities, and the interesting stories behind their conceptualization.

Octopus (414 feet)

German shipbuilding company Lürssen originally built the Octopus for Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. The custom yacht with a length of 414 feet is also an expedition vessel. With that, all the amenities of a superyacht are included, such as helicopter pads and seven yacht tenders while it can sail the earth for exploration.

The yacht, which was completed in 2013, required design teams from the US and the French Riviera. Monaco-based yacht firm Espen Øino was tapped to draw the exteriors while American designer Jonathan Quinn Barnett executed the Octopus’ interiors.

Serene (439.3 feet)

The Serene was Fincantier’s pilot product for the superyacht segment. Its cut-out exteriors are another creation of Espen Øino, while its interior design is by Pascale Reymond of award-winning firm Reymond Langton Design.

The notable firms birthed a superyacht with curved balconies, a large swimming pool, two helipads, and even a hangar for helicopter storage. Its twelve cabins are large enough to accommodate 24 guests and require a yacht crew of 64. The owner of the 439.3 feet Serene is Russian; however, the name is undisclosed. 

El Mahrousa  (478 feet)

The historic Samuda Brothers originally built the world’s oldest superyacht in the United Kingdom for Khedive Ismail, the Ottoman governor of Egypt. It was even present in the Suez Canal’s opening in 1869.

Nowadays, El Mahrousa serves as Egypt’s presidential yacht and is under the care of the Egyptian Navy. Since its completion in 1854, El Mahrousa has seen modifications over the years, including 57 feet lengthening and an installation of turbine-driven propellers. 

Dilbar (511 feet)

The superyacht owned by Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov is the world’s largest by gross tonnage at 15,917 tons.  According to Lurssen, its building company, Dilbar is one of “the most complex and challenging yachts ever built.” Dilbar features a 25-meter swimming pool, the largest pool that’s been installed into a yacht.

Other recreation amenities include a movie theater, sauna, massage room, and a bar. Despite its ground-breaking features, the Espen Øino designed exteriors were drawn to remain classic.

Dubai (531 feet)

More than 10 years before its launch, Dubai was initially built for Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei. However, the Prince halted the project in 1998 while its skeletal structure was just being built. It was then sold to the Dubai government under the instructions of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktom.  

Since then, the development of the 531.1-foot superyacht continued and finished in 2006. Currently, Dubai is the city’s royal yacht, and its seven decks can accommodate 24 guests. It features a disco, cinema, helicopter pad, and even a submarine garage.

Eclipse (533 feet)

Russian-Israeli billionaire Roman Abramovich owns the superyacht that took five years to build. When it was launched by builders Blohm+Voss’ Hamburg shipyard in 2010, Eclipse unintentionally became the world’s largest yacht at the time. 

According to designer Terry Disdale, Abramovich “didn’t care” about breaking records, but the tycoon specifically wanted a helicopter hangar, a large pool, low bulwarks, and oversized windows. As a result, the Eclipse features the biggest swimming pool and a 185-foot owner’s deck from its launch. In the conversation with Boat International, Disdale added that the billionaire gave him free rein in design, and he decided on a muted and timeless aesthetic. 

Azzam (592 feet)

Surprisingly, since its conceptualization stage, the world’s longest superyacht was originally designed to be 475 feet overall. However, to accommodate enough space for complex engine systems and structure optimization, Azzam finished off at an immense 592 feet. It took over 4,000 people to build the gigayacht with 6 million hours of collective work to complete. 

Although Azzam’s owner is undisclosed, it was engineer Mubarak Saad al Ahbabi who gathered and directed the team who completed it by 2013. The record-breaking product was built by Lussern, interiors designed by Christophe Leoni, and exteriors executed by Nauta Yachts. It costs an annual $60 million to keep Azzam in mint condition. 

Banner photo from @oc_superyachts on IG

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