What are the Largest Yachts in the World?
Commonly referred to as megayachts, these vessels are the pinnacle of luxury engineering and design. The term megayacht is sometimes used interchangeably with superyacht. However, those who make the distinction point to size as a differentiator. Megayachts are typically no shorter than 80 meters (260 feet), while a superyacht is no shorter than 24 meters (78 feet). All megayachts are superyachts, but not all superyachts are megayachts.
Each superyacht is one of a kind and completely unique. The differences relate to the size, the builder, the year of construction, the exterior and interior designer, and the types of amenities on board. Some favored luxury amenities include: wellness centers, swimming pools, private cinemas, beach clubs, a helicopter deck, sports courts, and a private owner’s deck.
Only the world’s richest and most elite can purchase megayachts. In fact, most of these vessels are owned by Royal Families. For example, the Al Nahyan family, rulers of Abu Dhabi, own four of the world’s largest megayachts and the Sultan of Oman owns two.
Read on to discover our official list of the top 6 largest, privately owned yachts in the world.
Azzam – 180.6 m (592.5 ft)
Azzam was constructed in the fall of 2013 by Lürssen, a German shipyard with headquarters in Bremen. Lürssen also develops naval architecture and has produced over 66 superyachts. Azzam was designed by Nauta Design, and interiorly by Christophe Leoni. She is built with a teak deck, a steel hull, and an aluminum superstructure.
Being the prodigy she is, Azzam was originally designed to be 145m, but she grew to be 35m over this. She is one of 62 motor yachts longer than 100m. Compared to similarly sized motor yachts, her top speed is 11.52 knots above the average, and her volume is 5865.88 GT above the average.
Quick Specs:
- Top Speed: 31.5 kn
- Gross Tonnage: 13,136 GT
- Beam: 20m
- Year: 2013
- Builder: Lürssen
- Exterior Designer: Nauta Design
- Interior Design: Christophe Leoni
- Price: US $600 million
Fulk Al Salamah – 164 m (535.0 ft)
Custom-built by the Italian builder Mariotti Yachts in 2016, Fulk Al Salamah is the second-largest superyacht in the world. She is currently in service with the Oman Royal Yacht Squadron, which is the Sultan of Oman’s personal fleet of luxury VIP vessels.
Fulk Al Salamah translates to “Ship of Peace” and joined the Lürssen superyacht Al Said in the capital Muscat as part of the royal fleet. She can hold a total of 40 guests and 100 crew members.
Quick Specs:
- Top Speed: 22.5 kn
- Gross Tonnage: 20,361 GT
- Beam: 24 m
- Year: 2016
- Builder: Mariotti Yachts
- Exterior Designer: Studio de Jorio
- Price: US $500 million
Eclipse – 162.5 m (533.1 ft)
Beginning her construction 5 years prior, Eclipse left the Blohm+Voss yard in Hamburg on December 9, 2010, to take her place as one of the largest yachts in the world. Both her exterior and interior were designed by London-based Terence Disdale Design, who was also responsible for all aspects of aesthetic layout, including the superstructure design, deck layouts, interior design, and construction supervision.
Eclipse features a diesel-electric propulsion system with generators powering rotating Azipod drives. Her accommodation includes an owner’s deck of 56 meters in length. The interior boasts hundreds of custom finishes exclusively developed for this project, while her deck areas include a 16-meter swimming pool, whose base can be raised to transform the area into a dance floor. The yacht can also accommodate three helicopters, one on each of the two helipads and the third in a storage hangar below the foredeck.
Eclipse was voted Motor Yacht of the Year at the World Superyacht Awards in 2011.
Quick Specs:
- Top Speed: 21.5 kn
- Gross Tonnage: 13,500 GT
- Beam: 22 m
- Year: 2010
- Builder: Blohm+Voss
- Exterior Designer: Terence Disdale
- Interior Design: Terence Disdale
- Price: US $700 million
Dubai – 162 m (531.5 ft)
The story behind Dubai is nothing short of unique. The Blohm & Voss project was initially commissioned by Prince Jefri of Brunei; however, construction of the partially completed vessel was suspended in 1998. Eventually, the unfinished boat was sold to the Dubai government, and Kostis Antonopoulos, of Platinum Yachts, took responsibility. The megayacht was completed in 2006.
This royal megayacht belongs to Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum of Dubai. Amenities include a 21.3m-wide atrium, a swimming pool, a barbecue area, a cinema, disco, a landing platform for a Blackhawk helicopter, a gymnasium, and a garage for the yacht’s submarine and a vast array of water toys.
Quick Specs:
- Top Speed: 26 kn
- Gross Tonnage: 12,488 GT
- Beam: 22 m
- Year: 2006
- Builder: Platinum
- Exterior Designer: Winch Design
- Interior Design: Nakheel Interiors, Winch Design
- Price: US $500 million
Blue – 160 m (524.9 ft)
Blue is a powerful German-built megayacht that was completed in 2022. She has four diesel-electric engines and is currently sailing under the Cayman Islands flag, the 2nd most popular flag state for superyachts. Owned by the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mansour, Blue is known to be an active megayacht and has most recently been spotted cruising near Egypt.
She is also equipped with an innovative after-treatment system and a wastewater treatment plan which allows wastewater to be safely disposed of in “drinking water quality”. She is built with a teak deck, a steel hull, and an aluminum superstructure.
Quick Specs:
- Gross Tonnage: 14,785 GT
- Beam: 22.5 m
- Year: 2022
- Builder: Lürssen
- Exterior Designer: Terence Disdale
- Interior Design: Terence Disdale
- Price: US $600 million
Dilbar – 156 m (511.8 ft)
Dilbar’s gross tonnage is well over 15,000 GT, making her #1 for total amount of internal volume. She was delivered in the Mediterranean for her owner, the Uzbekistani billionaire Alisher Usmanov in 2016. She replaced Usmanov’s previous yacht of the same name, which has since been renamed Ona. She is usually spotted cruising around the South of France, northern Spain, and sometimes Cyprus.
Dilbar is a SOLAS-class vessel, which stands for “Safety Of Life At Sea”. It is an international maritime treaty, also known as the SOLAS Convention or International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), which establishes the least safety measures in the construction, equipment, and operation of merchant ships. She has a 180 cubic meter swimming pool and her 30,000KW electric diesel power plant.
Quick Specs:
- Top Speed: 22.5 kn
- Gross Tonnage: 15,917 GT
- Beam: 23.5 m
- Year: 2016
- Builder: Lürssen
- Exterior Designer: Espen Oeino International
- Interior Design: Winch Design
- Price: US $600 million
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