What comes to mind when you hear the word yacht all of a sudden? Personally, I believe that they are the second-largest symbol of luxury after private jets. Imagine them as floating mansions that represent luxury in its entirety. Super yachts, mega yachts, private yachts, and charter yachts are a few of the several types of yachts that currently exist. Each of these types of yachts may be found in the Middle East, and we’ll examine the most opulent ones that Arabs in the region own.
Katara
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the former Prince of Qatar, is the owner of this $400 million superyacht. Right now, it’s ranked as the 23rd-largest yacht in the world. However, if it was judged on volume, she would come in even higher, having room for between 28 and 35 passengers in addition to 60 and 90 crew members. In 2016, while she was docked in Montenegro, there was a little fire in the engine room, according to YachtBible. Despite the fact that the fire was little and could be put out in less than 15 minutes, she was nonetheless taken to Lurssen Yachts in Hamburg for internal renovations.
Serene
Originally, this yacht was built for a Russian tycoon, but Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia fell in love with it and he purchased it for $650 million. Built by one of the most famous Italian shipyards, Fincantieri, in 2011, Serene provides accommodation for 24 guests in 12 cabins. It includes two helipads, an indoor climbing wall, a fully equipped spa, three swimming pools, and an underwater viewing room plus space for a large submarine. This beauty is considered one of the largest yachts in the world; at the time of her creation it was placed as the ninth largest yacht in the world.
Al Salamah
The German shipbuilder HDW placed an order for the yacht Al Salamah in 1998. It was mainly built for the previous Saudi defense minister, Prince Sultan Al Saud. It has a crew of 94 and can house an extra 56 staff members for a total crew of 150, also, it can seat 40 guests in 22 cabins. A car garage, three hospitals (one for the owners, one for visitors, and one for the crew), and a hair salon are just a few of its unique amenities. The yacht was put up for sale for $280 million following the death of Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud in 2011, but was later given as a gift to Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
Azzam
Business Insider claims that the Azzam is the biggest superyacht in the world. Its construction took four years and was reported to have cost $600 million. Even the 533-foot superyacht Eclipse, owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, which had previously held the title of largest yacht in the world, was overtaken by Azzam. The president of the UAE, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan is now the lucky owner, with its 94,000 horsepower, the boat has hit a speed of 31.5 knots, or about 37 miles per hour, which is believed to be the fastest speed for a yacht longer than 300 feet.
Topaz
Owned by the deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Topaz is thought to be worth $525 million. With a length of 147 meters, it is among the biggest yachts in the world, there are two helipads, plus of course a swimming pool. The boat, which ranks as the fifth-largest yacht in the world, was launched in May 2012 by the renowned German shipyard Lurssen. Topaz is a displacement yacht with two engines, each with 7,990 horsepower, that can propel it to a top speed of 25 knots and a cruising speed of 23 knots.
According to Superyacht Builders Association (SYBAss), 193 superyachts, or 12 percent of the global fleet of yachts over 40 meters in length are owned by people from the Middle East with an average length of 63 meters – the highest in the world.
