Who Owns the Largest Yacht in the World?

The Azzam, privately owned and spanning an impressive 590 feet, is the largest yacht in the world. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahaney, ruler of Abu Dhabi and UAE president, owned it. Designed by Lurssen Yachts, this superyacht achieves 30 knots and is among the longest and fastest. Consisting of 180.5 meters / 590 feet, Azzam costs $605 million.

Saad al Ahbabi oversaw the construction of Azzam, which used Lürssen Yachts' technical engineering, Nauta Yachts' design, and Christophe Leoni's interior design. The yacht was built in only three years, a record for a ship of this size. Its construction followed a year of engineering. In shallow seas, Azzam can move quickly.

Overview

Azzam was presented by Lürssen as the biggest privately owned superyacht in the world in October 2013. She was meant to be 145 meters initially, but she is optimising during optimisation. Other notable details about Azzam's remarkable design include her astounding 13,000 GT and lodging for 36 guests and perhaps 80 staff members. Presumably constructed as a dayboat to reach his preferred diving locations, the monster was built for Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan of Abu Dhabi's royal family. Designed by Christophe Leoni, the main saloon has a casual French Empire style with mother-of-pearl finishes and covers around 522m². There are onboard facilities, a gym, a pool, and a designated golf training room.

Nauta Yacht Design wrote the exteriors and Mubarak Saad al Ahbabi handled the owner's technical engineering. Her creative waterjet propulsion system (two fixed jets, two-directional) drives the boat at a fantastic 31.5-plus knot, achieving a remarkable speed for her size. This yacht is 17.5 meters longer than Roman Abramovich's Eclipse and claims to be the largest. The all-white superyacht has maintained her title unopposed for almost seven years. However, this run will end with the anticipated delivery of 183 meter REV.

Azzam Yacht's Specs

The dimensions and features of Azzam were summarised after his owner’s death.

Owner of Azzam

Azzam is not just the largest yacht in the world but also among the fastest ones. It has an enormous vessel with an astonishing speed of over 30 knots (around 37 mph). If you wish to know how far a yacht can travel and at what speed, two diesel engines and two gas turbines generate a total power output of 47,000hp (35,48 kW) through four pump jets.

Several yachts are available worldwide, each with unique qualities. Still, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan hired the largest yacht in the world. Azzam is reportedly freely accessible for charter among some UAE yacht firms. Our yacht rental Dubai claims that it is not available for a charter.

Who Was the Designer and Constructor af Azzam?

Nauta Yachts and Lurssen Yachts designed and built the most expensive yacht in the world. Mubarak Saad Al Ahbabi directed the construction of this yacht. Azzam, the biggest explorer boat, had an intricate design. Designers concentrated on building a streamlined vessel with classic, ageless lines. For all its scale, Azzam has been hailed for its exquisite and balanced design.

Internal Characteristics of the Largest Yacht in the World

Designed by Christophe Leoni, Azzam's interior is still a closely guarded mystery. However, it boasts a 29-meter-long open-plan main saloon capable of hosting up to 36 people. The boat has sufficient capacity to house eighty crew members. It also features finely veneered wood furniture with mother-of-pearl marbling. While the other two pump jets have moveable duct water outputs with thrust vectoring capabilities, the two pumps have non-movable spherical water outlets in the middle of the stern.

With an 80-strong crew, Azzam lets up to 36 guests sleep on board and accommodates about sixty visitors' staff members. While this superyacht supports air travel's luxury, passengers onboard enjoy the simplicity of transfers and the chance for adventures off the vessel.

Facts about the Superyacht Azzam

• Azzam never dreamed of being the biggest superyacht in the world. The 145-meter high-speed design allowed for a specific interior plan and multiple visitors. Fuel and tenders were developed, with a beautiful exterior featuring a long, sweeping bow and swept-back stern. The design increased by another 35 meters to become a record-breaker as the necessity to maximise the structure and make space for complicated engine systems evolved.
• Two thousand or more were involved in the building. Appropriately considered a megayacht, Azzam was built in four years at the German shipyard Lürssen and is claimed to have cost more than US$500 million. Over four years, some 4,000 individuals worked on the project, consuming six million person-hours before her April 2013 launch. The builders reasoned that if one person had built the vessel, construction would have had to begin in 1737 BC.
• Azzam's brief was for a yacht capable of transiting the owner's private island off Abu Dhabi in the fastest time possible. With her top speed of 33 knots, she could traverse the distance in a few hours. Two gas turbine engines plus two x MTU diesel engines running two Wartsila axial flows generate top speed: two boosters and modular waterjet systems. They run 97,000hp overall at full speed and burn 13 tonnes of fuel an hour.
• Azzam also has two conventional diesel engines for more extended range and voyaging. She could comfortably cross the Atlantic without refuelling two 9,000kW MTU engines that generate a speed of 18 knots over extended distances. Guests may remain fit using the onboard gym, pool, or swing in a designated golf training room. Azzam comfortably accommodates up to 36 guests, and a workforce of 70 to 80 workers looks after them.
• With no pillars blocking the views inside, the big open-plan main saloon is 29 meters long by 18 meters and flanked by full-height windows for a broad outdoor view. Mario Pedol notes that creating this space without pillars was tricky, and the ceiling beams had to be one meter wide. Making sure the massive windows were completely stormproof meant the glass had to be specially designed in Italy, over 7 cm thick.
• The furniture on board has exquisite mother-of-pearl marquetry, worth equivalent to a year's global production. Ensuring Azzam had very low noise and vibration levels—even at full speed—was much work. Engineers and designers had to ensure the main salon's chandelier didn't tinkle off. Mario Pedol adds, "It was difficult to know in advance how this would behave, but it was tested in every possible way with sophisticated software, and it was not a problem." He sets up demanding targets and uses advanced tools.

Finally

After Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan's death, Azzam should soon have a new owner. Khalifa bin Zayed's family utilises the world's largest yacht for opulent events and charter. Since wealthy people in the United States and Europe can afford to own boats, these areas have the most. However, in other regions, including South America and Asia, especially in Dubai, which has grown to be a worldwide travel destination, yacht chartering, ownership, and renting are becoming more common.

Middle Eastern residents have opulent lives. For example, the opulent leaders of Dubai and Abu Dhabi own the most yachts worldwide. The Sheikh of Abu Dhabi owns the largest yacht in the world. One-third (33%) of the top 200 superyachts belong to millionaires and billionaires from the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Uzbekistan, and Russia.