1) Azzam – 180m – R6 billion

As well as being the largest yacht in the world at an unprecedented 180 metres and still being able to reach top speeds of over 30 knots, she also adds another record in regards to building time having spent a mere three years in build following one year of engineering. Here is a video of a helicopter landing on Azzam.

Ownership of the £400million craft is shrouded in secrecy but it is rumoured to have been paid for by a member of the Saudi royal family, Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud.

2) Eclipse – 164m – R7.9 billion

Eclipse is a 164 metre motor yacht owned by Russian businessman Roman Abramovich. Eclipse can sleep up to a maximum of 36 guests in her supremely luxurious eighteen stateroom layout which features a master stateroom as well as seventeen VIP staterooms. Accommodation includes an owner’s deck of 56m in length and facilities for up to 92 crew and owner’s personal staff. Deck areas include a 16m swimming pool, the largest on any yacht, 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 fore deck.

3) Dubai – 162m – R3.4 billion

Originally commissioned by Prince Jefri of Brunei, the project was suspended in 1998 with just the bare hull and partially complete superstructure. It was eventually sold to the Dubai government, and is now the royal yacht of Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum.

Dubai accommodates 24 guests and features a swimming pool, a cinema, a disco, a gymnasium, a landing platform for a Blackhawk helicopter and a garage for the yacht’s submarine. At a total cost of about $350 million and with eight decks, the Dubai includes a crew of 88. 

She has a maximum speed of 26 knots and a cruising speed of 25 knots with a range of 8,500 nautical miles.

4) Al Saïd – 155m – R2.9 billion

Shrouded in secrecy, little is known about this huge, beige-painted yacht that was formerly codenamed Sunflower by her builder, Lürssen. Named Al Saïd at her launch, she was delivered to her owner, the Sultan Qaboos bin Sa‘id Al Saïd of Oman, in March 2008.

She has six decks and features a helipad, a cinema and a concert hall that can accommodate a 50-strong orchestra. Her majestic interior, classically panelled in wood, offers huge entertaining and reception spaces and can accommodate 65 guests. She is reported to have a complement of 150 crew.

5) Topaz – 147m – R5 billion

Topaz was technically launched mid May 2012 when she emerged from her floating shed at Lürssen yard. The yacht was built for Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirate. Very little is known about the motor yacht although she has a length of 147.25m with a beam of 21.5m.

6) Prince Abdulaziz – 147m – R1.8 billion

Prince Abdulaziz (formerly Abdulaziz) is a 147m (482’3″ft) motor yacht, custom built in 1984 by Helsingor Vaerft in Denmark, with her interior designed by David Hicks. She offers accommodation for up to 64 guests and is also capable of carrying up to 65 crew onboard to ensure a relaxed luxury yacht experience. She was last refitted in 2005. The first owner was the King of Saudi Arabia Fahd of Saudi Arabia. After his death in 2005 ownership passed to his half brother Abdullah ibn Abd al-Aziz

This custom yacht is 22.00 knots flat out, with a cruising speed of 182.00 knots and is equipped with an ultra-modern stabilization system which reduces roll motion effect and results in a smoother more enjoyable cruising experience.

7) El Horriya – 145.7m – Price Unknown

Originally built in 1865 for the Ottoman governor of Egypt, Khedive Ismail, this historic yacht was present at the opening ceremony of the Suez Canal in 1869, when she was used to receive visiting dignitaries. She was lengthened by 12.1m in 1872, when her paddle wheels were removed, and by a further 5.2m in 1905. She was last refitted in 1987.

El Horriya was the Egyptian representative at the Bicentennial Fleet Review in New York harbour in 1976, after which she slipped into disrepair while being used as a museum ship. In 1992 a major effort was put into making her seaworthy enough to travel to Italy for the Christopher Columbus Fleet Review. She now serves as the Presidential Yacht but is seldom seen in public. She is usually berthed in Alexandria, where she is cared for by the Egyptian Navy, which lists her as a training ship.

8) Yas – 141m – Price Unknown

A massive 141 metre superyacht, the ‘Yas’, set a record for the largest launch of 2011. Yas’s distinctive narrow profile was built on the steel hull of a former Royal Dutch Navy Frigate built in 1978. Her frigate hull and lightweight composite superstructure help to enable the enormous vessel to reach impressive speeds of up to 26 knots. Here’s another cool pic of Yas.

Yas was styled inside and out by Pierrejean Design in Paris, with a strikingly graceful exterior of fluid curves and volumes, and a spectacular structural covering of glass. She can comfortably accommodate up to 60 guests and 56 members of staff. Sources reveal that the vessel has been commissioned by a member of the Saudi royal family. Naturally.

9) Al Salamah – 139m – Currently for sale at R2.7 billion (brochure here)

Al Salamah is often referred to as Mipos, the code name used during the construction of this most secret of yachts. Mipos was short for ‘Mission Possible’, a statement proved correct by her delivery in 1999.

She has a length of 139.29m, a massive beam of 23.50m, and is reported to have a top speed of 21.5 knots. Both the interior design and
the exterior styling are by the London-based Terence Disdale Design. Al Salamah is owned by Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia, son of the late King Fahd, Governor of Riyadh. He is Saudi Arabia’s Defence Minister and the nation’s Crown Prince. Al Salamah was refitted by Lurssen in 2007.

The ship’s amenities include a cinema, library, business center, fully equipped onboard hospital, two full-time beauticians, gymnasium, spa., helipad, jacuzzis, cinema and an indoor swimming pool covered by a glass roof. Fine.

10) Rising Sun – 138m – R2 billion

Rising Sun is a motor yacht designed by Jon Bannenberg, and built by Germany’s Lürssen. It was originally purchased by Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle Corporation, and is currently owned by David Geffen. The yacht is the 10th largest in the world with a length of almost 138 metres (453 ft). It reportedly cost over US$200 million to build.

   

This list was compiled by 2oceansvibe
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[research sources: superyachts, dailymail, boatinternational, wikipedia, luxist, bornrich, telegraph, superyachttimes]