A superyacht is a traditional item used by billionaires to display their wealth and power. The most expensive yachts in the world are real works of art: they look like real palaces on the water made of the best quality materials. In this article, we will take a tour of the world’s best yachts in 2022 to see their unique characteristics and look at the personalities of the billionaires they belong to.
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The gold-plated rooms on the world’s most expensive yachts in the world are specially made to provide their owners with maximum comfort and embody the concept of luxury living to the fullest extent possible. An elegant yacht contains several swimming pools, dance floors, movie theaters, bars and lounges, and also various facilities suitable for billionaires who own these masterpieces.
Each yacht is an elegant, stunningly beautiful vessel equipped with some of the best engines in the world. She plows the seas at high speed, and no passenger feels the slightest discomfort. The materials used to build the most expensive yachts are of the highest quality to ensure that brilliance and durability will satisfy the most demanding tastes.
The largest and most expensive yachts in the world are often called superyachts due to their size and magnificence, and the boarding process is a separate art that has its own style: the owners land their helicopters on the decks of yachts, which is a spectacular sight associated with ultimate luxury.
10. Pelorus – Samuel Tak Lee ($300 million)
Our Top 10 list of the most expensive yachts in the world starts with the Pelorus, a peculiar vessel that stands apart from others. This is one of the largest yachts in the world built at the Lürssen shipyard in 2003. Her current owner, billionaire and Hong Kong tycoon Samuel Tak Lee, bought the vessel from an unnamed member of the UAE royal family.
The yacht, named after the Greek word pelorious (meaning “huge”), is 115 meters long. The interior of one of the most expensive vessels in the world was designed by Terence Disdale, while the exterior is the work of Tim Heywood.
Two Wärtsilä engines enable the yacht to reach a speed of 20 knots. One of her notable and expensive features is a private deck adjacent to the sleeping quarters, which is not visible from either side of the vessel.
Pelorus often changed owners: she belonged to the American film mogul David Geffen, and before that it was Roman Abramovich who bought her from a Saudi Arabian businessman.
When the expensive vessel was owned by Abramovich, John Terry and Frank Lampard, two legends of Chelsea Football Club, paid a visit to the yacht.
9. Al Said – Oman’s royal family ($300 million)
The 15,850-ton Al Said is the largest yacht in the world. She is an expensive 154 meter long vessel built at a Lürssen shipyard in 2008. Her exterior is designed by Espen Øino, while the interior is the masterpiece of the world famous RWD company.
The yacht, named after the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman, is now owned by an unnamed member of Oman’s royal family. The details of the luxury facilities available on the expensive yacht are not known, but one of her best-known features is a concert hall that can accommodate a 50-person orchestra.
The expensive Al Said yacht is equipped with two MTU diesel engines with a capacity of 11,149 horsepower, which give a maximum cruising speed of 25 knots.
8. Radiant – Abdullah Al Futtaim ($320 million)
Radiant, one of the most expensive yachts in the world, belongs to an Emirati businessman Abdullah Al Futtaim. The luxury vessel was built at a Lürssen shipyard in 2009; her appearance reflects the style of Tim Heywood, while the interior is created by Glenn Pushelberg.
The deck of one of the world’s most expensive yachts is made of teak wood, and her exterior is lined with rolled aluminum. Radiant is 110 meters long and has a top speed of 21 knots thanks to her two 8,715 horsepower MTU diesel engines. Like other superyachts of this type, Radiant guarantees the comfort of its passengers by offering facilities such as a beach club, massage rooms and swimming pools.
One of its unique features is a water cannon that the vessel can use against pirates (they pose a serious threat in waters off the coast of Somalia).
7. Serene – Mohammed bin Salman ($330 million)
Mohammed bin Salman is the crown prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, one of the most influential people in the world. His most expensive yacht, Serene, is equipped with powerful engines and perfectly complements the worldwide status of her royal owner.
Serene is equipped with eight 2,828 horsepower MTU diesel-electric motors, which give the vessel a maximum speed of 25 knots. She can travel 6,000 nautical miles at a speed of 15 knots with a full 800,000 liter tank.
The 133.9 meter superyacht was built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri for Russian vodka magnate Yuri Shefler in 2011. Her exterior design is by Espen Øino and her interior is the creation of Raymond Langton Design. Although it is unclear when the Saudi royal family bought the expensive yacht from Shefler, the amount the crown prince reportedly paid was 500 million euros. At present, one of the most expensive yachts in the world is estimated at 330 million US dollars.
In terms of comfort, the vessel is known as the “Floating Palace” as it has all the facilities that other expensive yachts in the world can boast of and much more. Here you will find a snow room, a steam bath, an outdoor cinema, a seawater pool, a hammam, a beauty salon, a piano room, a surveillance room, a beach club and a dance floor, as well as many luxury facilities. Inside the yacht there is also a viewing platform to observe marine life. Sounds impressive, right?
One of the most famous people who had rented the yacht before she was bought by the crown prince of Saudi Arabia was the billionaire Bill Gates, who paid 5 million dollars a week.
6. Dubai – Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum ($400 million)
Most of the expensive yachts are owned by the residents of the UAE, and the expensive vessel “Dubai”, named after one of the largest cities of the country in the Persian Gulf, is no exception.
One of the world’s most expensive yachts is said to be owned by the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and the Ruler of Dubai, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The yacht was built by Blohm + Voss in 2006 for Prince Jeffrey Bolkiah of Brunei. Her 161.8 meter interior was made by Platinum Yachts and the yacht itself was designed by Andrew Winch.
She is one of the most extravagant and expensive yachts in the world, equipped with a mosaic pool, several sunbathing areas and a jacuzzi, a two-level owner’s deck, a helipad and a round glass staircase that changes color when illuminated from above.
5. Motor yacht A – Andrey Melnichenko ($440 million)
One of the world’s most expensive megayachts, Motor Yacht A, belongs to Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko.
The exterior design of the yacht is truly unique: she looks especially like an invisible warship – a US Navy Zumwalt class destroyer. She was built by Blohm + Voss in 2008 and designed by Martin Francis and Philippe Starck.
Motoryacht A is 122 meters long, and the master bedroom on the expensive vessel has an area of 232 square meters. Considered to be one of the largest luxury vessels in the world, this unique yacht has a glass bottom swimming pool above the discotheque (in addition to two regular swimming pools). She also contains a helicopter hangar and a nine meter long boat on board. In addition, the walls separating the six guest cabins can be moved to create four spacious cabins.
4. A+ (Topaz) — Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan ($527 million)
A+, formerly called Topaz, is another extravagant and expensive yacht built at a Lürssen shipyard. Like Azzam, A+ also belongs to an influential figure in the UAE, Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Launched in 2012, the superyacht was designed by Tim Heywood, while Terence Disdale Design worked on the impressive interior of the world’s largest yacht.
The 7,990 horsepower engine on the 1,147-meter long yacht allows you to develop a maximum speed of about 23 knots. Two diesel generators supply power to the stabilizers on all onboard systems.
3. Azzam – Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan ($650 million)
The 179 meter long vessel is the largest private yacht in the world – a record that has been held since 2013. She is owned by Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, another UAE resident.
The yacht, built by the German shipbuilder Lürssen Yachts, is a wonderful and expensive masterpiece where luxury is combined with technology. Azzam has its own missile defense system and a Bullet Proof Master Suite. The vessel is so finely balanced that the chandelier inside the boat does not even rattle at maximum speed. In addition, it is one of the fastest yachts in the world, reaching a speed of 30 knots with the help of its four engines that have a total capacity of 35,048 kW.
Azzam’s interior was designed by French interior designer Christophe Leoni, and the exterior was created by Nauta Yacht.
2. Eclipse — Roman Abramovich (1.5 billion)
Eclipse is a 162.5 meter long superyacht owned by former Chelsea boss and Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, and she is also one of the most expensive private yachts in the world.
The Eclipse has a missile detection system and bulletproof windows to protect the passengers in the main cabin. Abramovich’s yacht, which he bought in 2010, develops a maximum speed of 21 knots and a maximum range of 6,000 nautical miles with a full tank. The ship was designed by Terry Disdale and built by Blohm + Voss, a German shipbuilding company.
After February 24, Britain imposed sanctions on Abramovich, after which his expensive yacht was allegedly seen in Turkey, where she could not be arrested.
She was the largest yacht in the world until the President of the UAE and Emir of Abu Dhabi, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, purchased the superyacht Azzam in 2013.
In addition to Eclipse, Abramovich owns two more superyachts, Solaris and Sussurro. The Russian billionaire used to own several yachts, making him the owner of the largest number of megayachts in the world in one lifetime.
1. History Supreme – Robert Kuok ($4.8 billion)
Finally, here is the most expensive yacht in the world – History Supreme. She was designed by Stuart Hughes for an anonymous Malaysian businessman. Reports suggest that the businessman is Robert Kuok, founder of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts: according to Forbes, he is estimated to be worth $12 billion.
It took three years to build a two-meter yacht, and about 100,000 kg of pure gold and platinum were used in the construction of this extravagant vessel. A prominent area where a large amount of gold was used is the bottom of the yacht covered with a thin sheet of precious metal. Other areas decorated with gold include the deck, railings, dining area and even the anchor.
There is an interesting luxury interior feature in the yacht’s master bedroom: a real Tyrannosaurus bone mounted on a wall made of meteorite rock.
What makes a yacht expensive?
The price of the yacht is mainly determined by the materials from which it is made. For example, the world’s most expensive vessel, the History Supreme, is equipped with structural parts made of gold and platinum. No other ship contains as much gold and platinum as the History Supreme.
Technology and luxury facilities also determine the price of the vessel. For example, both Eclipse and Azzam are equipped with missile defense systems. In addition, the latter is also one of the fastest yachts in the world.
On the other hand, Serene provides her passengers with facilities that most extravagant yachts cannot match.
Where do the owners of the most expensive yachts come from?
As previously reported, the most expensive yacht is reportedly owned by Malaysian businessman Robert Kuok. However, most of the owners of mega yachts come from the Gulf countries, especially the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
