Boat International Publishes New List of the World’s Largest Private Yachts

For the 24th consecutive year, Boat International magazine, the world’s leading superyacht magazine, has produced its definitive list of the Top 100 Largest Yachts in the World, demonstrating once again how the size of the world’s largest private yachts has increased dramatically over the last two decades.

Published in the January 2014 edition of the magazine, and online at boatinternational.com, the top 100 list shows that the delivery of the 180-meter superyacht Azzam has pushed Roman Abramovich’s 162.5-meter yacht Eclipse (pictured below) into second place after dominating the Top 100 list since her launch in 2010. Azzam, at a staggering 17.5 meters longer than Eclipse and boasting an innovative waterjet drive system that propels her to over 31.5 knots, was built by the Lürssen yard in Germany – reputedly for the Abu Dhabi Royal family – and becomes the new largest yacht in the world.

 There is plenty of movement at the other end of the list too. When Boat International’s Top 100 was first put together in 1990, the smallest vessel to make the list was the 44.83-meter Paraiso; this year’s No.100, Reborn, comes in at 75.5 meters overall length.

“We can see from our statistics that there continues to be a steady number of 70-meter-plus yachts built each year, with new design ideas passing down to smaller projects,” comments Tony Harris, CEO of Boat International Media, publisher of Boat International.

“We pride ourselves on producing the most current data in the industry,” Harris says.

“It is impressive to see how the average size of the Top 100 largest yachts has grown in the last few years,” says Tim Thomas, Editor of Boat International, “and the most amazing thing is that, in spite of the 2008 crash and the global financial crisis, the number of new yachts being built at the very top end shows no signs of slowing down. Indeed, we know of 17 luxury yachts currently in build that are over 100-meters in length, with another two rumored to be starting shortly.

“We can expect another 12 Top 100 launches in 2014 that will push the entry point to well over 77 meters in length – a size that was considered remarkable just a decade ago. We estimate the replacement cost of the current Top 100 largest yachts to be well in excess of $10 billion,” Thomas continues.

Expected deliveries for 2014 show how the size of the 100 largest privately owned superyachts continues to grow

Due for delivery in 2014 is the 140-meter motor yacht Victory, built by Fincantieri Yachts and the largest yacht yet built in Italy; she is one of seven 100-metre-plus yachts due to launch in the next 12 months.

Notable yachts in this year’s List include the 99-meter Feadship Madame Gu, at No.30, with exterior and interior design by British designer Andrew Winch. She is the largest yacht yet built in the Netherlands, and features, among other things, a helicopter hangar under the foredeck. At the lower end of the list,Hampshire 11 is a 78.5-meter yacht designed for a sports-loving owner that has its own basketball court and features a helicopter platform that can be transformed into a playing field for basketball, tennis, baseball, badminton and football.

The fastest yacht in the Top 100 is the Feadship Ecstasea, which can propel her 85.95 meters to 35 knots. Another Feadship in the List, 78.2-meter Venus, is widely purported to have been ordered by late Apple founder Steve Jobs. Philippe Starck styled the unusual exterior and the interior with the owner, and she was engineered by De Voogt Naval Architects.

What This Means for the Industry

While extra meters create additional work for the industry, because of the necessary increase in materials, engineering, labor, staff and crew, these giants also require new solutions, particularly from designers.

“The development of the superyacht industry, and in particular the largest yachts in the world, means not only a development of new design and creative skills, but also a development of technologies and skills across the board,” Thomas concludes. “The knock-on effect from this handful of giant toys is extraordinary, creating tens of thousands of jobs around the world in everything from initial design and engineering to ongoing support and supply.”

For the full list visit boatinternational.com.

 *Original story by Boat International Media via Google News

    Images courtesy of Flickr:  'Eclipse' and 'A' by Mosh70