{"id":1221,"date":"2026-06-25T21:12:47","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T21:12:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/boatbooker.com\/blog\/?p=1221"},"modified":"2026-06-25T21:15:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T21:15:05","slug":"who-owns-the-biggest-yacht-in-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/boatbooker.com\/blog\/who-owns-the-biggest-yacht-in-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Owns the Biggest Yacht in the World?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From James Bond to Succession<\/em>, mega yachts have captured the imagination in popular culture. But who owns the biggest yacht in the real world? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer is the Al Nahyan family of the United Arab Emirates. Their yacht \u2013 the Azzam<\/em> \u2013 stretches 180 meters (592 feet) from bow to stern, making it the longest private motor yacht ever built. Originally commissioned by the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Azzam<\/em> has held the top spot since its launch in 2013. It cost an estimated $600 million and took roughly 6 million man-hours to complete.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The <\/em>Kingdom 5KR used in <\/em>Never Say Never Again. Photo: Axou \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 3.0<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

But the story doesn’t end with one name and one boat. The world of mega yachts is a strange, opaque universe of shell companies, offshore trusts, and eye-watering running costs. Below, we’ll break down everything about the Azzam<\/em>, clarify the confusing length-vs.-volume debate, and rank the ten largest yachts afloat today. We’ll also look at the Western billionaires \u2013 Bezos, Brin, Gates \u2013 who are rapidly entering the mega yacht arms race, and cover something most yacht listicles skip entirely: how much fuel these floating palaces actually burn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Biggest Yacht in the World: Azzam<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Azzam<\/em> was built by German shipyard L\u00fcrssen and delivered in 2013. Its exterior was designed by Italian firm Nauta Yachts, while French decorator Christophe Leoni handled the interior. At 180 meters, it’s longer than many cruise ships \u2013 and considerably faster.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The <\/em>Azzam at the L\u00fcrssen shipyard. Photo: Gerd Fahrenhorst \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 3.0<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

What makes the Azzam<\/em> truly unusual isn’t just its length \u2013 it’s its speed. The yacht runs on a combined propulsion system of two gas turbines and two diesel engines, producing roughly 94,000 horsepower. That setup drives a water-jet system rather than traditional propellers, giving the Azzam<\/em> a top speed of 32 knots. For a vessel this size, that’s remarkable. Most mega yachts over 100 meters top out around 20\u201325 knots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The water-jet system also allows for a shallower draft. That means the Azzam<\/em> can access harbors and anchorages that would be off-limits to similarly sized vessels with deeper keels. It accommodates 36 guests served by a crew of around 80. The interior details remain closely guarded \u2013 no official photos have ever been released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who Owns the Azzam?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Azzam<\/em> was originally commissioned for Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, then President of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi. After Sheikh Khalifa’s death in May 2022, ownership is widely reported to have transferred to Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the current UAE President.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The <\/em>Azzam at Cadiz in Spain. Photo: Javier Viru\u00e9s Ortega \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 4.0<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

That said, pinning down who “owns” a yacht at this level is rarely straightforward. Vessels of this caliber are almost never registered under a person’s name. Instead, they’re held through layers of shell companies, trusts, and offshore entities \u2013 sometimes across multiple jurisdictions. This is standard practice in the mega yacht world, driven by a mix of privacy concerns, tax planning (or evasion), and security considerations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What we can say with confidence is that the Azzam<\/em> is linked to the Al Nahyan family of Abu Dhabi, one of the wealthiest ruling families on the planet. Multiple industry sources \u2013 including SuperYachtFan<\/a> and Boat International<\/a> \u2013 attribute ownership to this family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biggest by Length vs. Biggest by Volume<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Rankings of the world’s largest yachts can be confusing because “biggest” means different things depending on the metric.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The <\/em>Dilbar in the port of Antibes in France. Photo: Sukkoria \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 4.0<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Length overall (LOA)<\/strong> measures the yacht from the tip of the bow to the stern. By this metric, the Azzam<\/em> wins at 180 meters. The headlines most commonly cite LOA and it is what most people mean when they say “biggest yacht.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gross tonnage (GT)<\/strong> measures the total enclosed internal volume of the vessel \u2013 not its weight, despite the name. By this metric, the Dilbar<\/em> holds the record at 15,917 GT, even though it’s “only” 156 meters long. The Dilbar<\/em> is simply a wider, more voluminous ship. Its interior includes a 180-cubic-meter swimming pool \u2013 the largest ever installed on a yacht.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

German authorities<\/a> seized the Dilbar<\/em> in 2022 under EU sanctions against its owner, Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov. Since then, it sits at the Blohm+Voss shipyard in Hamburg, its future uncertain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So why does the distinction matter? A yacht can be the “longest” without being the most spacious inside. If you care about usable living space, gross tonnage is the better indicator. If you care about sheer visual scale dockside, length is what counts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 10 Largest Yachts in the World<\/h2>\n\n\n
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The <\/em>Fulk Al Salamah in Mutrah, Oman. Photo: Rennboot \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 3.0<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Here’s how the top 10 stack up by length as of 2026:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rank<\/th>Name<\/th>Length (m \/ ft)<\/th>Builder<\/th>Year<\/th>Owner \/ Linked Family<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
1<\/td>Azzam<\/td>180 \/ 592<\/td>L\u00fcrssen<\/td>2013<\/td>Al Nahyan family (UAE)<\/td><\/tr>
2<\/td>Fulk Al Salamah<\/td>164 \/ 538<\/td>Mariotti<\/td>2016<\/td>Royal family of Oman<\/td><\/tr>
3<\/td>Eclipse<\/td>162.5 \/ 533<\/td>Blohm+Voss<\/td>2010<\/td>Roman Abramovich<\/td><\/tr>
4<\/td>Dubai<\/td>162 \/ 531<\/td>Platinum Yachts<\/td>2006<\/td>Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum<\/td><\/tr>
5<\/td>Blue<\/td>160 \/ 525<\/td>L\u00fcrssen<\/td>2022<\/td>Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan<\/td><\/tr>
6<\/td>Dilbar<\/td>156 \/ 512<\/td>L\u00fcrssen<\/td>2016<\/td>Alisher Usmanov (seized)<\/td><\/tr>
7<\/td>Al Said<\/td>155 \/ 509<\/td>L\u00fcrssen<\/td>2008<\/td>Sultan of Oman<\/td><\/tr>
8<\/td>A+<\/td>147 \/ 482<\/td>L\u00fcrssen<\/td>2012<\/td>Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan<\/td><\/tr>
9<\/td>Prince Abdulaziz<\/td>147 \/ 482<\/td>Helsing\u00f8r V\u00e6rft<\/td>1984<\/td>Saudi royal family<\/td><\/tr>
10<\/td>Opera<\/td>146 \/ 479<\/td>L\u00fcrssen<\/td>2023<\/td>Undisclosed (reportedly Emirati)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One name dominates this list: L\u00fcrssen. The German shipyard built six of the top ten and has delivered 15 of the 25 largest yachts in the world. No other builder comes close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The top 10 is also overwhelmingly Middle Eastern. Royal families from the UAE, Oman, and Saudi Arabia account for most entries, with the notable exceptions of Russian oligarchs Abramovich and Usmanov.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What’s Coming Next: REV Ocean<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Mega yacht <\/em>Limitless. Photo: Gerd Fahrenhorst \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY 3.0<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Azzam<\/em>‘s reign as the longest yacht may be nearing its end. REV Ocean<\/em>, a 194.9-meter vessel under construction at the Vard shipyard in Romania, should be delivered in late 2026. If completed on schedule, it would surpass the Azzam<\/em> by nearly 15 meters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

REV Ocean<\/em> is a hybrid project \u2013 part research vessel, part superyacht. Norwegian billionaire Kjell Inge R\u00f8kke seems to be the owner of this vessel for deep-sea scientific research that also offers luxury accommodations. At roughly 19,000 GT, it would also surpass the Dilbar<\/em> as the largest yacht by volume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s also Somnio<\/em>, a 222-meter “yacht liner” currently under construction. However, Somnio<\/em> is classified differently \u2013 it’s a residential vessel with individually owned apartments, more akin to a floating condominium than a private yacht. As a result, most industry registries won’t include it in traditional yacht rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Much Fuel Does the Biggest Yacht in the World Burn?<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Mega yacht <\/em>Eclipse. Photo: Arnaud 25 \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 4.0<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

This is the part most yacht lists skip. The environmental footprint of mega yachts is staggering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Azzam<\/em>‘s propulsion system \u2013 two gas turbines plus two diesel engines producing ~94,000 HP \u2013 is built for speed, not efficiency. Industry estimates for superyachts over 100 meters (328 feet) suggest fuel consumption of 500 or more litres (130+ gallons) per hour at cruising speed. At top speed, that figure climbs dramatically. The Azzam<\/em> pushing 32 knots would burn through diesel at a rate most people would find difficult to comprehend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carbon Footprint and Running Costs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A Transport & Environment study found that superyachts are among the most carbon-intensive assets per passenger on the planet. A single large superyacht of 5,000+ GT can emit over 6,500 tonnes of CO\u2082 per year<\/a> \u2013 more than several hundred average European homes combined. The largest mega yachts, like the third-longest Eclipse<\/em>, emit over 22,000 tonnes per year<\/a>. Per passenger mile, no form of transport comes close to the carbon intensity of a mega yacht at full throttle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The financial costs are equally striking. Fuel alone can run $5\u201310 million per year for the largest vessels. The common industry rule of thumb puts total annual running costs \u2013 crew, fuel, maintenance, insurance, berthing \u2013 at roughly 10% of the yacht’s build value. For the Azzam<\/em>, that’s approximately $60 million per year just to keep it operational. A crew of 80 needs to be paid, housed, and fed year-round, whether the owner is aboard or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Biggest Yachts Owned by American Billionaires<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Mega yacht <\/em>Rising Sun. Photo: Wolfgang Fricke \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 3.0<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

While Middle Eastern royals and two Russian oligarchs dominate the top-10-by-length list , Western billionaires \u2013 particularly from the tech sector \u2013 have been entering the mega yacht world aggressively in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n