While other people argue about which car to buy, billionaires think about the next most expensive yachts to own.
The world’s richest people have always been competing against each other trying to set themselves apart. Whether it is by buying the biggest houses, most expensive jewelry, fastest cars or some of these most expensive yachts.
There’s something about owning an yacht that is so refined, so connected to freedom that it is no longer just an expensive buy. It is more than that.
You get on board and cruise away from all the stress of the city. And you will be surrounded just by an elite few that you wish to share the moment with. Owning a yacht is the closest thing to owning an island plus its few extra advantages due to the mobility factor.
However, to some people, buying a regular yacht is not a preference. They want to make it personal. Thus, they came up with these most luxurious and most expensive yachts in the world. We ranked fifteen of them and here is the countdown list for you!
15. Seven Seas – $200 million
We kick things up with a yacht belongs to one of the world’s best movie directors, Steven Spielberg. He is one of the only two movie directors who manage to join the Billionaires Club with his $3.7 billion estimated net worth.
With such wealth, it should come as no surprise that he owns one of the world’s most expensive yachts, the Seven Seas. For his personal needs, he hired oceAnco to build his dream yacht. The company’s slogan is Yachts for Visionary Owners. And as a movie director, Spielberg is one heck of a visionary.
You can see this from his Seven Seas. Inside this 280-foot motor yacht is his personal suite. He also built six guest rooms for twelve of his elite guests. In case they are late for Spielberg’s yacht party, they can catch up by flying a helicopter and land it on the yacht’s helipad.
It is not a movie director’s yacht without a movie theater in it. So, he built one inside along with other luxury features for a building cost of $200 million.
14. Octopus – $200 million
He is one of the richest men who co-founded one of the most successful companies and bought one of the richest NBA teams. Paul Allen’s life does not get better than that! Oh wait a minute, it does get better with this luxurious yacht of his, the Octopus.
Octopus is a 414-foot mega yacht which has its own submarines. Allen hired a German shipbuilding company, Lürssen, to custom build this beauty. It cost him around $200 million back in early 2000s. That is nothing compared to his $19 billion of estimated net worth.
Inside Octopus, there are forty one suites available. To entertain its guests, it is equipped with cinema, recording studio, and even a basketball court on board. One of its special features is the glass-bottom swimming pool where you can still see the ocean below while swimming in safer and cleaner water.
More than seventy people, including the crew, can get on board. While Allen is not using Octopus for his private parties, he lends it for scientific research purposes and rescue missions.
13. Lady Moura – $210 million
Nassser Al-Rashid may only be the Saudi royal family’s advisor. But looking at that gorgeous Lady Moura cruising the sea gives you the idea of how rich this man is.
His current net worth is estimated around $8 billion. Don’t even ask me the amount of net worth possessed by whom he works for. However, working for the royal family is not Al-Rashid’s only source of money. He is also the founder of Rashid Engineering.
He bought this 344-foot yacht back in the 1990s for a total of $210 million. It was custom built by Blohm+Voss shipyard. Even without peaking inside, you can tell how luxurious this yacht is from the 24K-gold inscribed Lady Moura name on its stern, port, and starboard.
Among its luxury features, the best part is the sand-covered hydraulic platform which can slide out of one side of the yacht. Adjust this platform well to sit right at the waterline and you can have your own beach anywhere you go.
12. Al Mirqab – $250 million
Hamad bin Jassim may be few hundred millions of dollar short from being a billionaire. But he sure does know how to showcase his wealth through this 436-foot long yacht. It is another way of letting people know who is the former ruler of Qatar.
The Al Mirqab cost more than a quarter of Hamad’s net worth. The yacht was designed by Tim Haywood and built by Peters Schiffbau GmbH for a total of $250 million back in 2008.
Hamad didn’t build just one VIP suite for him on board, but two. Ten other suites are available for guests. With such area, these ten suites are not just regular bedrooms. Each of them has double bedrooms, personal bathroom, and big living room.
Once they get bored with lying around in luxury or gazing over the horizon, there are several entertainment features installed to the yacht. Among them are a movie theater and some bars.
11. Dilbar – $256 million
Spoiler alert, you will be seeing some of these most expensive yachts belong to Russian billionaires. Dilbar, also known as Ona, is one of them. This 360-foot yacht belongs to Alisher Usmanov. He is the owner of several big companies such as Metalloinvest and MegaFon. He is also the shareholder of one of the biggest Premier League’s clubs, Arsenal F.C. and Facebook.
With his estimated $13.4 billion net worth, buying a $256-million yacht does not seem to be a big deal for him. He hired Lürssen to custom build this yacht for his 20 guests and around 50 crew members.
Named after his mother, Dilbar does not just look good on the outside. Its interior is specially designed by Alberto Pinto, one of the world’s most legendary designers from French.
Usmanov uses this yacht mostly to get to his private islands. This Russian Oligarch is definitely living large. Besides the yacht, he also owns several mansions and a $500-million private jet.
10. Pelorus – $300 million
Pelorus once belonged to Roman Abramovich, the Russian billionaire who owns Chelsea F.C., before he got divorced. Then, Pelorus was sold by his ex-wife to David Geffen five years ago. He is an American media tycoon with $6.7 billion of estimated net worth.
After several years owning it, Geffen decided to sell it to Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan who is the current owner. The prices exchanged between these parties were undisclosed, but we estimated the yacht’s worth to be around $300 million.
Terence Disdale designed Pelorus’s entire interiors, including the luxury suites for up to twenty guests. And he created a beach house atmosphere using natural materials. The whole 377-foot yacht itself was built by Lürssen and retouched by Blohm+Voss.
Remember when Chelsea F.C. got their first Premier League title after as long as anyone could remember? As the best Chelsea players then, Frank Lampard and John Terry got the luxury to have Pelorus to themselves for the entire two weeks. What a sweet life of world-class athletes.
9. Al Said – $300 million
Sharing the same amount of estimated cost with Pelorus is the Al Said. This is one of the world’s longest yachts with 508 feet of length. And it is owned by Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman.
Named after the Sultan’s family name, Al Said was custom designed and built back in 2008 by Lürssen. It is the current world’s highest in terms of displacement with 15,850 tons and also the most powerful one with 16,500 kW (21,992 hp) propulsion.
It can accommodate up to 70 people on board, apart from the 154 crew members who are there to ensure one of the most luxurious cruise experiences. And for easy access the yacht is equipped with a helipad on the back.
One of the biggest features in this yacht is the concert hall. The Sultan is indeed a big fan of classical music. In terms of his wealth, the Sultan has an estimated net worth of $1.1 billion. According to Forbes, he is currently the tenth richest royal in the world.
8. Radiant – $320 million
Next up is a yacht with $320 million of building cost estimation, the Radiant. This yacht is owned by Abdulla Al Futtaim, a conglomerate from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. So, next time you visit one of the world’s luxurious beaches in Dubai, keep an eye on the horizon to spot this beauty.
This 361-foot yacht was originally built for Boris Berezovsky by Lürssen. It took two important designers to design: Tim Heywood and Glenn Pushelberg. It is the sister ship of Pelorus. And its name was Darius.
Unfortunately, Berezovsky was having some financial issues. This led to the yacht’s construction delay. Finally, he asked the yacht’s captain to sell Darius instead. And so it went to Al Futtaim. With his $3.1 billion of estimated net worth, negotiation was not a part of the conglomerate’s issues.
Radiant has eight suites for its sixteen elite guests. On board to cater to their needs are forty cabin crews who get to stay at the available twenty cabins.
7. Superyacht A – $323 million
This yacht is not just one of the most expensive, it is also the most unique. Just take a look at that beauty!
This one is living up to its name, Superyacht A. It is nothing but super and grade A. This 390-foot yacht was built back in 2008 by Blohm+Voss for a Russian billionaire, Andrey Melnichenko. With his $11.9 billion of estimated net worth, it should come as no surprise that he owns not just one, but two of this $323-million yacht. He hired Nobiskrug to build another one, the sailing version, last year.
Phillippe Starck and Martin Francis designed this simple yet sophisticated yacht. The interior is modern and masterfully designed with excellent use of space. It features wood furnishings with numerous other details.
The Superyacht A includes three swimming pools and two smaller Limo boats. It is also fully equipped with the latest technologies and entertainment systems. It just offers unparalleled comfort hosting up to fourteen people in six guest suits. We believe Melnichenko occupies the master bedroom suite.
6. Serene – $330 million
Ever wondered who collects profit from all of that Vodka you have been drinking? The answer is the former owner of this exclusive yacht, Yuri Shefler.
While most yachts we have seen on this list were custom built by German shipyards, this one was built for the Russian tycoon by an Italian shipyard, Fincantieri. $330 million was the amount of money Shefler had to spend for Serene four years ago.
Either he was getting bored of Serene, or he was just being a good friend when he lent the yacht to Bill Gates for $5 million per week. Gates took it on his summer cruise back in 2014.
Then, Shelfler finally sold it to Mohammad bin Salman. The second Deputy Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia used the country’s Public Investment money to purchase it.
So, what makes Serene so special? This 439-foot yacht has some common luxury yacht features. Among them are twelve cabins, submarine, swimming pool, and two helipads. Other than that, we have to get on board to really know its special features.
5. Dubai – $400 million
With its 531-foot length, Dubai is the third largest yacht in the world. And with its estimated $400-million building cost, it is the fifth most expensive one!
Dubai was built by Blohm+Voss for the Prime Minister of United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He is also the ruler of Emirate of Dubai. Thus, it was named Dubai. Sheikh Mohammed was once the richest royal in the world. But his net worth is currently down to $6 billion. Well, he is still a billionaire anyway.
Dubai was originally built as a joint project between Blohm+Vloss and Lürssen. And it was supposed to be delivered to Price Jefri Bolkiah or Brunei. Its name was Panhandle and Golden Star. Long story short, the hull was acquired by Platinum Yachts for Sheikh Mohammed instead.
Platinum Yachts designed its luxurious interior which features intricately detailed handmade mosaics and fine fabrics. And this large vessel can host up to 115 people.
4. Topaz – $520 million
Topaz is another masterpiece from Lürssen. Two designers took on this 482-foot yacht. Tim Heywood designed the exterior and Terence Disdale designed the luxury interior. Approximately €400 million (or around $520 million) was spent on this whole yacht.
Named Topaz, it is owned by Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan. He is the current Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates. I am sensing a common hobby between these Emirates royals.
Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan, also known as Sheikh Mansour, was once the owner of Manchester City four years ago. It was one of the turning points of the club’s development.
This large yacht has seven decks, Jacuzzi, movie theater, gym, and a large conference room where the Sheikh can hold an important luxury meeting. In case of urgency, two helipads are ready to take him faster to land.
3. Azzam – $592 million
It is no longer a secret that billionaires keep finding ways to hide their money. They are not hiding it from thieves, but from taxes such as luxury property tax. That is why billionaires who own luxury yachts try to avoid this tax by listing them for charter in Europe. However, they are just hardly available.
Azzam is also listed for charter. This 590-foot yacht was built for the president of United Arab Emirates, Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan by Lürssen. It cost around $592 million to build this world’s largest private motor yacht. But it is just a pint of the Sheikh’s $23 billion estimated net worth.
Azzam’s exterior was designed by Nauta Yachts, while the interior was by Christophe Leoni. The second richest royal was definitely impressed by its sophisticated yet timeless interior.
Built for one of the most important world leaders, it should come as no surprise that Azzam is equipped with missile defense system. And in case of emergency, the Sheikh can lock himself in his luxury suite since it is bulletproof.
2. Eclipse – $1.5 billion
Eclipse is actually smaller than Azzam. With 533 feet of length, it is the second largest private yacht in the world. But how come it is almost three times more expensive than its successor?
When it was first built in 2009, it only took Blohm+Voss around $500 million to finish along with Terence Disdale special exterior and interior design. But the owner, Roman Abramovich, added more and more features throughout the years. Today, after several rapports, this yacht is estimated to worth around a staggering $1.5 billion.
Abramovich is no stranger to our richest list. He is ranked eighth on the richest football club owners in Europe list and also the owner of the third most expensive private jet in the world!
Abramovich may not be one of the world leaders, but he equipped his Eclipse with some sophisticated security systems. He built his master suite with bulletproof glass as well as the yacht’s missile defense system and intruder detector. This luxury yacht is also listed for charter. But guess what, it is also hardly available.
1. History Supreme – $4.5 billion
You would have thought that the world’s most expensive yacht is at least one of the biggest one out there. But the History Supreme is only 100-foot long.
So, what makes this yacht worth $4.5 billion and cost more than any other ever built?
There are only two words in a name to answer that question: Stuart Hughes. If you are a fan of Apple, you should get the idea by now. He is the designer of the world’s most expensive Apple product. He turned regular iPhone, iPad, and MacBook into some precious luxury products which worth hundred times more expensive.
And as if those are not enough, he took on another challenge: turning a simple 100-foot yacht into the world’s most expensive. He impressed a Malaysian businessman, Robert Kuok, who bought the yacht after three years of making.
First of all, the History Supreme’s exterior is plated by 100,000 kilograms of gold and platinum. Second of all, its interior features meteorite rock wall and a statue made of T-Rex bones.
I bet Mr. Kuok did not read my Reasons Not to Buy an Expensive Yacht article before he made the whopping purchase.
Sadly, it turns out that the History Supreme Yacht never became a reality and it was a just a project to see how much something like this would cost.
We put together this video that showcases the yachts mentioned in this article and a little bit more info on some of them! Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XokHIDkVoa0
Thank you for checking out our most expensive yachts in the world right now article, hopefully you learned a thing or two about the world of the super rich!
