The world's most expensive yachts

As we mere mortals fret over the price of red diesel, the owners of these superyachts must be wondering what all the fuss is about – it probably takes all the oil in Iraq just to get these beasts out of the marina. Here are five of the world's most expensive yachts:

1. AL SALAMAH

At 456 feet this vessel is better described as a cruise liner than a superyacht. Owned by Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, the Saudi Arabian Defence Minister, and son of the late King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, the Al Salamah has over 80 rooms and requires a crew of around 100 and comes complete with indoor swimming pool, cinema.

That little lot is powered by two 8770 hp MTU diesel engines which give it a top speed of 21.5 knots and was designed and built by the German shipyards HDW and Luerssen. It rather makes you wonder what Prince Aziz's house is like.

Photo: superyachtimes.com

 

2. Rising sun

The estimated cost to build the Rising Sun was $200 million, which is probably why Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle Corporation and David Geffen, American record executive and film producer, decided to go halves on it.

You might spot this subtle yacht if you're around the Adriatic and, if you do, you could ask the crew if you can play on their basketball court (doubles as a helipad) or if you can borrow a bottle of Merlot from the extensive wine cellar, which might take a while to find in this 82-room, five-storey boat. Here's a video of it in action:

 

 

3. Octopus

The world's eighth largest superyacht belongs to Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, and comes in at 414 feet, with two helicoptor pads (wouldn't it be embarrassing if two helicoptors turned up unexpectedly). The best feature must be the two submarines, which means Paul can see all those lovely fish without the cumbersome snorkeling attire. It's also got a 63-foot tender, which is frankly obscene.

 

4. Boat 'A'

It's the sort of boat a James Bond villain would have, and it's got a suitably sinister name to boot. Owned by Andrei Melnichenko, who is the world's 172nd richest person according to Forbes, this is almost restrained with only six guest suites, although they do have movable walls to create four larger suites.

Other gadgets include electronic finger pads to unlock doors, so if the captain goes sick during its voyages (it has a range of 7,000km) the guests won't be able to help. French designer Philippe Starck and architect Martin Francis conceived the project, and although the aesthetics are questionable there's no doubt it's a marvelous piece of engineering.

 

5. SAVARONA

The old lady of the group, Savarona is still splendid 76 years after she was launched. With Turkish baths and grand staircases, she is available for charter in the Med, and judging by the video below, it's all jolly good fun. Probably best to start saving now if you fancy taking her out.

 

 

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