Sailing into the record books: The £400m, 590ft super-yacht that's going to put Roman Abramovich's nose out of joint

Roman Abramovich's yacht broker could be in for a difficult phone call.

The Russian billionaire's boat has just been relegated to second place after the launch today of Azzam, a gleaming, £400m temple of luxury that sailed straight into the record books as the largest yacht in the world.

At a staggering 590ft long, the German-built super-yacht is a good 50ft longer than Mr Abramovich's Eclipse, which has been the largest in the world for the last four years.


Azzam (the name means 'determination' in Arabic), which has been built for a mystery client, is longer than some cruise ships, and boasts an impressive gross tonnage of 14,000GT - roughly equivalent to 1,750 adult male African elephants.

And while the ship trumps all others in terms of scale, it sets out to do the same in terms of luxury, too.

Built under the guidance of engineer Mubarak Saad al Ahbabi, and designed by Nauta Yachts, Azzam had its own interior 'creator', Christophe Leoni, whose job it was to ensure that the ship's passengers will want for nothing in terms of comfort and style.

But in high-specification yachts there are some features which you would expect them to have, including bullet-proof glass, laser security systems, helipads and vast, separate, staff quarters.
A ship of the size of Azzam would need a skeleton staff of around 50 full-time crew on-board 365 day a year to ensure it is kept in working order.

Some believe the yacht has been built for Saudi billionaire Al-Waleed bin Talal, 57. Mr Al-Waleed, who is worth around £10 billion and is a member of the Saudi Royal Family, is said to have ordered the new toy as a replacement for his Kingdom 5KR yacht which he has owned for the past 20-years.

Mr Seyfferth said: 'If it has been commissioned for the Saudi Royal Family it is unlikely it will leave its dock very often. It is more of a question of prestige, to have the world's largest yacht.'

From DailyMail