The Shika Dali
Megayachts

The Shika Dali

Who owns the longest boats in the world
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What was clear to anyone who had mastered mathematics in primary school was confirmed by a respected yachting magazine. Yachts France has published its annual summary of the largest megayachts of 2013, and Azzam took first place with Abramovich Eclipse. She was born at the Lurssen shipyard and costs over $600 million. When she was launched in April, she impressed the experts only with her speed of 31.5 knots and, of course, her length of 180 m is not taken away from her. To date, the boat is undergoing the last tests and has never reached the owner.


According to Derek Levy (owner of Spheredawn), European shipyards have no shortage of orders for megayachts. He himself explains the high demand for such a cheap product by the fact that the really rich only get richer during the crisis and the yacht is a must have item for them. The crisis is a crisis, and the status, if any, must be maintained. And nothing will support your status better than a long boat. That's the truth the Arabs understand better than anyone. They're the leaders in the national rankings. Seven of the 10 largest boats are owned by Gulf rulers, and 31 of a hundred are still in the Middle East. The same Azzam megayacht, as Yachts France points out, is owned by Sheikh Khalif bin Zayed Al Nahyan. With an average oil price of $100 per barrel in the last couple of years, the boys of their emirates can afford it. However, Russian oligarchs are also making a significant contribution to mega-shipbuilding. This year they beat the Americans 19:17 by the number of megayachts in the top 100.



It is possible that Azzam has a slightly different role - to show who is more important in the geopolitical struggle between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. And a megayacht is just one piece of the puzzle in the rivalry within the emirates. While Dubai is building skyscrapers and attracting crowds of tourists, Abu Dhabi is opening branches of the Louvre and Guggenheim Museum. So the number one mega-yacht may well be another way for Abu Dhabi to show that oil is cooler than tourism and establish its status.


But let's get back to our rating. Compared to 2009, the average length of the largest megayachts has increased by 84 meters. When measured by the average, it is clear that guys from the Middle East have no equal - 110 meters, this is their result in the top 100 for 2013. And then there is Russia, the United States and Europe.

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