There are a couple of yachts that can actually claim the title of biggest yacht in the world because the term yacht is a bit vague. There are sailing yachts and motor yachts and it’s not really fair to judge them under the same terms which means the Sea Cloud ranks as the biggest sailing yacht in the world while the Azzam ranks as the biggest motor yacht. 

The Biggest Yacht in the World

Built back in 2013, the Azzam still holds the record as the largest motor yacht in the world with an overall length of 180.61 meters. That’s over 592 feet in total which is absolutely enormous. But there are a number of yachts that also nearly reach the same length. The title of world’s biggest yacht changes more often than you’d think as new yachts are built, so let’s take a look at the current top 10 to get an idea of just what goes into making a true superyacht. 

We’ll divide the list in two to cover motor yachts and sailing yachts since both are out there.

The Biggest Motor Yacht in the World

These are the top ten biggest yachts that run under power rather than wind and sails. These largest yachts can usually handle dozens of passengers and feature things like a large swimming pool, dual helipads, a beach club, underwater observation room, and more.

10. El Mahrousa – 145 meters

Kicking things off is the El Mahrousa which is so much older than the rest of the boats on this list you might think the age is a typo, but it’s not. This vessel was first launched all the way back in 1865. This was commissioned as the royal yacht for Egypt and, as you can imagine, it’s had to undergo some dramatic changes over the years to keep up with the times. For instance, it actually had a paddle wheel on it back in the day but obviously that has since been replaced. In fact, it was all the way back in 1905 when it was refitted with turbine engines. By 1919 it had a diesel fuel system.

Interestingly enough, during the vessel’s long life, it was used to take three different Egyptian rulers into exile, sailing them abroad in style. 

The El Mahrousa has a beam of just 13 meters making it the narrowest of the super yachts by a wide margin. Its current length of 145 meters was not how it started life either, as it was lengthened first in the 1800s by about 12 meters and then again in 1905 by another 5 meters.

As you might expect, given its size, the El Mahrousa was the longest yacht in the world for an incredibly long time. It held the title for over 100 years and it’s doubtful that any yacht will ever pull that feat off again.  

9. A+ – 147 meters

Once upon a time this yacht was called the Topaz but the name changed to the much briefer and somewhat harder to Google “A+.” With a gross tonnage of 12,532 and a beam of 21.5 meters, it can also reach a top speed of 25.5 knots thanks to twin Pielstick diesel engines.

The yacht was launched in 2012 but despite that long history a lot of the details about the interior are still pretty private. We do know that actor Leonardo DiCaprio likes it because he’s chartered it more than once. It also features dual helicopter landing pads, deck jacuzzis, a movie theater, a swimming pool, dance floor and a gym among a handful of other features.

There is room on board for a total of 62 guests and also a crew of 79 people. 

8. Prince Abdulaziz – 147 meters

This yacht goes all the way back to 1984 so it’s quite a bit more classical and old school than most of the other entries, but it does retain its place in yachting history. For an impressive 22 years,this was both the longest and the tallest yacht in the world. It was overtaken by the Dubai in the year 2006 and, since then, several more that we’ll see shortly have surpassed even that.

The beam of the Prince Abdulaziz is a relatively narrow 18.3 meters and a grosse tonnage of an almost unbelievable 4,620. Obviously that’s still a lot of weight but when you compare it to other yachts of this length it’s barely a third in some cases. They made them light back in the 1980s.

Maximum speed is 22 knots provided by two 5,816 kW Pielstick diesel generator sets. It’s designed for a crew of at least 60 with room for 64 guests as well. To keep up with the times the vessel has gone through three significant refits in 1987, 1996 and 2005.

Word is that the vessel was designed with a lobby intended to mimic the one on the Titanic which seems maybe unlucky, but who knows? There’s also a hospital on board, a movie theater, a mosque, underwater surveillance and possibly one of those missile defense systems that yachts sometimes have since this was once the yacht of the Saudi King. 

7. Al Said – 155 meters

Once part of an entire squadron of royal yachts from the country of Oman, the Al Said has a gross tonnage of 15,850 and a beam of 24 meters, making it one of the widest of the yachts here. The crew capacity is a stunning 150 (though some reports say 174) and there is room for an additional 70 guests making this a real hotel on the water. Compared to other yachts, even some of the much larger ones, the Al Said may take the crown for the greatest number of passengers and crew it can hold. Of course that arguably just means everyone has less space than they do on the larger yachts that hold less people.

Maximum speed is 25.2 knots provided by nearly 22,000 diesel horsepower from two MTU marine engines. 

In 2022 the yacht was sold to Qatar and it’s said that the true standout of this yacht compared to its companions is that it features an actual orchestra space. There is a concert hall built for an entire 50-piece symphony on board, alongside the other amenities you’d expect from a boat of this stature like a movie theater and swimming pool and so on. 

6. Dilbar – 156 meters

The Dilbar was launched back in 2015 and boasts a 23.5 meter beam, making it somewhat wider than other yachts of a similar size, as well as a grosse tonnage of 15,917. That makes the Dilbar substantially heavier than most of these yachts as well, including the longer ones. 

Although we have ranked the Dilbar at 6 here, we’re going strictly by overall length. If you are looking at something like weight, the Dilbar was actually the biggest yacht in the world since was heavier than all the others until the Fulk Al Salamah. So where does all the weight come from?

To start with,the Dilbar has the largest swimming pool ever installed in a yacht. It’s 25 meters long. That’s half the length of an Olympic swimming pool. In terms of volume, it’s listed as 180 m cubed of water which works out to around 47,500 gallons in total. That’s adding substantial weight to any vessel.

The yacht doesn’t just have helipads, it has its own custom 7-passenger helicopter as well.The yacht is built to accommodate 40 passengers and over 80 crew. It can reach a maximum speed of 22.5 knots with its diesel-electric engines.

5. Blue – 160 meters

The newest yacht on the list, Blue was delivered in 2022 and built in Germany. With a grosse tonnage of 14,785 she’s a hefty ship but the four diesel electric engines she’s equipped with are up to the task though the top speed is just 20 knots which is less than some of the similarly sized vessels. The beam of the Blue is 22.5 meters. 

While it features many of the snazzy yacht amenities you’d expect, like a helipad for instance, it also has a cutting edge water treatment facility that is able to treat wastewater and convert it to drinking water quality, at least according to the manufacturer. 

It has been guessed but not confirmed that Blue has 24 guest cabins to accomodate 48 passengers at one time. In addition it runs with a crew of 80. This is speculation right now as the specs seem to still be under wraps.

Currently Blue sails under the Cayman Islands flag and is fairly active unlike some other large yachts which seem to do little actual sailing these days. 

4. Dubai – 162 meters

Made by Platinum Yachts, the Dubai was originally commissioned by the prince of Brunei. Part way through its development the prince backed out of the deal and the government of Dubai took over, finishing the vessel as a sort of flagship, literally, for the city.

It serves as a royal yacht for a Sheik and was the largest yacht in the world from the time it was finished in 2006 until the year 2009 when it was surpassed.

The yacht features a 10 m swimming pool, a dining room capable of seating 90, several VIP suites and accommodations for 115 including the crew and staff. It’s also manned by a crew of about 88 people. There are also a pair of 10 meter motor boats attached, a squash court, a movie theater, a disco, 24 water bikes, and a submarine.

There are two tender garages and while most yachts would store all the extra boating and fishing type gear in there, the Dubai also has two “water toy” rooms as well where they keep things like jet skis, just to keep business and pleasure separate, it seems. 

The Dubai has a beam of 22 meters and a grosse tonnage of 13,470. The top speed is 26 knots, making it one of the faster of these megayachts, and that’s thanks to the MTU-20V diesel engines. It can travel an impressive 8,500 nautical miles without fueling up, owing to a 1.2 million liter diesel fuel tank. 

3. Eclipse – 162 meters

The Eclipse is the third largest yacht in the world but it also takes the crown for being the most expensive yacht as well. You might have heard that a yacht called the History Supreme held that title but we explain why that’s not so in our article on the most expensive yachts in the world. The true honor is held by the 162 meter, $1.5 billion Eclipse, at least for now.

The registered value of the Eclipse was $438 million but it’s been rumored that extensive upgrades boosted the price up to $1.5 billion. The features of the vessel include helipads and a 16 meter swimming pool that can be covered and turned into a dance floor. It also has anti-paparazzi technology that makes it impossible to take digital photos, bullet proof glass and a missile defense system. 

In addition, the yacht has two helipads plus room to store a third in a storage hangar. There’s also room for a mini sub down there. There are 18 guest cabins and room for about 100 crew members on board as well. 

The Eclipse has a grosse tonnage of 13,000 and features a 22 meter beam. It features 4 diesel electric engines and can reach a top speed of 22 knots. 

2. Fulk al Salamah – 164 meters

Built in 2016, the Fulk al Salamah yacht is a royal support vessel for Oman. It serves in a sort of diplomatic capacity, traveling to other countries to foster relationships and, as such, it contains a lot of Omani art and photos as part of an on board museum.

The vessel runs on diesel electric engines and can reach a top speed of 16 knots with a cruising speed of 12 knots. The gross tonnage is 20,361 which is remarkably large compared to some of these similar vessels. In fact, as near as I can tell, this is the heaviest yacht in the world right now. The Dilbar is often quoted as being the heaviest, but it was made a year earlier and has a much lower GT than this vessel. 

The full length is 538’1” and the beam is 24 m or 78’9”. It can house a crew of 100 with room for up to 40 guests.  One thing worth noting is that sometimes this is not considered a proper superyacht in that it does seem to be more of a functional or support vessel than any kind of pleasure boat. For instance, if you look at photos you won’t see a lot of the cool amenities out on deck like jacuzzis and a pool or anything like that. 

1. Azzam – 180 meters

The most massive yacht in the world is the Azzam. The original plans did not have it as large as it currently is and, had it followed them, it barely would have made our list by coming in at 145 meters. However, during the design process the length was increased in order to optimize the build and everything that needed to be included. The goal, according to the designer, was never to have the largest yacht, just the best one, and the length became incidental. 

Extra space needed to be added for the engines as well as the fuel system and some other features, which tacked on nearly 40 more meters in total, or about 120 feet. That’s a considerable addition at the end of the day. 

The beam is just under 21 meters and the grosse tonnage is 13,136. It can also hit a top speed of 32-33 knots, impressive for a vessel of its size, thanks to two gas and two diesel turbines. At top speed it runs at 97,000hp and consumes 13 tonnes of fuel per hour. The vessel also has conventional diesel engines on board for long voyages. The speed drops down to 21 knots but it could cross the Atlantic without the need to refuel during the voyage. 

The cost of building the Azzam is believed to be north of $500 million. It also took four years to bring it to life with a team of over 4,000 people working on it. On the finished vessel there’s room for over 100, with as many as 80 crewmembers and 36 guests.

The Largest Sailing Yachts in the World

There are actually three yachts that can claim to be the largest sailing yacht so we’ll cover them all here as well. A sail boat this large has to be built to different standards than a motor yacht and they tend to not be pushed to the same length limits by any means. These are big boats, but they’re not up to the level of the largest motor yachts.

3. The Sea Cloud – 109.5 meters

At just shy of 110 meters the Sea Cloud could qualify as the largest sailing yacht in the world depending both on when you read this and how you define sailing yacht. Sound complicated? It is, unfortunately. 

The Sea Cloud was built in Germany back in 1931, so it’s held the title of the biggest sailing yacht for the better part of a century. It saw use during WWII and then made its way to the Dominican Republic before going back to Germany years later for a rebuild. It also underwent a handful of name changes in that time. These days it boasts a crew of 60 with room for 32 guests. 

Weirdly, this is just “technically’” the largest sailing yacht in the world because of the following two entries.

2. Project Y721 – 127 meters

At 127 meters, the Oceanco Y721 should handily beat the Sea Cloud for the title of largest sailing yacht but it can’t just yet. The project is still in development and since the yacht has yet to be finished and hit the water, we can’t technically say it’s the biggest. 

This is the yacht being built for billionaire founder of Amazon Jeff Bezos. The plans are for a 417 foot long, three-masted yacht that costs around $500 million. That will make it not just one of the biggest sailing yachts but the biggest and most expensive yachts.

Despite not even existing yet, the yacht caused controversy during its construction when plans to remove part of the Def Hef bridge in Rotterdam to allow the yacht through surfaced. As a historical landmark, many people were against the idea of taking it apart just to allow a billionaire’s yacht to pass through. The result was that the mayor of Rotterdam announced to one had even asked permission to take the bridge apart and there was no permit issued. 

Instead, the masts and the yacht traveled separately to their destination to finish the build and the bridge didn’t need to be dismantled as a result. Currently the size of the masts is unknown as much of the build is subject to confidentiality agreements. 

1. Sailing Yacht A – 142.8 meters

It doesn’t have the most creative name in the world but Sailing Yacht A is also a potential contender for the biggest sailing yacht in the world. Again, this one has an asterisk next to it because the A has caused controversy amongst sailing purists. It’s technically a sailing motor yacht, which means it also can run under engine power when needed. To some, that disqualifies it as a sailing yacht entirely, so we’ll leave it to you to decide if this is the biggest sailing yacht in the world or not.

In any event, it has 100-foot tall carbon fiber masts for when it does use the wind, which cut an impressive form on the water. In 2022 it was seized by Italian authorities since the yacht is owned by a Russian billionaire and many of their assets around the world have been taken into custody. It’s unknown when it will sail again or under whose ownership.

The Bottom Line

The Azzam is the current record holder for the largest yacht in the world in terms of length. The Sailing Yacht A is the largest sailing yacht though it does have engines that allow it to sail under engine power when necessary and that disqualifies it in some people’s minds. Finally, in terms of heaviest, the Fulk al Salamah would qualify as the largest yacht based on weight, as it is far heavier than even the Azzam.