Lurssen Launch Azzam: The Largest Yacht in the World

By Ben Roberts

Superyachts.com was on the scene of a defining moment in the history of yacht building this morning as Lürssen Yachts successfully launched the 180m (590’6”ft) Azzam in to the water at their facilities in Bremen, Germany.

Designed by Nauta Yachts and meticulously constructed by Lürssen Yachts under the personal guidance of Engineer Mubarak Saad al Ahbabi, Azzam will be ranked as the largest yacht in the world, surpassing the world revered Eclipse.

Closely guarded details surrounding this incredible yacht have also emerged today after the yard released a statement regarding the completion of the spectacular project:

“Eng. Mubarak Saad al Ahbabi assembled a world-class team which he personally directed in all areas of the development of this sophisticated project … His brief was to build a large luxury yacht with an innovative and timeless design that would be able to travel at high speed in warm and shallow waters, whilst providing luxurious and sophisticated accommodation to its guests ... [this] is, without doubt, the most complex and challenging yacht which has ever been built.

The yacht Azzam is breaking new grounds in terms of dimension, performance and technology. In addition to being the largest yacht in the world with a length of 180 meters and with a top speed of over 30 knots she adds another record in terms of building time”

"When she will be delivered later this year, she will have been in build for only three years following one year of engineering,"  comments Peter Lürssen, Lürssen Managing Partner. "She truly represents another milestone in not only our history but yachting history as well".

Nauta CEO Mario Pedol stated: "When I first saw the scale model before the general presentation to the Principal, I was 100% happy with the outcome and so was the Principal. Such recognition made me confident that we had achieved our goal".

Burgess CEO Jonathan Beckett said: "We are proud to be associated with this extraordinary and unique project as the Owners technical consultants. The construction of this yacht- with its highly complex technical features- has been extremely demanding and challenging. It has been a real team effort between all the professionals involved including ourselves, the builder and the designers".

Amongst many other features the yacht has a main salon with a length of 29 m and a beam of 18m with an open plan and no pillars. She will travel in excess of 30 knots, powered by a combination of 2 gas turbines and 2 diesel engines with a total of 94000 horse powers.

The interior decoration was undertaken by the renowned French designer Christophe Leoni who is proud to have been able to realize a sophisticated and luxurious interior in a turn of the century Empire style. "Though Yachting is not my main area of business, I thoroughly enjoyed the cooperation with Nauta and Lürssen and am confident that the final yacht is everything and more the owner expects." he said.

We’ll be delivering updates, images and footage of the launch throughout the day. In the meantime, click here to view our interview with Peter Lürssen in London for a more in-depth insight into Azzam and the economical benefits of superyacht construction.

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By Ben Roberts
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