The World’s Largest Yachts—2012 

61. Amevi • 262’5″

Year Launched: 2006
Builder: Oceanco, Holland
Naval Architect: Alberto Pinto/Nuvolari-Lenard
Hull Material: steel
Engines: 2/4,680-hp MTUs

If guests aboard Amevi get a bit chilled while outdoors, they can slip into the heated pool. A relaxing massage and a little sprucing up in the beauty salon can follow, before cocktails and dinner. If that sounds like a good plan to you, it can be yours for a weekly charter rate of €700,000 (about $904,500). She’s owned by Lakshmi Mittal, the India-born chairman of ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steelmaker. According to Forbes magazine, Mittal lost $10.4 billion in the past year, more than anyone else in the world…yet he’s still worth more than $20 billion.

62. Talitha • 262’5″

Year Launched: 1930/1993
Builder: Krupps Kiel, Germany
Naval Architect: Cox & Stevens
Hull Material: steel
Engines: 2/1,400-hp Caterpillars

Chartering at €280,000 (about $364,000) per week, Talitha is one of the greatest classics on the water. How can you resist a yacht with clipper bow, especially when you can lounge in a cushioned hammock up there? Many a modern watertoy is aboard, too, ranging from half a dozen towables to sailboats, kayaks, waterskis, and a hydrofoil.

63. Dubai Shadow • 259’2″

Year Launched: 1973/2006
Builder: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Japan/Platinum Yachts, Dubai
Naval Architect: builder
Hull Material: steel
Engines: 2/3,200-hp Daihatsus

Her name says it all: Dubai Shadow is a shadow yacht for Dubai (no. 2). She’s not nearly as luxurious, but then again most shadow boats aren’t. They’re strictly utilitarian, used for holding gear or extra personnel (think personal staff, bodyguards, and the like) that the main yacht can’t accommodate, or both. Dubai Shadow therefore serves her purpose well, reportedly home to a few speedboats and whatever extra staff are required for various official business or personal holidays.

64. Al Diriyah • 258’0″

Year Launched: 1960
Builder: National Bulk Carriers, Japan
Naval Architect: builder
Hull Material: steel
Engines: 2/1,800-hp Fairbanks Morses

Al Diriyah can be seen in the Med and Middle Eastern waters. In fact, she was in Port Said, Egypt in early May. Despite her age and the fact that she mixes and mingles with far more modern yachts, she’s never had a refit to change her appearance. 

65. Pegasus V • 257’9″

Year Launched: 2003
Builder: Royal Denship, Denmark
Naval Architect: Espen Oeino
Hull Material: steel
Engines: 2/2,570-hp Deutz-MWMs

Who wouldn’t want a private sunning terrace on their yacht? That’s a terrific feature aboard Pegasus V. A section of the starboard hull folds down, directly off the master suite, to form the terrace. But the feature that gets as much attention now as it did when the yacht was first launched is the garage/pool. When the tender leaves the yacht, the empty bay can be flooded and used for swimming. It’s especially enjoyable at night, thanks to underwater lighting. And, when the tender is taking guests from shore to the yacht, it can pull straight into the garage, for the ultimate in door-to-door service. She’s owned by a longtime American yachtsman. 

66. Delphine • 257’8″

Year Launched: 1921/2003
Builder: Great Lakes Engineering Works, USA
Naval Architect: Henry J. Gielow
Hull Material: steel
Engines: 2/750-hp Babcock & Wilcox steam engines

Delphine was named in honor of the granddaughter of Horace Dodge, the cofounder of auto-parts manufacturer Dodge Brothers Company. Dodge had commissioned the yacht but died before she was completed. The yacht’s current owner, Jack Bruynooghe, a Belgian national in the clothing business, acquired her about 15 years ago. He’d seen the yacht many times in his travels, but he was particularly attracted to her because of her association with the Dodge family. Why? You could say that Bruynooghe is a bit of a classic car fan, having quite a collection of American-built automobiles. 

67. Hampshire II • 257’7″

Year Launched: 2012
Builder: Feadship/Royal Van Lent, Holland
Naval Architect: e Voogt International
Hull Material: steel
Engines: 2/2,038-hp MTUs

If guests aboard this newly delivered Feadship can’t figure out how to have fun aboard, then they need to have their heads examined. The foredeck helipad doubles as a ball court for pretty much any sport you can think of: basketball, badminton, baseball, football, and more. Seriously. The owner is a huge sports fan and specifically requested the area be able to be set up for this. So, when the helicopter is off somewhere else, the crew can set up safety nets, and voilà. Some of Feadship’s craftsmen and the owner’s friends put it to the test on launch day, playing a rousing game of soccer. Oh, and if that weren’t enough, there’s a zip line that can go from the crow’s nest to the water. 

68. TV • 257’6″

Year Launched: 2008
Builder: Lürssen, Germany
Naval Architect: Espen Oeino
Hull Material: steel
Engines: 2/2,717-hp Caterpillars

Do you like to make a grand entrance? You can do so if you charter TV and arrive at a particular destination via one of two tenders, depending on your style. There’s the 33-foot Venetian limo tender, for an elegant arrival. Or, there’s the same-size, 70-knot Cougar, for a bigger splash (no pun intended). Speaking of splashes, TV has a waterslide, one of the most popular toys for the superyacht set these days. Her weekly rate starts at €850,000 (about $1.1 million).

69. Tueq • 257’4″

Year Launched: 2002
Builder: GNS Shipyard, Holland
Naval Architect: De Voogt International/Azure Naval Architects
Hull Material: steel
Engines: 2/3,600-hp Wärtsiläs

Tueq is a pretty private yacht, so few details are known. She has an interior by Michael Leach Design. And she was lengthened five years ago from her original LOA of 234 feet 6 inches. 

70. Amaryllis • 257’3″

Year Launched: 2008
Builder: Abeking & Rasmussen, Germany
Naval Architect: builder
Hull Material: steel
Engines: 2/2,032-hp Caterpillars

Around the first of the year, Amaryllis was stealing the spotlight from the royal yacht Britannia while in Edinburgh, Scotland. Too bad residents and tourists alike couldn’t see the yacht’s interior, and they surely would have been impressed. Amaryllis bears a combination of Art Deco, Art Nouveau, and Belle Epoque elements, for a sumptuous style. She has a fun side, too: There’s a self-playing piano that’s a work of art unto itself, and the water in her sundeck pool can be lit with a variety of colors. She’s available for charter for the first time, too.