In brief
- The yacht Azzam is worth approximately 600 million dollars, or nearly 540 million euros at the exchange rate of 13 October 2026, according to several estimates: neither the Lürssen shipyard nor Abu Dhabi have ever published its price.
- At 180.65 metres according to its builder, it remains as of October 2026 the longest private yacht in the world, delivered on 9 September 2013.
- It was commissioned by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates who died in 2022, and has never been put up for sale.
- The largest by volume is not this one: the Dilbar (15,917 GT) exceeds it, and it is also the only giant whose value has been quantified by an authority, between 600 and 735 million dollars.
- Its length record is threatened by REV Ocean, an exploration vessel of 194.9 metres expected at the end of 2026.
As long as nearly two football pitches, the Azzam is the name that comes up as soon as there is talk of an extraordinary yacht. Its price, however, has never been confirmed by anyone. Here is what we truly know about its value, its construction and its owner, separating established facts from estimates.
How much does the yacht Azzam cost?
No official document gives the price of the Azzam. The German shipyard Lürssen, which built it in Bremen, never communicates the amount of its orders, and the vessel has never been resold, seized or frozen: no authority has therefore had to evaluate it, as the US Treasury did for the Dilbar. The figure that circulates, approximately 600 million dollars, is an industry estimate, sometimes refined to 605 million, which corresponds to the supposed construction cost in 2013 and not a resale value. Converted at the European Central Bank reference rate of 13 October 2026 (1 euro for 1.1188 dollars), this represents approximately 540 million euros.
The Azzam in figures
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Builder | Lürssen, Bremen (Germany) |
| Launch | 5 April 2013 |
| Delivery | 9 September 2013 |
| Length | 180.65 metres (Lürssen data) |
| Beam and draught | 20.8 metres; only 4.3 metres |
| Tonnage | 13,136 GT |
| Propulsion | two gas turbines and two diesel engines, four waterjets |
| Maximum speed | over 30 knots (Lürssen data) |
| Design | Mubarak Saad al Ahbabi; exterior Nauta Design; interior Christophe Leoni |
| Client | Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates |
| Price | approximately 600 million dollars, estimate never confirmed |
A record construction of less than three years
Lürssen highlights a timeframe rarely achieved for a hull of this size: less than three years between the laying of the keel and delivery. The engineer and lead designer, Mubarak Saad al Ahbabi, wanted a large yacht capable of travelling fast in the warm and shallow waters of the Gulf. Hence its draught of 4.3 metres and its hybrid propulsion, which combines gas turbines and diesels to power four waterjets, two of which are steerable. Its speed exceeds 30 knots, a performance typical of a speedboat for a 180-metre vessel.
Inside, the French decorator Christophe Leoni created a decor inspired by the Empire style of the early 19th century. The main salon, 29 metres long and without pillars according to descriptions published at delivery, gives the measure of the available volume.
Longer does not mean bigger
Those looking for the price of the world’s largest yacht often come across the Azzam. It is, however, the longest, not the most voluminous. Lürssen presents the Dilbar, delivered in 2016, as the world’s largest motor yacht by tonnage, with 15,917 GT compared to 13,136 for the Azzam, over only 156 metres. The Dilbar is also the only one whose value has been quantified by a state: the US Treasury estimated it between 600 and 735 million dollars on 3 March 2022.
In our ranking of the most expensive yachts in the world, the Azzam thus occupies third place, behind the Dilbar (600 to 735 million dollars, US Treasury) and the Scheherazade (approximately 700 million dollars according to several estimates), and ahead of Roman Abramovich’s Eclipse (162.5 metres), whose construction cost was estimated at 340 million euros in 2009.
Who owns the Azzam today?
The yacht was commissioned by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates from 2004 until his death in May 2022. It has since remained in the ruling family of Abu Dhabi, according to several reports in the service of his half-brother and successor, Mohammed bin Zayed. It has never been offered for sale and no rental rates have ever been published.
In the absence of a transaction, its value can only be estimated. Brokers use a rule of thumb: a yacht costs each year approximately 10% of its value in crew, fuel, insurance and maintenance. Applied to the Azzam, it gives an order of magnitude of 60 million dollars per year, to be taken as an estimate and not as a published figure.
A record on borrowed time
The Azzam has held the title of the longest private yacht since its launch in 2013, when it dethroned the Eclipse. This title could change hands before the end of 2026: REV Ocean, an exploration and research vessel of 194.9 metres ordered from the Norwegian group Vard by billionaire Kjell Inge Røkke, is expected in the fourth quarter. Its scientific vocation, however, distinguishes it from a pleasure yacht.
To compare with other more accessible units, see also the most beautiful luxury yachts in the world in 2026.
Prices verified and updated on 13 October 2026. Sources: Lürssen (Azzam yacht factsheet), US Treasury (press release of 3 March 2022 on the Dilbar), European Central Bank (reference rate of 13 October 2026). The price of the Azzam is an industry estimate, not confirmed by the shipyard.
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