Seashell Lifestyle Magazine Vol.4 | Page 28

PRIVATELY OWNED SUPERYACHT AZZAM “THE WORLD’S LARGEST” On the 5th April 2013 Lürssen, the leading shipyard for large luxury yacht building , launched the180 m yacht AZZAM - the largest motor yacht in the world! A title once held by Russian Billionaire Roman Abramovich’s “Eclipse”, has been dwarfed by a whopping 57 feet. Its builder Lürssen is the globally leading yacht-builder today, based in Bremen, Germany. With a workforce of 1550, Lürssen maintains four state-of-the-art shipyards in North Germany. The privately run company, which remains solely in the hands of the Lürssen family to this day, has earned an international reputation as best the specialist in exclusive, large custom-built yachts. “Azzam” which means “determination” in Arabic, is an apt title for what is described as the most complex and challenging yacht built to date. Eng. Mubarak Saad al Ahbabi is the principal designer and the man who defined the original creative idea based on his indepth knowledge of the environment. He assembled a worldclass team which he personally directed in all areas of the development of this sophisticated project. Under his leadership the original concept of the yacht was developed starting with the overall requirements with regards to general layout, size and performance and exterior style. 28 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. Under the personal guidance of Eng. Mubarak Saad al Ahbabi, the technical engineering was developed by Lürssen, the exterior design by Nauta Yachts and the interior design by Christophe Leoni to create what 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. Lürssen Managing Partner Peter Lürssen proudly said: “When she will be delivered later this year, she will have been in build for only three years following one year of engineering.” “She truly represents another milestone in not only our history but yachting history as well” he adds. The design has strength of character and sense of purpose, yet has a timeless elegance, incorporating all the elements of visionary contemporary modern design.