The powertrain of the world’s biggest yacht, the 180m Azzam, can generate 94,000 hp or 70MW, equivalent to a decent-sized wind farm.
Built by Lürrsen in Germany and launched in early April, Azzam is the world’s biggest superyacht, at 180m (590ft). It beats the previous record for a private yacht, Roman Abramovich’s 162.5m (533ft) Eclipse, and is comparable in volume to some small cruise ships.
The yacht is powered by a combination of two gas turbines and two giant diesel engines, which are understood to power four giant water jets. The powertrain can generate up to 94,000 horse power, equivalent to 70MW, making a top speed of 30 knots. This compares to a small power station or a wind farm of 30-40 2MW wind turbines.
The yacht was designed by Nauta Yachts in Italy and Lürrsen, the yacht and military ship builder in Bremen, says she was built within 28-months from cutting the steel. Total build time was four years to from concept to pre-sea trial launch.
At 590ft Azzam is nearly the length of two football pitches. The yacht has a main salon with a length of 29 m and a beam of 18m with an open plan and no pillars. The interior decoration was undertaken by Christophe Leoni, whose brief was to create “an urbane and luxurious interior in a turn of the century ‘Empire’ style”.
It is understood that the vessel will be manned by 50 crew. The yacht is managed by Burgess Technical Services.
Will Stirling
