Wow! 5 of the Largest Superyachts Launched Recently
Bigger is better. We hear that about all manner of things: buildings, products, muscles, and yes, yachts. Super- and megayachts draw plenty of oohs and aahs when they enter or exit a harbor. Or when they leave the shed for the first time. That’s what we have here. Some of the largest superyachts to launch recently.
The smallest on our list of five of the largest superyachts is 163 feet long. The largest is 328 feet. That’s a lot of yacht. Onboard features include saunas, hot tubs, helipads, pools, and more.
Katana
Perini Navi
Perini Navi added a new yacht to its 60-meter ketch series, the 196-foot sailing yacht Katana, which launched in late 2024. The yacht, according to Perini Navi’s parent company Italian Sea Group, is a stunning synthesis of luxury, innovation, technology, and tradition. We find that difficult to argue with.
Naval architect Ron Holland designed the ketch with a sleek aluminum hull and fitted her with carbon-fiber masts, booms, and rigging. The goal is to optimize nimbleness while retaining strength. The sail system design is said to ensure advanced handling and ease of use, thereby improving performance. Technology abounds. For example, a cutting-edge dynamic positioning system allows the craft to maintain its position and heading without an anchor.
When not under sail, Katana runs on twin diesel 966 hp MTU engines. Top speed under diesel power is 15 knots, and cruising speed is 12 knots. The 196-footer displaces approximately 570 tons and has a fuel capacity of more than 12,400 gallons.
Six cabins can accommodate 12 guests in the Remi Tessier-designed interior. Six additional cabins house a crew of up to nine. While details of the interiors are not yet available, Tessier has said that the design is meant to evoke sophistication and comfort without being ostentatious.
Project 824
Feadship
Feadship revealed Project 824, the second-largest yacht to emerge from the company’s Kaag facility in the Netherlands. The 328-foot aluminum vessel with a 44-foot beam was spotted traveling the canals through the Dutch countryside. She sports a sleek profile and some of the curves of the company’s previous builds, including Project 818 (aka Syzygy 818, aka Pi). Feadship confirmed that the ship’s propulsion system is hybrid diesel-electric with ABB pod drives, offering a promise of minimal vibration and better efficiency.
Many details—especially about her interior—remain tightly under wraps, but we know that the French studio Liaigre has been tapped for interior design. Longtime Feadship collaborator Jarkko Jammsen designed the exterior.
Project 824’s launch also revealed an angled transom with a wide staircase leading to the pool on the main deck. The megayacht reportedly has a forward tender garage and folding balconies that open onto the beach club.
Camila
Bilgin Yachts
Bilgin Yachts announced delivery of its latest creation, Camila, a new addition to its 163 line. The 50-meter luxury superyacht’s exterior styling, created by Unique Yacht Design, is sporty and daring. Her light gray hull and white aluminum superstructure support the extensive glazing that surrounds each deck.
The yacht has a 30-foot beam beam and features a cutting-edge design. That design creates 20 percent more area than comparably sized yachts, according to Unique Yacht Design’s founder Emrecan Özgün. Extensive outdoor areas highlight the design. That includes a 70-foot sundeck, a 39-foot bridge aft deck, and a 1,320-gallon pool.
Gorgeously appointed by Hot Lab, Camila’s interiors feature extensive natural light and broad, uninterrupted windows. The muted, natural palette is off-white, cream, sand, and pale gray, which creates an understated elegance. Hot Lab’s use of glass, mirror, and stone highlights the subtle curves and evokes a sense of comfort and luxury. Six staterooms can accommodate 12 guests, and anyone who spends time aboard should feel as though they’re living in a tasteful dream.
Twin 1,450 hp Caterpillar diesel engines power the superyacht to a top speed of 16.5 knots. A more economical and long-range cruise speed is 12 knots. At her most efficient, the yacht has a transoceanic range of 5,000 nautical miles on its 14,530-gallon fuel capacity.
Platinum
Admiral Yachts
Admiral Yachts’ award-winning 256-foot megayacht Platinum is the company’s new flagship and has been turning heads since her owners took delivery in September 2024. Her beam spans 42 feet, her draft reaches 12 feet, and she displaces 2,146 gross tons. Twin MTU 2,700 hp diesels push Platinum to a top speed of 16 knots, and she cruises at 14.5 knots, according to Admiral.
The design by Igor Lobanov features white aluminum and a steel hull, but Lobanov himself insisted on contrasting grays to highlight the ornate, “snake-like” twists in the forward part of the superstructure. The luxury craft’s range is up to 6,000 nautical miles thanks to almost 76,000 gallons of fuel capacity.
Dutch design firm Sinot Yacht created the interior’s attention to detail. Add that to seemingly endless onboard amenities and Platinum is essentially a floating palace. Up to 12 guests can sleep in six staterooms. And the owner can bring them aboard via helicopter thanks to a helipad. While on board, they can enjoy the 19-foot-long pool equipped with a counter-current system. They will also find a spa, a sauna, a hair salon, a gym, and a massage room.
Guests can chill out in the sky lounge and various other lounges and catch a movie in the onboard cinema. Heated marble floors negate any morning or evening chill on bare feet, and everyone can gather in the 14-guest dining area. This is all connected by an elevator, of course.
Curved glass balustrades are scattered throughout and are even used as windbreaks around staircases between decks. The flooring emulates Portuguese artwork called “calcada,” using contrasting light and dark teak. These are touches the largest superyachts can incorporate.
Santosha
Heesen Yachts
The premiere ship in Heesen’s new line of 57-meter all-aluminum yachts, Santosha is a speedy, agile, luxurious vessel that features a sporty, Northern European sensibility to her exteriors. Her secretive owners were heavily involved in the design process of this entrant on our list of largest superyachts to launch recently. The owners told Heesen they chartered yachts for decades and thus knew exactly what they wanted.
Named after the Sanskrit word for “contentment,” Santosha features personal touches everywhere, including a master bathroom with a Garden of Eden theme. Other touches include the use of the lotus flower and a bas-relief snake in the master suite. It’s a symbol of a new start.
More typical features, at least among the largest superyachts, include two 20-foot tenders, broad and open window lines, a 375-square-foot beach club, a 203-square-foot owner’s apartment, a gym, and more. Santosha is a yacht anyone could enjoy, just with the added personal touches for the owners’ pleasure.
The 187-foot superyacht has a Bahamas-friendly shallow draft and a fast-displacement hull design, making her powerful and versatile. She can achieve a top speed of 22 knots, according to Heesen, running on MTU 16V 4000 M65L engines that deliver 2,918 hp. Owners enjoy a range of 4,400 nautical miles at 12 knots.
Conclusions
This crop of superyachts proves that designers and marine architects are continuing to push the limits of what seemed possible even as recently as a few years ago. These five, among the largest superyachts to launch recently, are sure to draw oohs and aahs for years to come. And we’re confident yacht builders will keep debuting new ones with new features, too, so stay tuned.
Kurt Brighton