king of saudi yacht

Photos: Inside Saudi Crown Prince’s USD 400 million superyacht; snowroom and more

The yacht's facilities include seven swimming pools, an underwater viewing room, health spa, saltwater pool, outdoor cinema and a nightclub over the combined 48,000 square feet..

Riyadh : The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, is known for his lavish spending and owning several luxurious properties around the world, including a serene superyacht worth dollars 400 million (Rs 32,74,61,20,000).

The Crown Prince bought the yacht from the previous owner, Russian businessman Yuri Shefler in 2015.

The 134-meter Serene yacht built by Italian shipyard Fincantieri, has many elements inside that make it the masterpiece it is.

The Serene #luxury mega yacht pic.twitter.com/iyUK2gyKBT — Earth 🌍 (@earthescope) March 22, 2015

It can accommodate up to 24 guests in 12 cabins with private decks, and 52 crew members, including the captain, in 30 cabins.

As per a report by luxury launches , the yacht’s facilities include seven swimming pools, an underwater viewing room, a health spa, a saltwater pool, outdoor cinema and a nightclub over the combined 48,000 square feet.

One such standout element is a snow room—cooled to 12 degrees Fahrenheit and featuring real snow falling from the ceiling.

A dedicated children’s playroom makes the ship a family-friendly cruise experience for guests. There is an indoor climbing wall, wet bar and jacuzzi on the top floor.

The yacht also has two helicopter pads. The yacht’s fun features include an on-board pizza oven and teppanyaki grill. Its interior is defined as modern and luxurious with attention to detail.

The yacht offers many social spaces for guests to use and a conference room where they can conduct business on board.

At a distance of 5000 nautical miles, the yacht has a maximum speed of 18 knots and a cruising speed of 14 knots.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, one of the most expensive works of art ever purchased for 450 million dollars (Rs 36,86,96,25,000) in 2017 (more than the yacht itself), is on display on the yacht.

Prior to the sale of the yacht to the Crown Prince, Serene was provided for charter to select guests. Among them is Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who reportedly rented Serene for 5 million dollars (Rs 40,97,49,500) a week during the summer of 2014.

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Saudi Prince’s Record-Breaking Yacht

How far can you go for something you like? Saudi Prince Turki bin Muqrin Al Saud has gone 171 feet to attain his ‘Special One,’ the world’s largest sportfishing yacht. The Royal Huisman sportfisher is undergoing sea trials, with delivery to her royal owner expected next month. As the largest sportfisher yacht in the world, Special One includes six decks designed to near perfection by Dutch studio Vripack. The boat comes with a long bow, high bulwarks, and a low fishing cockpit aft.

The interiors, though sheathed in secrecy as is the case with most royal owners, are undoubtedly luxurious, making the most of the volume of 499 tons. There must be a saloon, lounge area, and a large galley for 12 guests serviced by 8 crew members.

But at the heart of it all, it is a sportfishing yacht, and that’s perceivable through the hunting equipment to catch larger fish. There is a tower doubling as a viewing platform for the aft fishing area.

Royal Huisman chief executive Jan Timmerman said: “It is well known that the Royal Huisman team likes nothing better than the opportunity to solve fresh engineering challenges – especially if they come in the shape of a unique project concept.” A passionately created vessel for a rich man with a hobby, Special One also packs in quite a performance with MTU engines that render a top speed of 35 knots. The world’s largest true sportfishing yacht was earlier known as Royal Huisman motor yacht Project 406 and is worth $70 million.

According to insiders in the industry, Special One is owned by Turki bin Muqrin bin Abdulaziz, the 50-year-old nephew of King Salman of Saudi Arabia. The licensed helicopter and fixed-wing pilot established aviation schools in the United Kingdom and Lebanon. In addition to being CEO of Rabigh Wings Aviation Academy (RWAA), he also owns a real estate firm in Turkey. He has evidently developed an innate passion for sportfishing and owns the largest yacht in the category to pursue his interests.

Note – According to the US Navy, the $4.16 billion Zumwalt-class destroyer has a top speed of 30 knots.

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Saudi prince Mohammed bin Salman 'buys £452m yacht' but slashes public spending

The royal has helped to implement economic reforms including slashing the state budget at a time of low oil prices, article bookmarked.

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A senior member of Saudi Arabia’s royal family bought a £452 million yacht before helping push through drastic austerity measures within the country.

Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman picked out a Russian tycoon’s 440ft ship while holidaying in the south of France, according to the New York Times .

Prince Mohammed has frozen government contracts and it emerged this month that the country's capital spending was dropping by 71 per cent in 2016.

The article claims Prince Mohammed dispatched an aid to buy Yuri Shefler’s vessel after spotting it floating off the coast.

The deal - reported at €500 million, £452 million by today’s exchange rate - was done within hours, according to an associate of Mr Shefler and a Saudi close to the royal family.

The Russian apparently moved off the yacht the same day.

Part of the reform measures that Prince Mohammed is responsible for includes

cutting ministers pay by 20 per cent .

Joseph Kechichian , a senior fellow at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh, said: “I am persuaded as someone who focuses on this topic that the ruling family of Saudi Arabia above all else puts the interest of the family first and foremost.”

The Independent has contacted the House of Saud for comment.

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The Saudi crown prince has reportedly detained 3 royal family members for unknown reasons. Meet 34-year-old Mohammed bin Salman, who's at the center of human rights issues and drops millions on yachts and mansions.

• Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammed bin Salman has detained three members of the Saudi royal family for "unexplained reasons," The New York Times' David D. Kirkpatrick and Ben Hubbard reported on Friday.
• Prince Mohammed is the 34-year-old future king of Saudi Arabia.
• He controls part of the royal family's vast wealth, which is estimated at up to $1.4 trillion and includes Saudi Aramco , the most valuable company in the world .
• Prince Mohammed has spent his fortune on a $500 million yacht , a $300 million French chateau , and a $450 million Leonardo da Vinci painting.
• In 2018, bin Salman faced global outcry over the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi , who the CIA later concluded was assassinated on the prince's orders . 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .

Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the future king of Saudi Arabia, has detained three members of the Saudi royal family for "unexplained reasons," The New York Times' David D. Kirkpatrick and Ben Hubbard reported on Friday.

The crown prince, known as MBS, arrested senior royal Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, former crown prince Mohammed bin Nayef, and his younger brother, Prince Nawaf bin Nayef, a relative and a person close to the royal family told the Times.

The 34-year-old heir will ascend to the throne after the death of his father, 84-year-old King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The crown prince has become a controversial global political figure, particularly so in the fall of 2018, when he faced global outcry over the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi , who the CIA later concluded was assassinated on the prince's orders . In January, he was accused of hacking the personal cell phone of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos , an allegation the  Saudi embassy called "absurd."

Prince Mohammed is known for his lavish spending. He has bought a $500 million yacht , a $300 million French chateau , and a $450 million Leonardo da Vinci painting. According to one estimate, the Saudi royal family — which has about 15,000 members — is worth up to $1.4 trillion .

The royal family's empire includes Saudi Aramco , the massive, state-owned oil company became  the most valuable company in the world when it went public in December 2019.

Here's a look at the lavish — and controversial — lifestyle of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Mohammed bin Salman is the 34-year-old crown prince of Saudi Arabia.

He was born to King Salman and his third wife, Fahda bint Falah, in 1985.

He was named crown price in June 2017 after his father, King Salman, decided to remove Muhammad bin Nayef from the position.

Rumors later emerged that Mohammed bin Salman had secretly plotted to oust bin Nayef and take his place, The New York Times reported.

The prince has a bachelor's degree in law from King Saud University, the oldest university in Saudi Arabia.

After graduating, he worked for several state agencies before being appointed as a special adviser to his father in 2009, who was serving as governor of Riyadh at the time.

In 2012, Prince Mohammed's father was named crown prince after the death of Nayef bin Abdul Aziz. Three years later, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz died and the prince's father took the throne at the age of 79.

Prince Mohammed is not yet king, but he "essentially runs the country for his father," 84-year-old King Salman bin Abdulaziz, according to Bloomberg.

The prince is known to be a "workaholic" who spends 18 hours of the day in his office, according to The Guardian.

But he reportedly doesn't take criticism well.

"People who tried to say no even gently and diplomatically faced consequences," one source from Saudi Arabia told The Guardian.

The total wealth of the Saudi royal family is unknown, but it could be worth as much as $1.4 trillion, according to House of Saud, an English-language Saudi Royal Family news resource.

The royal wealth has been accumulated over decades of oil revenue-generated expansion.

There are about 15,000 members of the Saudi royal family, but the majority of the vast fortune is distributed among 2,000 of them , according to CNBC.

The British royal family, for comparison, is worth an estimated $88 billion .

The Saudi royal family's empire includes Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil giant that reached a record-high valuation of $2 trillion after going public in December 2019.

That makes it the most valuable company in the world , outstripping the market capitalizations of the biggest US giants, including Microsoft , Apple, and Google's parent, Alphabet.

It's worth more than Berkshire Hathaway, Facebook, and Amazon combined. 

Saudi officials had been seeking a valuation of $2 trillion for the company, but most banks had pegged their initial estimates much lower, Bloomberg reported.

Aramco announced revenue of $68 billion in the first nine months of 2019, making it the most profitable company in the world.

Prince Mohammed and his father, King Salman, are often found in "a network of marble-columned palaces and countryside retreats" in Riyadh, according to The New York Times.

Foreign dignitaries and politicians are often hosted at the Al-Yamamah Palace.

During a visit from President Obama to the opulent Erga Palace, reporters spotted gold-plated Kleenex dispensers and gold chairs, according to CBS News.

The royal family is rumored to own several other lavish residences around the world , including in Switzerland, London, France, and Morocco .

Prince Mohammed is known for his extravagant purchases.

He's spent hundreds of millions on superyachts , private jets, helicopters, French chateaus, and rare paintings.

The crown prince reportedly owns a $500 million, 440-foot yacht named Serene, which includes multiple swimming pools and hot tubs, two helipads, a helicopter hangar, a gym, and a movie theater.

The yacht can sleep 24 guests in 15 cabins.

The prince reportedly bought the superyacht after spotting it while vacationing in the south of France.

In 2015, Prince Mohammed bought a chateau in France for $300 million, which was dubbed "the world's most expensive home" by Fortune at the time.

It wasn't until 2017 that news broke that it was the Saudi prince who had bought the Chateau  Louis XIV in Louveciennes, which is located west of Paris.

The 17th-century chateau reportedly includes fountains , a sound system, lights, and air conditioning that can all be controlled by an iPhone.

The lavish property also has a wine cellar, a movie theater, and a moat with a transparent underwater chamber.

The prince also picked up a Leonardo da Vinci painting for $450 million at a Christie's auction in 2017.

Prince Mohammed made the winning bid on da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi" anonymously by phone.

The painting had been estimated to sell for around $100 million leading into the auction.

Prince Mohammed has been in the news in recent years for a variety of scandals.

Saudi Arabia has faced criticism for human rights abuses and repressive laws, such as the one that says all Saudi women must have a male guardian.

In February 2019, INSIDER published an investigation detailing how a Saudi app called Absher allows men in Saudi Arabia to track and control where women travel. The reporting prompted Apple CEO Tim Cook to launch an investigation into the app, which is sold on the App Store.

In the fall of 2017, the crown prince was reportedly behind a corruption crackdown that saw more than 200 people arrested and some detained for weeks in a Ritz-Carlton hotel. Saudi Arabia reportedly use coercion and physical abuse during the interrogations.

And according to Al Jazeera , the number of executions in Saudi Arabia has been on the rise: 133 people were executed in the first eight months after MBS became crown prince.

In the fall of 2018, the crown prince faced global outcry over the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi embassy in Istanbul.

In November 2018, the CIA concluded the journalist was assassinated on the prince's orders .

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly  denied that the crown prince had any role in Khashoggi's death.

The Saudis denied for weeks that Khashoggi had been killed and repeatedly changed their story. The kingdom later announced that 18 people had been arrested in connection with the killing and said in January 2019 that prosecutors would be seeking the death penalty for five suspects.

While many world leaders have publicly condemned Prince Mohammed after Khashoggi's death, President Trump has said we may never know if Prince Mohammed ordered the killing of the journalist or not.

After the CIA concluded that MBS ordered the killing of Khashoggi, Trump expressed support for MBS, Al Jazeera reported in December 2018 .

As Business Insider previously reported , Trump has had deep business ties with the Saudi Arabian court for more than two decades.

And Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, has reportedly pushed for closer ties with Saudi Arabia and particularly with Prince Mohammed.

Kushner and the crown prince have had a close relationship for more than 2 years, Business Insider's Ellen Cranley reported.

At the G20 Summit in Argentina in December 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin was seen enthusiastically greeting the Saudi prince.

Putin's enthusiastic greeting of the Saudi prince at G20 came right after other world leaders had condemned Saudi Arabia for the killing of Khashoggi.

Other world leaders appeared to ignore the crown prince in a group photo at the summit.

Beyond politics, the prince has ties to top US technology companies and has toured some of Silicon Valley's top firms, including Google and Apple.

In the spring of 2018, Prince Mohammed met with Apple CEO Tim Cook , Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Google cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

His west coast tour also included a stop in Seattle to meet with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund owns 5% of Uber, according to the ride-sharing company's most recent S-1 filing. The fund is also a top investor in Softbank's massive Vision Fund, which owns 16% of Uber as well as sizable stakes in companies like Slack, WeWork, and DoorDash.

In January 2020, the United Nations said it had received credible information that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos had his phone hacked by Prince Mohammed.

The UN called for an "immediate investigation by US and other relevant authorities" into the matter of Bezos reporting his phone being hacked.

According to the UN report, Bezos gave Prince Mohammed his personal phone number after the two attended a small dinner together in Los Angeles in April 2018. A month later, the crown prince allegedly sent a malicious file to Bezos' phone that stole data from the device.

The Saudi government has denied the allegations , calling them "absurd."

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Inside Mohammed bin Salman’s amazing £44million superyacht with cinema room and £330m Leonardo da Vinci painting on wall

• Katie Davis
• Published : 7:10 ET, Oct 7 2021
• Updated : 6:10 ET, Jan 27 2024

SAUDI Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is the proud owner of a £44million superyacht.

The impressive 78m vessel - which comes with a hefty price tag - boasts everything from a 13-seat cinema to a helipad that doubles up as a golf driving range.

There is even the world's most expensive painting on board, an original by Leonardo da Vinci called Salvator Mundi - which is Latin for Saviour of the World

Bin Salman reportedly bought it for around £330million at Christie's in 2017, and it is thought to hang on one of the walls of his yacht.

The yacht, named Pegasus VIII, was seen moored in the bay near Pendennis Point, in the picturesque town of Falmouth back in April.

Bin Salman, often referred to as MBS, is about to become the owner of Newcastle United.

And Toon stars will certainly want a tour of the boat that has accommodation for up to 12 guests and has a crew of 26 people.

There is plenty to keep bin Salman's visitors entertained, as the yacht features a party deck complete with two bars, a dance floor, grand piano and barbecue - not to mention the 1,000 bottle tequila cellar.

The ship - which has a top cruising speed of 16 knots - also has its own gym and jacuzzi on the exterior deck, as well as a drydock which can be flooded to create a 12-metre swimming pool.

The sizeable ship was built by the Royal Denship, a Danish yacht construction company, and delivered in 2003, bought by Californian investor Ronald Tutor.

The yacht's exterior design and engineering are the work of Espen Oeino, the naval architect behind the looks of many world's biggest boats, while Francesco Zuretti put together the interior.

Tutor named it Pegasus V, having previously owned other yachts with the name Pegasus.

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In 2015, the businessman sold it on to the Saudi prince for £44million, who renamed the ship Pegasus VIII.

The 35-year-old, who serves as Saudi Arabia's deputy prime minister, sent the cruiser off to the Netherlands for an intensive refit, according to Super Yacht Fan.

It is powered by diesel-electric engines, and with a 435,700 litre fuel tanks, has a maximum range of 7,5000 nautical miles at 12 knots.

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Prince Abdulaziz

Motor Yacht

Prince Abdulaziz is a 147 metre yacht built in 1984, making it the largest yacht built in the 20th Century.

Indeed, Prince Abdulaziz held the crown the for world's largest yacht until it was outstripped by Dubai (also listed) in 2006. 

As one of the yachts of the Saudi Royal Family, Prince Abdulaziz is used to conduct official business as well as for pleasure. The interior alone took 15 months to complete. Originally built for the late King Fahd of Saudi Arabia who named the yacht after his son, it is now owned by his brother Abddullah.

Prince Abdullaziz was custom built by Helsingor Vaerft; one of Denmark's largest shipyards dating back to the late 19th Century, until their close in the 1980s due to increased competition from new foreign arrivals. 

This mega-yacht also features interior design by the late David Hicks, an English interior decorator and designer whose distinct use of bold colours, lighting and combination of modern and classical features earned him a distinguishable reputation in many countries around the world during his lifetime. 

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PRINCE ABDULAZIZ Yacht – Stunning $100M Superyacht

One of the largest yachts built in the twentieth-century, the PRINCE ABDULAZIZ yacht is and has been an impressive build ever since it was first brought into the world in 1984.

In fact, this yacht was considered the world’s largest yacht until 2006.

PRINCE ABDULAZIZ yacht interior

The original interior of the PRINCE ABDULAZIZ yacht took fifteen months to complete, but she has since been refitted for a new interior in 2007.

The late English designer David Hicks is featured as a designer for the interior, whose style contained bold colors and lightning.

He also mixed traditional design with modern design. Her interior has lavish fabrics and regal-looking furniture and interior design details.

Mixing old-fashioned styles with the modern, her interior gives off a luxurious feeling.

Specifications

The PRINCE ABDULAZIZ yacht is 147 meters long (482 ft), and has a beam of 18,3 meters (60 ft).

The draft is 4,88 meters (16 ft), and the yacht can reach a maximum speed of 22 knots.

The cruising speed is 18 knots. She is powered by two Semt Pielstick diesel engines and is propelled by two 5,816 kW Pielstick diesel generator sets.

She has the capacity to keep up to 64 guests and a crew of 65 and was built in Denmark by the Helsingør Værft.

With a steel hull and teak deck, designer Maieform Maritime has created a luxurious exterior. There was also a refitting in 2005.

With her white and blue exterior, she gives off a regal look, to say the least. Her hull and superstructure are both made from steel, and the decks are teak.

She is rumored to have surface-to-air missiles and an underwater surveillance system, but it is not something that has been confirmed.

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Saudi Arabia Plans Museum to House $450 Million da Vinci Masterpiece

A new report sheds light on the kingdom’s plans for the most expensive painting in the world.

Three years since its record-setting purchase of Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, Saudi Arabia will build a museum to showcase the masterpiece, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The whereabouts of the $450 million painting, which dates to around 1500, have been shrouded in mystery since the Christie’s sale in 2017. Purchased anonymously by Saudi’s Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed, the rediscovered portrait of Jesus Christ was slated to be unveiled at the Louvre Abu Dhabi in September of 2018, but the loan was pulled just weeks before the show with no explanation. Last year, the piece purportedly resurfaced aboard Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s yacht in the Red Sea.

According to Christie’s, the origins of the rare artwork (one of just 20 attributed to Leonardo) can be traced to French king Louis XII, who, along with his wife, possibly commissioned the piece. The royal family lost track of it during the 18th or 19th century, and the portrait sold in 1958 for just $60 after being attributed to Da Vinci’s assistant Giovanni Boltraffio. By 2011, London’s National Gallery had authenticated the work and included it   in its blockbuster exhibition “Leonardo da Vinci: Painter of the Court of Milan.”

Now the Journal  is revealing the kingdom’s ten-year plan to beef up its cultural offerings in an attempt to diversify its economy, attract new visitors, and become an art-world power player. Currently under way, the multibillion-dollar effort includes a dozen major museums and several smaller institutions focusing on areas such as “oil, incense, basalt, and calligraphy.” Earlier this year, art biennial Desert X launched an edition in the Saudi archeological site of Al-Ula as part of the endeavor.

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There is apparently internal hesitation about centering a tourism campaign around Salvator Mundi in the Muslim-majority nation. “It’s an issue of perception. What does it say about Saudi identity if we put that painting on a poster?” Stefano Carboni, chief executive of the ministry’s new Museums Commission, told the outlet. Carboni revealed that there were ongoing discussions about constructing a pair of adjacent museums, one dedicated to Western art that would house the Da Vinci and one that would celebrate Islamic art.

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