525 ft. Twin Screw motor yacht. Steel. 2004. Blohm & Voss/Lurssen Werft. Hamburg, Germany. Blohm & Voss/Lurssen/Winch. 4x20 cylinder 9,625 hp MTU 20v 1163 TB93 diesels, Dubai Royal Yacht.
This vast yacht was originally commissioned by Prince Jafri Bolkiah of Brunie, the younger brother to the Sultan of Brunei and was to built by consortioum of two German shipbuilders, with Blohm & Voss Fabricating the hull and installing the machinery and Lurssen completing the superstructure, the fit-out and the interior. Exterior styling, interiour layout and interiour design was by the London-based designer Andrew Winch. Following the prince's bankruptcy, the project was suspended in February 1998 and the yacht was mothballled with just the hull and superstruture complete with the machinery partly place and the interior under construction. It was subsequently sold by yacht brokers Nigel Burgess with the project being taken over by Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai. It is currently being finished under tight security while it is moored at the Jebel Ali Docks in Dubai where it is destined to become the Royal Yacht, but will likely have it’s interior fitted at another yard by craftsmen with experience working with vessels of this magnitude.
There is considerable speculation regarding the current name of “Platinum”. The yacht may be renamed “Golden Star”. However, there is no speculation about the price tag… EXPENSIVE! Some estimates exceed $300 million. The accommodation is designed for 24 guests and consists of the owner's suite, five VIP suites and six guest suites, all with open balconies. It has a 70 ft. wide atrium which stretches across the yacht's full beam. Other features include a swimming pool, barbecue area, cinema, disco, a helicopter landing platform for a Blackhawk helicopter on the upper aftdeck and another heli-pad on the bow with dedicated obervation rooms for each, a gymnasium with a squash court, a garage for the yacht's submarine and a vast array of other water toys. The Bridge deck includes the captain’s quarters, along with a dedicated lounge and office, all within steps of the exterior port/starboard observation stanchions.
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