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Saddam Hussein’s former superyacht Basrah Breeze is turned into a hotel for sailors

• Stef Bottinelli

$30 million superyacht Basrah Breeze was built for Saddam Hussein in 1981 but the late Iraqi dictator never set foot on it

The 82m Basrah Breeze superyacht, built for  Saddam Hussein in 1981, has been turned into a hotel. The yacht is to be specifically used as a hotel facility by pilots who guide shipping in and out of the port of Basra in southern Iraq.

The $30 million superyacht was built for the late Iraqi president by a Danish shipyard, but Hussein never set foot on it.

Basrah Breeze spent most of its life abroad, but after a court battle, the Iraqi government got the yacht back on its shore in 2010. After failing to find a buyer, due to its hefty price tag, the government lent it to Basra University to use it as a marine research vessel.

Basrah Breeze is now moored it permanently in Basra and has become a hotel for shipping pilots, many of whom don’t permanently live in the Iraqi city.

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“The presidential yacht is in a very good condition. Its two engines and generators are functioning,” Reuters reports its captain Abdul-Zahra Abdul-Mahdi Saleh, saying. “It only needs periodic maintenance.”.

“The port needs the boat to be a station where sea pilots can rest,” Reuters reports Basra port spokesman Anmar al-Safi as saying.

Basrah Breeze boasts Hussein’s presidential suite, large dining rooms, dozens of bedrooms,  17 smaller guest cabins  and 18 crew cabins. It was plushly decorated for the dictator and his quarters boast silk curtains and even a gold rimmed bathroom.

Saddam Hussein's yachts were once signs of luxury. Now, one is a wrecked picnic spot for fishermen and the other was almost turned into a hotel.

• Saddam Hussein's yachts were once luxurious signs of the dictator's power.
• One boat is now a wrecked picnic site for fisherman. Another was reportedly almost a hotel.
• Photos show these yachts today as Iraqi officials debate what to do with them. 

Saddam Hussein's superyachts were once symbols of luxury, built in the 1980s and fitted with spacious presidential suites, marble tile, and various amenities.

But decades after his death, Hussein's vessels have met very different fates: one remains wrecked in a river —a picnic site for fishermen — while the another nearly became a hotel. 

The "Al-Mansur" multimillion-dollar yacht was once fitted to the personal requirements of Hussein, featuring gold trimming and an impressive atrium, according to Superyacht Content. Although it was never boarded by Hussein, the almost 400-foot boat remained moored at port for safekeeping. 

When US forces invaded Iraq in March 2003, the "Al-Mansur" was a juicy target. Troops destroyed the boat, leaving it to sink in the Shatt al-Arab waterway. 

20 years later, any sign of wealth or glamour is gone. "Al-Mansur" has been looted and stripped, its right side sunk deep into the riverbed. 

But fishermen told Reuters it's not such a bad outcome. "When it was owned by the former president, no one could come close to it," said fisherman Hussein Sabahi, who enjoys a cup of tea on the wreck after a long day of fishing. 

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"I can't believe that this belonged to Saddam and now I'm the one moving around it," he added.

Some Iraqis told Reuters they think the wreck should be preserved for history. Others say governments, which have not funded any preservation efforts, are right to leave it to the river. 

Another one of Hussein's superyachts, the 270-foot "Bashrah Breeze," was built in 1981 for $25 million, or $100 million today, according to Yacht Harbour.

After Hussein's execution in 2006, ownership of the boat changed hands a few times.

But in 2008, a Cayman Island entity put the yacht up for sale, according to Boat International. NPR reported at the time that the boat — fitted with gold faucets, swimming pools, and a rocket launching system — could sell for as much as $35 million. 

But it wasn't sold. Iraq stepped in and courts decided the "Bashrah Breeze" belonged to the government. 

Since then, the yacht's briefly hosted researchers from Basra University on a marine trip, as reported by Yacht Harbour. At the time, officials said it was in good condition and functioning well.

In 2018, reports that "Bashrah Breeze" would be made into a hotel for pilots made international headlines. This was disputed by the former Director of the Marine Science Center at Basra University Ali Douabul, who told Boat International the rumors were "completely wrong."

"If they'd used it for pilots, they would have ruined it in no time. It's never been used as such. I got a very, very unpleasant call from the minister about that."

It's unclear if the boat will be made into a museum or moored somewhere permanently.

• Main content

'Basrah Breeze,' Saddam Hussein's Superyacht, Turned Into Floating Hotel

Hussein's BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) — The king size bed in Saddam Hussein's superyacht is made, the silk curtains around it have been drawn back and, in the gold-rimmed bathroom next door, a barber's chair awaits its occupant.

But the Iraqi dictator never boarded the 82-meter (270-foot) "Basrah Breeze" built for him in 1981 — and its amenities will now be enjoyed by the pilots who guide shipping in and out of the port of Basra, the main southern city.

In common with other treasures left by Saddam, toppled in 2003 during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and hanged three years later for crimes against humanity, the governments that succeeded him have been struggling to find a use for the ship.

Watch: Saddam's superyacht ends up as hotel for sailors

Since Iraq got it back in 2010 following a court battle and a three-decade odyssey abroad, it has been mostly moored in Basra.

Equipped with a presidential suite comprising Saddam's private quarters, dining rooms and bedrooms, as well as 17 smaller guest rooms, 18 cabins for crew and a clinic, the opulently equipped and decorated vessel was put on the market for $30 million.

The government failed to find a buyer, and for the past two years the "Basrah Breeze" has served Basra University, hosting researchers on trips to study marine life.

"The presidential yacht is in a very good condition. Its two engines and generators are functioning," said Abdul-Zahra Abdul-Mahdi Saleh, its captain. "It only needs periodic maintenance."

But authorities have now decided to moor it permanently as a hotel and recreation facility for the southern port's pilots, many of whom live in distant cities.

"The port needs the boat to be a station where sea pilots can rest," said Basra port spokesman Anmar al-Safi.

Built by a Danish shipyard while Iraq was at war with Iran, the yacht was passed on to Saudi Arabia — then a Saddam ally — to protect it from air strikes on Basra, officials giving Reuters an exclusive tour said.

The kingdom, which fell out with Saddam after Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, then handed the vessel over to Jordan. Its subsequent movements were unclear until Iraq tracked it down in the French resort of Nice, where a court seized it and sent it home.

While the "Basrah Breeze" survived the turmoil of Saddam's decline and demise, its sister ship "al-Mansur" — which he also never boarded — suffered a different fate, sinking in the Shatt al-Arab waterway that passes through Basra after it was hit by U.S. planes and then stripped bare in the chaotic aftermath of his overthrow.

Saddam had ordered it in 2003 to leave Umm Qasr, Iraq's biggest port outside Basra, where it had been moored, to Basra in a vain attempt to avoid air strikes.

"I told the captain of the yacht, who was a brigadier, to get rid of the military uniforms of the crew, weapons and munitions and pose as civilian ship in case it is caught by the American warships," said Ali Hussein, a port pilot who guided the yacht at the time.

As regards "Basrah Breeze", Basra museum has not given up hope of persuading the port to allow it to dock the vessel next to its exhibition halls in one of Saddam's former palaces overlooking the Shatt al-Arab.

"Future generations could see how a dictator lived," said Jawad Abdul Kadhim, the museum's deputy director.

(Additional reporting by Mohammed Kadhim Atti; editing by John Stonestreet)

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Saddam’s luxury yacht to become a high-seas hotel.

Despite a presidential suite and luxurious guest rooms, the 270-foot Basrah Breeze is destined to become accommodation for pilots guiding shipping at Iraq's busiest port. May 23, 2018

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Saddam Hussein’s Former Superyacht Now a Hotel for Maritime Pilots in Iraq

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Yacht called “Basrah Breeze”, once owned by former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, who was toppled in a U.S.-led invasion in 2003, is seen in the southern port of Basra, Iraq May 14, 2018. Picture taken May 14, 2018. REUTERS/Essam al-Sudani

But the Iraqi dictator never boarded the 82-meter (270-foot) “Basrah Breeze” built for him in 1981 – and its amenities will now be enjoyed by the pilots who guide shipping in and out of the port of Basra, the main southern city.

In common with other treasures left by Saddam, toppled in 2003 during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and hanged three years later for crimes against humanity, the governments that succeeded him have been struggling to find a use for the ship.

Since Iraq got it back in 2010 following a court battle and a three-decade odyssey abroad, it has been mostly moored in Basra.

Equipped with a presidential suite comprising Saddam’s private quarters, dining rooms and bedrooms, as well as 17 smaller guest rooms, 18 cabins for crew and a clinic, the opulently equipped and decorated vessel was put on the market for $30 million.

The government failed to find a buyer, and for the past two years the “Basrah Breeze” has served Basra University, hosting researchers on trips to study marine life.

“The presidential yacht is in a very good condition. Its two engines and generators are functioning,” said Abdul-Zahra Abdul-Mahdi Saleh, its captain. “It only needs periodic maintenance.”

But authorities have now decided to moor it permanently as a hotel and recreation facility for the southern port’s pilots, many of whom live in distant cities.

“The port needs the boat to be a station where sea pilots can rest,” said Basra port spokesman Anmar al-Safi.

Built by a Danish shipyard while Iraq was at war with Iran, the yacht was passed on to Saudi Arabia – then a Saddam ally – to protect it from air strikes on Basra, officials giving Reuters an exclusive tour said.

The kingdom, which fell out with Saddam after Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, then handed the vessel over to Jordan. Its subsequent movements were unclear until Iraq tracked it down in the French resort of Nice, where a court seized it and sent it home.

While the “Basrah Breeze” survived the turmoil of Saddam’s decline and demise, its sister ship “al-Mansur” – which he also never boarded – suffered a different fate, sinking in the Shatt al-Arab waterway that passes through Basra after it was hit by U.S. planes and then stripped bare in the chaotic aftermath of his overthrow.

Saddam had ordered it in 2003 to leave Umm Qasr, Iraq’s biggest port outside Basra, where it had been moored, to Basra in a vain attempt to avoid air strikes.

“I told the captain of the yacht, who was a brigadier, to get rid of the military uniforms of the crew, weapons and munitions and pose as civilian ship in case it is caught by the American warships,” said Ali Hussein, a port pilot who guided the yacht at the time.

As regards “Basrah Breeze,” Basra museum has not given up hope of persuading the port to allow it to dock the vessel next to its exhibition halls in one of Saddam’s former palaces overlooking the Shatt al-Arab.

“Future generations could see how a dictator lived,” said Jawad Abdul Kadhim, the museum’s deputy director. (Additional reporting by Mohammed Kadhim Atti; editing by John Stonestreet)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2018.

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By SuperyachtNews 23 May 2018

Saddam Hussein’s presidential yacht repurposed as hotel

The 82m motoryacht, ‘basrah breeze’, will now operate as a hotel for maritime pilots in iraq….

On 22 May, Reuters reported that the 82m superyacht, Basrah Breeze , once owned by the former Iraqi president, Saddam Hussein, will now have a formal purpose as a hotel and recreation facility for maritime pilots who guide ships in and out of the port of Basra, Southern Iraq’s largest city.

The vessel was built for the Iraqi dictator in 1981, although he never reportedly set foot on board. Following a court case in 2010, Iraq recovered the yacht after it had spent three decades overseas, during which it changed hands a number of times, including a stint in Saudi Arabia under the ownership of King Fahd bin Abdulaziz, however it has barely left Basra since its reclamation.

The Iraqi government listed the yacht for sale at $30 million upon her return, however, perhaps due to its acrimonious shrouding, it never found a buyer. For the last two years, the vessel has been used as a maritime research hub for Basra University while the government has struggled to find a formal use for the ship.

The king-sized bed, silk curtains and gold-rimmed bathroom of the master suite, highlighted by mainstream media as the yacht’s major selling points, are comparatively modest features when matched against the latest constructions gracing the water, however, the captain has told Reuters that the yacht is in good enough shape for its new purpose.  

Images courtesy of Essam Al-Sudani

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Exclusive: Saddam's superyacht winds up as sailors' hotel

By Ulf Laessing BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) - The king size bed in Saddam Hussein's superyacht is made, the silk curtains around it have been drawn back and, in the gold-rimmed bathroom next door, a barber's chair awaits its occupant. But the Iraqi dictator never boarded the 82-meter (270-foot) "Basrah Breeze" built for him in 1981 - and its amenities will now be enjoyed by the pilots who guide shipping in and out of the port of Basra, the main southern city. In common with other treasures left by Saddam, toppled in 2003 during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and hanged three years later for crimes against humanity, the governments that succeeded him have been struggling to find a use for the ship. Since Iraq got it back in 2010 following a court battle and a three-decade odyssey abroad, it has been mostly moored in Basra. Equipped with a presidential suite comprising Saddam's private quarters, dining rooms and bedrooms, as well as 17 smaller guest rooms, 18 cabins for crew and a clinic, the opulently equipped and decorated vessel was put on the market for $30 million. The government failed to find a buyer, and for the past two years the "Basrah Breeze" has served Basra University, hosting researchers on trips to study marine life. "The presidential yacht is in a very good condition. Its two engines and generators are functioning," said Abdul-Zahra Abdul-Mahdi Saleh, its captain. "It only needs periodic maintenance." But authorities have now decided to moor it permanently as a hotel and recreation facility for the southern port's pilots, many of whom live in distant cities. "The port needs the boat to be a station where sea pilots can rest," said Basra port spokesman Anmar al-Safi. Built by a Danish shipyard while Iraq was at war with Iran, the yacht was passed on to Saudi Arabia - then a Saddam ally - to protect it from air strikes on Basra, officials giving Reuters an exclusive tour said. The kingdom, which fell out with Saddam after Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, then handed the vessel over to Jordan. Its subsequent movements were unclear until Iraq tracked it down in the French resort of Nice, where a court seized it and sent it home. While the "Basrah Breeze" survived the turmoil of Saddam's decline and demise, its sister ship "al-Mansur" - which he also never boarded - suffered a different fate, sinking in the Shatt al-Arab waterway that passes through Basra after it was hit by U.S. planes and then stripped bare in the chaotic aftermath of his overthrow. Saddam had ordered it in 2003 to leave Umm Qasr, Iraq's biggest port outside Basra, where it had been moored, to Basra in a vain attempt to avoid air strikes. "I told the captain of the yacht, who was a brigadier, to get rid of the military uniforms of the crew, weapons and munitions and pose as civilian ship in case it is caught by the American warships," said Ali Hussein, a port pilot who guided the yacht at the time. As regards "Basrah Breeze", Basra museum has not given up hope of persuading the port to allow it to dock the vessel next to its exhibition halls in one of Saddam's former palaces overlooking the Shatt al-Arab. "Future generations could see how a dictator lived," said Jawad Abdul Kadhim, the museum's deputy director. (Additional reporting by Mohammed Kadhim Atti; editing by John Stonestreet)

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Exclusive: Saddam's superyacht winds up as sailors' hotel

By Ulf Laessing BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) - The king size bed in Saddam Hussein's superyacht is made, the silk curtains around it have been drawn back and, in the gold-rimmed bathroom next door, a barber's chair awaits its occupant. But the Iraqi dictator never boarded the 82-meter (270-foot) "Basrah Breeze" built for him in 1981 - and its amenities will now be enjoyed by the pilots who guide shipping in and out of the port of Basra, the main southern city. In common with other treasures left by Saddam, toppled in 2003 during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and hanged three years later for crimes against humanity, the governments that succeeded him have been struggling to find a use for the ship. Since Iraq got it back in 2010 following a court battle and a three-decade odyssey abroad, it has been mostly moored in Basra. Equipped with a presidential suite comprising Saddam's private quarters, dining rooms and bedrooms, as well as 17 smaller guest rooms, 18 cabins for crew and a clinic, the opulently equipped and decorated vessel was put on the market for $30 million. The government failed to find a buyer, and for the past two years the "Basrah Breeze" has served Basra University, hosting researchers on trips to study marine life. "The presidential yacht is in a very good condition. Its two engines and generators are functioning," said Abdul-Zahra Abdul-Mahdi Saleh, its captain. "It only needs periodic maintenance." But authorities have now decided to moor it permanently as a hotel and recreation facility for the southern port's pilots, many of whom live in distant cities. "The port needs the boat to be a station where sea pilots can rest," said Basra port spokesman Anmar al-Safi. Built by a Danish shipyard while Iraq was at war with Iran, the yacht was passed on to Saudi Arabia - then a Saddam ally - to protect it from air strikes on Basra, officials giving Reuters an exclusive tour said. The kingdom, which fell out with Saddam after Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, then handed the vessel over to Jordan. Its subsequent movements were unclear until Iraq tracked it down in the French resort of Nice, where a court seized it and sent it home. While the "Basrah Breeze" survived the turmoil of Saddam's decline and demise, its sister ship "al-Mansur" - which he also never boarded - suffered a different fate, sinking in the Shatt al-Arab waterway that passes through Basra after it was hit by U.S. planes and then stripped bare in the chaotic aftermath of his overthrow. Saddam had ordered it in 2003 to leave Umm Qasr, Iraq's biggest port outside Basra, where it had been moored, to Basra in a vain attempt to avoid air strikes. "I told the captain of the yacht, who was a brigadier, to get rid of the military uniforms of the crew, weapons and munitions and pose as civilian ship in case it is caught by the American warships," said Ali Hussein, a port pilot who guided the yacht at the time. As regards "Basrah Breeze", Basra museum has not given up hope of persuading the port to allow it to dock the vessel next to its exhibition halls in one of Saddam's former palaces overlooking the Shatt al-Arab. "Future generations could see how a dictator lived," said Jawad Abdul Kadhim, the museum's deputy director. (Additional reporting by Mohammed Kadhim Atti; editing by John Stonestreet)

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The luxurious yacht was built for Saddam Hussein in a style the Wall Street Journal called "Liberace Babylon." It features staterooms, gilt furniture, and a secret escape hatch.

Saddam Hussein’s Yacht Is Sailing Again With a New Mission

It’s weathered changes in ownership and a difficult legal battle, but one of the world’s most elaborate yachts has found a fresh purpose.

BASRA, Iraq — After three decades of being passed around by Middle Eastern monarchs, Saddam Hussein’s yacht is now in the hands of Iraqi marine researchers.  

Built for the then-president’s personal use in 1980, the 270-foot-long (82 meter) vessel boasts four decks, a bevy of gilt and mahogany furniture, and a secret bedroom with an escape hatch, dwarfing the two smaller boats that make up the rest of Iraq’s research fleet.

“It cost $25 million when it was commissioned,” Captain Hussein Ghazi   Khalifa said on a recent tour of the yacht that went from the cavernous engine room to the helicopter pad. “Now it would cost four times that.”  

The ship’s luxurious dining, sleeping, and sitting areas have been converted to accommodate scientists, but much of the décor is still intact. Its period smoked glass, clunky Panasonic televisions, and rococo china cabinet, all built in a style one commentator called “Liberace Babylon,” remain as the recently-rechristened   Basrah   Breeze   explores the Persian Gulf’s changing biology and chemistry for the University of   Basrah’s   Marine Science Center.

It must be the world’s most extravagantly appointed research vessel. And it took an odd combination of geopolitics, economics, and happenstance to land the   Basrah   Breeze   in its namesake port.  

A Middle Eastern White Elephant

Even though he had it custom made for his own use, with a dozen bedrooms for guests, marble-tiled bathrooms, and a presidential suite that includes an office and a hair salon, Saddam Hussein never set foot on the yacht.

For Hungry Minds

Originally called   Qadissiyat   Saddam   (the name is a reference to a 7th   century battle in which Arabs triumphed over Persia), the boat was built in Denmark at a time when Iraq—then an ally of the U.S.—was locked in a bloody fight with Iran. The boat couldn’t be safely delivered, and it ended up moored in Oman for years as the war dragged on.  

A salon is among the many luxurious rooms featured on the yacht. While some modifications have been made to accomodate researchers, much of the boat's décor remains intact. 

In the mid-1980s, Hussein gave the boat as a gift to King Fahd bin   Abdulaziz   Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, who   Khalifa   says gave it the alluring name   al-Yamamah , which he translated as Woman with Big Eyes. But the boat also has a big appetite. To power its two 3,000 horsepower engines and four generators on long journeys, the ship’s fuel tanks were built to hold 200 tons of diesel. At current prices, it would cost more than $100,000 to fill it up.

Even to an oil-rich ruler like   Fahid, it must’ve seemed like a white elephant. He passed the ship to Jordan’s King Hussein. When the king died in 1999, his successor, Abdullah II, sent the ship to the south of France under ownership of a company based in the Cayman Islands but reportedly controlled by Jordan.

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Then came the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, which resulted in Hussein’s capture. He was executed three years later. In 2007, when the Cayman Islands company tried to sell the ship, the Iraqi government claimed ownership. Khalifa   estimates the Iraqi government spent $1 million to secure clear title to the yacht, which a French court granted in 2008 after documents were found in the ship confirming it was still legally an Iraqi vessel.  

A Ruler's Folly Proves Research Boon

Attempts to sell the vessel foundered, and Iraqi officials had no choice but to bring it home. In 2010, the ship arrived in Basra with its current name and much fanfare.  

“The return of the yacht means that the people's will is stronger than the tyrant's,” said then-Minister of Transportation   Amer   Abdul   Jabbar   at the celebration. “Saddam Hussein built this yacht to be used to his own personal purposes, but here it is returned to Iraqi people.”  

But the boat didn’t get much use at first. Plans to turn it into a museum of Hussein’s excess—or a hotel that made use of the large staterooms, each with a different color scheme—were floated, but nothing came of them. The ship slowly rusted in the brackish waters of the Shatt-al-Arab on the Basra waterfront until 2014, when, according to   Khalifa, well-connected professors from the University of Basra convinced the government to turn it over to them. At the time, Iraq’s modest research fleet had already made some important discoveries, such as the recent find that a coral reef is growing off the Iraqi coast. That’s a sign of increasingly clear and saline water at the head of the Persian Gulf, rather than the fresh and muddy outflow of the past, and it spells ill for the nation’s water supply and ecosystems.  

In early 2015, the newest member of the Iraqi research fleet went on its inaugural research mission, carrying 75 Iranian, Kuwaiti, and Iraqi researchers into the Persian Gulf to study water quality and sea life. Two additional voyages have been made since. Although the decks show signs of weathering and the engine control room still uses early 1980s technology, the vessel appears surprisingly shipshape.

The bedroom built for Saddam Hussein is in the bow of the ship. The vessel has many additional bedrooms for guests, but they're now being used by marine researchers. 

Ali   Douabul, a marine chemist at the Marine Research Center, said he hopes to use the   Basrah   Breeze   for further studies of the coral reef and to survey the northwestern Persian Gulf. But the pockets of an Iraqi university can’t match those of an Arab monarch, even though researchers only use a small portion of the massive fuel tank for each mission.  

“We want to sail in 2016, but the financial crisis prevents us,”   Khalifa   said. The captain added that he hope that international cooperation with wealthier countries along the Persian Gulf could help by splitting the fuel bill.  

Sitting at the helm, looking across the sprawling city below, he sighed and looked wistful. “I love the sea,” he said. “It’s so much better on the open water. You are free from all the problems of the Earth.”  

He just needs someone to help fill the tank.

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Saddam Hussein’s 82m yacht Basrah Breeze becomes research vessel

Saddam Hussein’s 82 metre superyacht Basrah Breeze is now being used by Iraqi marine researchers from the University of Basrah’s Marine Science Center. The scientists are using the yacht to explore the changing Persian Gulf.

Built in 1981 by Danish shipyard  Helsingor Vaerft  for then president of Iraq Saddam Hussein, the luxury yacht was originally called the  Qadissiyat Saddam . It cost $25 million to build but the yachts current captain, Hussein Ghazi Khalifa, said it would now it would cost four times that.

The Basrah Breeze is not the first luxury yacht to be used for a different purpose and there is an increasing demand for expedition yachts  among superyacht owners.  With ocean conservation becoming more of a talking point, Fleet Miami have even offered the chance for guests to take part in a scientific learning experience while on charter .

The Basrah Breeze arrived in Basra in 2010 under government ownership but she has seen little use until recently. In 2014 professors at the university convinced the government to allow them to use the yacht as part of their research fleet.

Several missions have now taken place to study water quality and sea life around the newly forming coral reef off the Iraqi coast. They have made some important discoveries but future missions will depend on whether they can find the funds to fuel the yacht.

Captain Khalifa said “we want to sail in 2016, but the financial crisis prevents us.” Cooperation with other countries such as Iran and Kuwait could be the answer to paying the fuel bill.

During her build the Basrah Breeze was fitted out with all of the usual superyacht amenities; including marble-tiled bathrooms, numerous guest cabins and a large presidential suite. The superyacht’s indulgent interior has now been modified to accommodate Iraqi scientists but much of the original décor still remains.

Saddam Hussein was never able to enjoy the yacht because of the war with Iran and she was left moored in Oman for years. In the mid 1980's Hussein gave her as a gift to King Fahd bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia. The yacht then changed hands several more times before ending up under the ownership of a Cayman Islands company.

Following the execution of Saddam Hussein the Cayman Islands company tried to sell the yacht in 2007 but documents were discovered that legally confirmed it to still be an Iraqi vessel. Following a difficult legal battle the Iraqi government was able to claim ownership.

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