mega yacht builders

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WE... ARE HEESEN

At Heesen, we are dedicated to building superyachts in aluminium and steel that offer speed, style and fuel-efficient cruising. With an unrelenting focus on quality, craftsmanship and innovation, Heesen has created one of the world’s most impressive shipbuilding legacies. Our portfolio consists of three build concepts, which address our customers’ differing requirements regarding delivery times and personalisation. All rely on proven engineering and the renowned ‘Crafted in Holland’ build quality.

Fully engineered yachts, part of our speculation programme, available with short delivery times.

SMART CUSTOM

The smart balance between proven performance, speed of delivery and customisation.

FULL CUSTOM

Realised dreams that start with a blank sheet of paper, or inspired by one of our concepts.

Available Yachts

Discover our Series yachts that are in build and for sale, so you can enjoy your yacht sooner.

YN20750 Project Orion

YN20655 Project Venus

YN21150 Sophia

YN21350 Project Grace

BlueNautech

We must all take responsibility for protecting what we love. By introducing BlueNautech, Heesen continues to support the future of sustainable yachting through improved efficiencies, alternative materials, energy savings and innovative production methods.

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76M san bao

94.7m red star, 88.5m illusion plus, 92m ninetytwo, 108.8m tomorrow, 115m estatement, unlimited technology.

Pride Mega Yachts are world-class, competitive mega yacht builders, located in China’s Yantai Peninsula in the Bohai Gulf. Pride Mega Yachts designs and builds its yachts with an experienced, international team of world-class consultants and designers according to European standards. The use of tested, state-of-the art technologies allows for an unwavering focus on innovation and sustainability.

UNLIMITED PERFECTION

With more than 25 years of experience working in the superyacht industry, luxury shipbuilders Pride Mega Yachts have numerous high-quality international projects to their name. China is traditionally not associated with the global yachting industry but that is changing fast. Both country and Pride Mega Yachts have an obsession with perfectionism and a strong drive to significantly contribute to the qualitative aspects of the world economy.

UNLIMITED PROFESSIONALISM

The unrivalled level of professionalism is reflected in the high levels of naval expertise in the fields of engineering, construction, methodology, research and development, design and production. The desire to consistently delivers the very best drives in the constant search for excellence that is required for the creation of superior-quality superyachts. Extraordinary and meticulous craftsmanship forms the indispensable basis for the realisation of the largest, finest, unlimited high-end super yachts.

UNLIMITED IN SERVICE PROVISION

Flexible and client driven, Pride Mega Yachts is constantly seeking the best product and the best solution for the client. From the design process to the construction phase and after completion, Pride Mega Yachts knows that the customer’s experience with the shipyard is as important as the end product. It is therefore always fully focused on realising client wishes, while maintaining the highest levels of quality and safety on board.

UNLIMITED CHOICE

Luxury yacht builders, Pride Mega Yachts knows how keen owners are to feel proud every time they step onto their yacht to enjoy maritime life with friends and family. In order to realise this aspiration as rapidly as possible, Pride Mega Yachts builds its yachts on the basis of a fully tested and engineered standard platform, with several superyachts in various stages of completion at all times. Owners can decide at which stage they want to step in, depending on their wishes regarding time, budget and specifications.

UNLIMITED CUSTOMISATION

From superyachts being under construction based on pre-designed lay-out and outfit to fully customised yachts, Pride Mega Yachts can accommodate all a future owner may require at any stage in the yacht building process. There is no limit to available possibilities in terms of nautical architecture, interior design or technical equipment. All yachts are developed with world-class consultants and designers, paying meticulous attention to Pride Mega Yachts exacting standards. The result is a yacht that meets European standards, while maintaining competitive prices.

UNLIMITED INNOVATION

At Pride Mega Yachts, our team of specialist yacht builders use innovative designs and the finest materials to manufacture our range of custom built yachts. We recognise the importance of customisation when purchasing your own private mega yacht. Therefore, our goal at Pride Mega Yachts is to realise clients’ dreams, transforming complex ideas into a reality, whilst ensuring an outstanding client-driven customer service. Our accomplished team of experts ensures the highest quality experience throughout the entire process and gives you the opportunity to customise any aspect of the project at any stage.

UNLIMITED FLEXIBILITY

Combining the latest state-of-the-art technology and our team of world-class consultants, designers and engineers, Pride Mega Yachts provides an unparalleled fully comprehensive service that gives owners the flexibility to personalise every aspect of their yacht, from the technical specifications, to the interior design and special features. We are committed to providing you with a complete service, resulting in a personalised unique superyacht at the most competitive price.

UNLIMITED DEDICATION

We pride ourselves on our high-quality, client-orientated services. As part of our custom yacht sales strategy, we give owners illimitable customisation options. From the outset, choose the preferred layout, the technical specifications and then personalise the interior design and furnishing. Owners collaborate with our experienced consultants to create the perfect yacht suited to their requirements and expectations. Buyers can also optimise the special features aboard their custom built yachts and influence the project according their budget and time.

88.5M illusion Plus

Top 10 luxury yacht builders 2023

The design and build of a luxury yacht is a truly personal experience. Whether customising a design to be built, or striving to create a completely new concept altogether, superyacht owners will seek to work with a yacht builder that truly understands their vision, and can translate their dream design into a real vessel.

As Royal Huisman proudly state, “If you can dream it, we can build it!”

Those buying a new superyacht will therefore have many questions to ask themselves before settling on a suitable yacht builder and shipyard facility to carry out the project. Thankfully for these prospective owners, there are a number of luxury superyacht brands that have the ability to turn the biggest mega yacht dreams into reality.

Yachting Pages lists the world’s top luxury superyacht builders and their shipyard facilities , from A to Z, identifying some of the best superyachts in the world along the way.

Best luxury superyacht builders

1.  amels, netherlands.

Located in Vlissingen, Amels operates the largest superyacht boatyard in the Netherlands, and is known to be one of the best superyacht builders in the world.

Amels has been operating for over 100 years and offers both Full Custom and Limited Editions, ranging from 55 to 83 metres (180 to 272 feet) LOA. Built on a proven platform and delivered in half the time expected of standard construction superyachts, all 20+ Limited Editions projects have so far been delivered on or ahead of contract, with 55-metre (180-foot) Galene among the most recent to emerge from the yard. With several new projects currently under construction, Amels is likely to be among the top superyacht shipyards for many years to come.

2. Benetti, Italy

Founded in 1873 and headquartered in Viareggio, Benetti is the world’s largest builder of superyachts by number built, with a production capacity of 100 units per year.

Most famous for building Sir Philip Green’s 90-metre (295-foot) Lionheart in 2016, 2019 was its breakthrough year with its first 100-metre+ (328-foot+) deliveries of Lana, Luminosity and IJE. This gave Benetti 2 nd , 3 rd and 4 th spots on the Top 10 Largest Superyachts Delivered in 2019 . Luminosity is widely believed to be valued in excess of €200,000,000 and is listed with Fraser and Burgess (as of November 2020).

3. Feadship, Netherlands

The home of full-custom superyachts, Feadship is one of the few shipyards worldwide that works to create completely custom yachts. It has worked with superyacht owners since the 19 th century to create one-off luxury motor yachts that are truly unique.

Feadship currently has four shipyard facilities in the Netherlands, with expansion underway at its Amsterdam facility in Western Harbour to offer the ability to build motor yachts as long as 160 metres (525 feet). To date, there are over 250 Feadship yachts in navigation, including 99-metre (324-foot) Madame Gu, 99.95 (327-foot) Moonrise, 101-metre (333-foot) Symphony and 110-metre (361-foot) Anna.

4. Fincantieri Yachts, Italy

Fincantieri Yachts specialises in full-custom luxury pleasure yachts over 70 metres (230 feet) with no upper limit to the size or volume that it can produce. The builder currently has a range of concepts and projects, including 70-metre (230-foot) superyacht Blanche.

Having manufactured in excess of 7,000 vessels in its 230-year history, Fincantieri has a network of 18 shipyards across four continents, two design centres and a research centre, making it one of the largest Western shipyards in the world.

5. Heesen Yachts, Netherlands

Heesen Yachts is known as one of the world’s luxury yacht builders, specialising in custom superyachts in the 30- to 65-metre (98- to 213-foot) range, but with the additional capability of building vessels of 80 metres (262 feet) and above.

With a focus on quality and innovation, Heesen has created many custom yachts with no two yachts the same. Founded in 1978, it was the first Dutch shipyard to employ aluminium for yacht hulls. In its 42 years, it has delivered more than 170 yachts, with aluminium, steel, displacement, semi-displacement and revolutionary fast displacement yachts making up its fleet. Its most famous vessels include the 65-metre (213-foot) Galatica Star, 70-metre (230-foot) Galatica Super Nova and 55-metre (180-foot) Serenity.

6. Lürssen, Germany

Based in Germany, Lürssen is one of the world's leading shipyards for large luxury yacht building, with a focus on excellence in custom-built superyachts. A family-owned shipyard for four generations, it can claim the accolade of building the world’s first motor yacht back in 1886.

Responsible for building more than 13,000 vessels since 1875, Lürssen currently has eight shipyard facilities in Northern Germany, each specialising in a specific size of yacht ranging from 60 to 220 metres (197 to 722 feet) in length. Together these facilities offer 1,125,000 metres squared of space for new builds, as well as refit, repair and maintenance services.

Lürssen builds some of the largest luxury yachts in the world, including the iconic Azzam, the world’s current largest superyacht at 180 metres (590 feet) LOA.

7. Nobiskrug, Germany

Having just celebrated its 115 th anniversary, Nobiskrug began shipbuilding long before the term ‘superyacht’ was even coined. Drawing on its extensive experience in seagoing vessels, the shipyard turned to yacht building in 2000 with the completion of its inaugural superyacht project, the 92-metre (302-foot) Tatoosh. It has since delivered an impressive portfolio of innovative custom-built superyachts, pledging to work on a single project for a single client to build superyachts ready for the 22 nd century. A big statement of intent.

With two facilities in Northern Germany, the boatyard can currently build vessels ranging from 60 to 426 metres (197 to 1398 feet) in length. Over 1000 in-house employees work across the two sites, where they have developed and built numerous award-winning superyachts, including one of the industry’s most talked about vessels, 142-metre (466-foot) Sailing Yacht A.

2020 saw the launch of 80-metre (262-foot) Artefact. At 2,999 GT, Artefact is now the largest 80-metre superyacht by volume in the world and is one of the world’s first superyachts to meet IMO Tier III emissions regulations.

8. Oceanco, Netherlands

Oceanco specialises in building sophisticated custom yachts ranging from 80 to 140 metres (262 to 459 feet) in length. Offering a highly personal service to clients, Oceanco is positioned with state-of-the-art yacht building facilities in the Netherlands, and a design, sales and marketing office in Monaco.

The builder celebrated its first launch in 1992, and almost 30 years later its portfolio now includes well-known superyachts such as the 95-metre (311-foot) Indian Empress, 82-metre (269-foot) Alfa Nero, 88.5-metre (290-foot) Nirvana and 91.5-metre (300-foot) Equanimity.

9. Perini Navi, Italy

The Perini Navi Group is made up of four independent companies that operate in five specific markets: sailing yachts up to 60 metres (197 feet), large sailing yachts more than 60 metres, racing sailing yachts, fast cruising sailing yachts and Picchiotti motor yachts.

To date, the group has launched 58 sailing yachts and four motor yachts. Its track record for innovative sailing yachts has seen it set the standard for excellence in the sector, launching more yachts over 50 metres (164 feet) than any other builder. It's responsible for the iconic 88-metre (288-foot) three-masted schooner Maltese Falcon, which currently holds the title of the sixth largest sailing yacht in the world, and other award-winning sailing yachts, such as the 73-metre (239-foot) Nautilus, 70-metre (229-foot) Badis I and 64-metre (210-foot) Spirit Of The C’s.

10. Royal Huisman, Netherlands

Established in 1884, Royal Huisman is the only shipyard with two entries in the top 10 largest sailing yachts ever built. The 2020 launch of 81-metre (266-foot) Sea Eagle II was its tenth sailing yacht over 50 metres (164 feet) and its biggest yacht since 90-metre (295-foot) Athena in 2004, which was then the largest sailing yacht in the world. Despite being renowned for its luxury performance sailing yachts, Royal Huisman’s largest delivery in 2021 is expected to be “Project 403 PHI”, a featherweight 55-metre (180-foot)+ aluminium motor yacht under 500GT.

Discover how to choose your luxury yacht builder or alternatively  search for superyacht shipyards .

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DISCOVER DELTA

You are invited to discover more about Delta, the craftsmen who create and build Delta yachts, the shipyard and the beautiful city it calls home. Each individual Delta yacht is a masterpiece of innovation and creative design. At Delta, the true measure of innovation is not necessarily in how dramatically it is displayed, but how subtly, effectively — even invisibly — it can be integrated.

The Delta story continues to become greater with every new yacht commissioned. For more than 50 years, Delta’s most important value has remained unchanged. Delta provides the finest custom yacht manufacturing and services — with an owner’s vision and desires at heart. This is a lasting commitment. As new generations of professionals join the ranks and unprecedented technologies enhance their capabilities, Delta remains steadfast in its goal to produce world-class yachts that are truly beyond compare.

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DELTA MARINE | Custom-Built Luxury Yachts

When choosing luxury yacht builders it is important to talk to an experienced construction management company. This will help you decide which superyacht builders are the right fit for your project.

Recommended Luxury Yacht Builders

Choosing between superyacht builders to build a yacht is no easy task, but that’s where we come in to assist you. We help you select luxury yacht builders that can bring your vision to life.

There are a number of superyacht builders around the world, and we work with a selection of the finest to suit every superyacht project . Using our extensive knowledge of the shipyard market, we can advise on the best yard for building new superyachts or undertaking refit work. Browse the custom yacht builders we work with below to find your dream yacht build.

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Founded in 1992

Abeking & Rasmussen

Founded in 1907

Founded by Henry Rasmussen

Founded in 1941

Founded in 1985

Founded in 1918

Founded in 1969

Founded in 1854

Founded in 1873

Founded by Lorenzo Benetti

Blohm + Voss

Founded in 1877

Founded by Hermann Blohm & Ernst Voss

Founded in 1948

Founded by Frank Denison

Buddy Davis

Founded in 1973

Founded by Carson "Buddy" Davis

Founded in 1887

Founded by Henry & George Burger

Founded in 1953

Founded by Aldo Guerritore

Cantieri di Sarnico

Founded in 1984

Christensen

Founded by Dave Christensen

Cigarette Racing

Founded in 1970

Founded by Don Aronow

Founded in 1902

Founded by Giovanni Battista Codecasa

Founded in 1963

Founded by Sanzio Nicolini

Cruisers Yachts

Founded in 1904

Founded by Thompson Brothers

Founded in 1967

Founded by Jack & Ivor Jones

F&S Boatworks

Founded by Jack Newington

Founded in 1949

Founded by Henri de Voogt

Ferretti Yachts

Founded in 1968

Founded by Allessandro & Norberto Ferretti

Fincantieri

Founded in 1959

Flagman Yachts

Founded in 1957

Founded by Jack Hargrave

Heesen Yachts

Founded in 1978

Founded by Franz Heesen

Founded in 1987

Hunt Yachts

Founded in 1960

Founded by C. Raymond Hunt

Hydra-Sports

Founded in 1983

Founded in 2001

Lazzara Yachts

Founded in 1954

Founded in 1972

Founded by Gérard Rodriguez

Founded in 1875

Founded by Giuseppe Balducci

Founded by John McConaghy

McKinna Yachts

Founded in 1964

Founded by Ramazan Mengi, Ayvansaray

Merritt Boat Works

Founded in 1947

Founded by Allen Merritt

Michael Rybovich & Sons

Founded in 1919

Founded by John Rybovich Sr

Midnight Express

Nebula Yacht

Founded in 1905

Northern Marine

Founded in 1995

Palmer Johnson

Founded by Hans Johnson & Herman Gmack

Perini Navi

Founded by Fabio Perini

Founded by Tilli Antonelli, Fausto Filippetti and Giuliano Onori

Founded in 1600

Founded in 1965

Proteksan Turquoise

Founded in 1997

Founded in 1842

Founded by Riva Petro

Founded in 1980

Founded by Claudio and Paride Rossi

Royal Hakvoort

Founded by Albert Klzn Hakvoort

Royal Huisman

Founded in 1884

Founded in 1958

Sea Force IX

Founded by Ron Rookstool

Founded by C. N. Ray

SeaVee Boats

SilverYachts

Founded in 2005

Founded by Guido Krass

Steeler Yachts

Founded in 2010

Founded by Hans Webbink

Sunrise Yachts

Founded in 2006

Founded in 2003

Trinity Yachts

Founded in 1988

Van der Heijden

Founded in 1993

Founded by Ronald Van der Heijden

Viking Yachts

Westport Yachts

Founded in 1989

When it comes to luxury yachting, Burgess is all you need to know

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As a Burgess client, you always come first, whether that’s charter, sale and purchase, build, refit or any aspect of yacht ownership. That’s the Burgess difference.

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Your life. Spent wisely.

From the global fleet of mega yachts offered for sale, we hand-pick the best opportunities and share our expert knowledge, so that you can make the best decisions.

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Our reputation is your recommendation. Since 1975 all our knowledge has been distilled into one goal, making sure you enjoy the best yachting experience.  If it involves yachts, we’ve got you covered.

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Our directly employed brokers share market-leading intelligence and powerful client database insights with our experienced global team to ensure the best outcome for you.

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Your vision. Our expertise.

From first concept to maiden voyage and beyond, we work on your behalf so you can enjoy building your dream yacht. Together we bring your unique vision to life.

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Asset upgrades. Enhancing your investment.

We work with you to transform your yacht into the one you want to own. No other company has more in-house knowledge and experience than Burgess and it’s all on your side.

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Your enjoyment. Our responsibility.

Our aim is to allow you to get maximum enjoyment from your luxury yacht without any of the day-to-day operational concerns. We take care of everything on your behalf.

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You live the dream. We take care of it.

Get more out of your owner experience knowing that we have all your yachting requirements in hand. Working with your captain and crew, we reduce risk and increase enjoyment.

crew services

Your crewing needs. Our tailored support.

Crew are a vital part of your yachting experience. We are your trusted partner in every aspect of their employment, from sourcing to payroll, training to insurance and beyond.

sustainability

Leading change. It's our business.

We love the ocean and we want future generations to enjoy it too, so it’s our responsibility to protect it. 

Find out how we’re driving sustainability from the inside out.

Burgess - luxury superyachts

Whether you’re considering your first charter or building your fifth yacht, Burgess has the expertise you need. Learn how our global brokerage team consistently sells more yachts like yours than anyone else. Talk to our charter team about personalised luxury yacht charter experiences. If you own a yacht, find out about our full-service support and if you plan to build a series or full-custom superyacht, find out how our experts can help you turn your vision into a reality.

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Available from July onwards in the West Mediterranean

Lovely family yacht with great deck spaces, a large sunpad on aft and forward sunloungers

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Your Vision. Your Burger.

Creating a custom-built yacht is a journey unlike any other. Conceiving your yacht alongside Burger’s engineers and design team is a remarkable experience: developing the specifics, reviewing the plans and making decisions as you watch your dreams materialize before your eyes. Burger welcomes all clients to enjoy the progression of their journey while your custom creation evolves.

The first step in delivering the yacht of your dreams is to share your vision with the Burger design team and engineering staff. Our in-depth design brief helps define your priorities for a yacht. We recommend touring the Burger shipyard where you can meet our exceptional team, learn how your yacht will be constructed and to witness the true value of Burger’s experience and craftsmanship.

After defining your vision, your dreams will begin to take shape in dramatic conceptual designs, renderings and cost estimates, presented for your direction and approval before moving forward.

Conceptual designs and renderings include:

• Hull designs
• Exterior styling and interior floor plans
• Interior elevation renderings
• Engines, propulsion and electric generation equipment selection
• Special requirements, including recreational and/or shore tenders and storage options
• Navigation electronics and entertainment system descriptions

Once you’ve approved the design, Burger will prepare a detailed design and specification breakdown with descriptions of every step in your yacht’s construction; from its development milestones to key points of approval. With a finalized and signed contract, your yacht is on the way to fruition. Each step of the build is documented before work begins, with a detailed timeline that describes each step of the process, so that you remain involved and aware of our progress, every step of the way.

Months of careful planning and construction culminate when it’s time to launch your new Burger yacht. Along with the Burger team, you and/or your captain take your new Burger yacht through various sea trials, including at-sea observations and detailed walk-through inspections. At this stage, final modifications and refinements are made.

Congratulations; owning a Burger built for you also means you’ve joined the most exclusive fleet of yachts in the world. Our craftsmen share your pride in seeing your new yacht launched, and value each customer relationship that endures long after delivery. Bringing your dreams to reality is what makes every Burger yacht unique and extraordinary.

With your Burger set out into open waters, a new journey begins.

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WE BUILD SMART YACHTS FOR SMART OWNERS

At Dynamiq, we believe in a smarter way to build yachts. We believe in intelligent buyers and next-generation yachts that are efficient, easy to order and effortless to customize. We believe in the latest technologies, logical innovations and unique collaborations. We believe in the winning, value for money formula of yachts that are engineered in the Netherlands, designed in Monaco and crafted in Turkey. So don’t think too hard. Live smart. Be Dynamiq.

YOUR SPECIAL PLAYGROUND FOR YACHT BUILDS FROM 35 to 65 METERS

The shipyard.

The construction of Dynamiq yachts is carried out in the Antalya Free Zone, Turkey, which is a government-protected area that benefits from a special tax regime lowering costs and hosts a cluster of high profile shipyards from both Turkey and the Netherlands. Dynamiq occupies the most modern and newest facility in the Free Zone, with 10,000 m 2 covered space and access to a 2,000 ton syncrolift for safe and easy launching. The sheds are well fitted out for building the full range of Dynamiq superyachts up to 65 meters in length. Various powertrain options are available including hybrid or diesel-electric technology.

The works are organized with international subcontractors from Germany, Austria and Italy, who team up with the best local craftsmen to achieve a level of quality in line with North European standards. Dynamiq has in-house interior, teak and stainless steel production to ensure that the end product finish is absolutely perfect and minimize the risks of delays. The shipyard working environment is carefully managed and strict quality control standards are maintained by both the Dynamiq team and external surveyors from Europe. Dynamiq organized dedicated modern office spaces to welcome owner's representatives and crew members. 

Designed in MONACO. ENGINEERED IN THE NETHERLANDS. CRAFTED IN TURKEY.

The Dynamiq range is a product of leading European technology and craftsmanship. This unique international approach has created an innovative superyacht of the highest quality born from a collaboration of the world’s top superyacht design and construction experts.

GRAN TOURISMO TRANSATLANTIC

• LOA 35.5 metres
• Max speed 23 knots
• Starting at 15,000,000 €

• LOA 41 metres
• Max speed 21 knots
• Starting at 19,500,000 €

• LOA 50 metres
• Max speed 16/21 knots
• Starting at 24,900,000 €

• LOA 52 metres
• Max speed 19 / 23 knots
• Starting at 27 ,1 00,000 €

• LOA 40 metres
• Max speed 14 knots
• Starting at 21,000,000 €

• LOA 45.5 metres
• Starting at 24,750,000 €

G 500 Hybrid

• LOA 50 metres
• Max speed 16 knots
• Starting at 27,500,000 €

• LOA 55.7 metres
• Starting at 27,900,000 €

WHY DYNAMIQ?

Forward thinking design, innovative naval architecture, highest engineering standards, top-quality steel & aluminium construction, ocean-going range, smart pricing.

Dynamiq's unique exteriors look impressive and fresh and express the sporty, chic soul of our yachts. They not only look great, but also perform at the top of their class and lend owners a sense of exclusivity and pride.

Dynamiq’s high efficiency is based on innovative technologies in modern naval architecture: fast displacement hull lines, the Hull Vane under the stern, and Sleipner curved fin stabilizers. Completely drawn by leading naval architects in the Netherlands, all Dynamiq yachts feature a round-bilge shape for remarkably low resistance and low fuel consumption, while providing seaworthiness and comfort with long waterline length and low centre of gravity.

Each Dynamiq yacht is by definition safe, comfortable and environmentally friendly in accordance with the strictest RINA and BV Commercial Class standards, prestigious Comfort and Green Star Plus notations, Large Yacht Code 4 (LY4) compliancy and manning standards. This not only makes our vessels ultra-safe and almost silent, but also means they can be chartered to offset the cost of ownership.

Only certified marine-grade steel, aluminium and Sealium are used for Dynamiq hulls and superstructures. In comparison with composite hulls, they are much quieter, easier to repair and have higher trade-in value due to the fact that they have a very long service life.

Dynamiq yachts are designed with an ocean-going capability in mind, which means owners have the opportunity to enjoy multiple seasons during the year (say Mediterranean and Caribbean) and visit remote locations with no re-fueling infrastructure. Equipped with high-capacity marine fridges and freezers, cold garbage stores, separate laundry facilities, plenty of storage space, generous fresh water tanks and powerful water-makers, Dynamiq yachts provide autonomy at sea in complete comfort.

Combining Dutch engineering with production facilities in the one of the biggest Turkish shipbuilding hubs of Antalya Free Zone means Dynamiq can offer North European standards and quality craftsmanship at significantly reduced prices. Being pioneers in the superyacht industry, Dynamiq also has an Online Configurator where clients can customize their yachts in a few clicks and see in real time how the price and delivery times vary.

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Lazzara Yachts is a legendary American company with decades of yacht building experience, delivering innovation and uniqueness in every design. As an experienced shipyard we have complete control over each and every build and we emphasize quality over quantity. This translates into building a “limited” number of yachts, so you’ll not find a Lazzara in every harbor.

Lazzara offers Express (LSX), Sport (LSY), Motor (LMY), Ultra High Volume (UHV), and Catamaran (LPC) series yachts. Lazzara owners become part of an exclusive group who appreciate the individuality of their vessel and the super yacht quality that goes into each and every build.

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We enable your vision

Then you have to be prepared to head off the beaten track.

You want a team that feels like family, that can be entrusted to challenge your imagination and be challenged by you. Our ambition is to create and support the most advanced and inspiring yachts in the world. Together.

What if you want to go your own way?

Oceanco yachts tell the distinctive stories of their owners, who come to us with visions that go beyond the yachts that already exist. Sometimes, even beyond our notions of what a yacht can be.

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What if we lead a positive change?

Innovation is a continuous process of meaningful progress. Our clients come to us because they don’t want yet another iteration from a blueprint, they want a yacht that is theirs and theirs alone. Oceanco achieves meaningful innovation that is aligned with progressive thinking about how we live and the impact on our planet, working with trailblazers from inside and outside the industry to challenge the existing paradigm. We embrace collaboration, partnership and openness while checking our ego at the door.

Tomorrow’s Designs

Oceanco partners with luminaries of the creative world to spark your imagination. We plunge ourselves into the deep and don’t come up for air until we have nailed how to transform our bold ambitions into achievable designs.

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Horizon Group is the first Asian yacht builder to utilize dedicated four subsidiary shipyards in the production of its luxury yachts. In a structure created by Horizon Group CEO John Lu, each yard contributes a specialized practice to the build and allows for not only increased capacity but an efficient build operation overall. Within Lu’s group structure, the shipyards can integrate and expand upon each other’s ideas and resources while emphasizing the spirit of artisanship.

Whether your onboard lifestyle is casual or formal, whether you prefer contemporary or traditional décor, Horizon’s skilled craftsmen will create a custom yacht interior that perfectly complements your tastes.

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Flexibility in design and construction is one of the distinctive features that distinguishes Horizon from other yacht builders and allows for each yacht to be customized to suit the individual owner’s lifestyle. This level of customization would not be possible without the talents of Horizon’s dedicated team of highly skilled yacht building experts including…

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Savvino-storozhevsky monastery and museum.

Zvenigorod's most famous sight is the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, which was founded in 1398 by the monk Savva from the Troitse-Sergieva Lavra, at the invitation and with the support of Prince Yury Dmitrievich of Zvenigorod. Savva was later canonised as St Sabbas (Savva) of Storozhev. The monastery late flourished under the reign of Tsar Alexis, who chose the monastery as his family church and often went on pilgrimage there and made lots of donations to it. Most of the monastery’s buildings date from this time. The monastery is heavily fortified with thick walls and six towers, the most impressive of which is the Krasny Tower which also serves as the eastern entrance. The monastery was closed in 1918 and only reopened in 1995. In 1998 Patriarch Alexius II took part in a service to return the relics of St Sabbas to the monastery. Today the monastery has the status of a stauropegic monastery, which is second in status to a lavra. In addition to being a working monastery, it also holds the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural and Art Museum.

Belfry and Neighbouring Churches

Located near the main entrance is the monastery's belfry which is perhaps the calling card of the monastery due to its uniqueness. It was built in the 1650s and the St Sergius of Radonezh’s Church was opened on the middle tier in the mid-17th century, although it was originally dedicated to the Trinity. The belfry's 35-tonne Great Bladgovestny Bell fell in 1941 and was only restored and returned in 2003. Attached to the belfry is a large refectory and the Transfiguration Church, both of which were built on the orders of Tsar Alexis in the 1650s.  

To the left of the belfry is another, smaller, refectory which is attached to the Trinity Gate-Church, which was also constructed in the 1650s on the orders of Tsar Alexis who made it his own family church. The church is elaborately decorated with colourful trims and underneath the archway is a beautiful 19th century fresco.

Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral

The Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral is the oldest building in the monastery and among the oldest buildings in the Moscow Region. It was built between 1404 and 1405 during the lifetime of St Sabbas and using the funds of Prince Yury of Zvenigorod. The white-stone cathedral is a standard four-pillar design with a single golden dome. After the death of St Sabbas he was interred in the cathedral and a new altar dedicated to him was added.

Under the reign of Tsar Alexis the cathedral was decorated with frescoes by Stepan Ryazanets, some of which remain today. Tsar Alexis also presented the cathedral with a five-tier iconostasis, the top row of icons have been preserved.

Tsaritsa's Chambers

The Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral is located between the Tsaritsa's Chambers of the left and the Palace of Tsar Alexis on the right. The Tsaritsa's Chambers were built in the mid-17th century for the wife of Tsar Alexey - Tsaritsa Maria Ilinichna Miloskavskaya. The design of the building is influenced by the ancient Russian architectural style. Is prettier than the Tsar's chambers opposite, being red in colour with elaborately decorated window frames and entrance.

At present the Tsaritsa's Chambers houses the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural and Art Museum. Among its displays is an accurate recreation of the interior of a noble lady's chambers including furniture, decorations and a decorated tiled oven, and an exhibition on the history of Zvenigorod and the monastery.

Palace of Tsar Alexis

The Palace of Tsar Alexis was built in the 1650s and is now one of the best surviving examples of non-religious architecture of that era. It was built especially for Tsar Alexis who often visited the monastery on religious pilgrimages. Its most striking feature is its pretty row of nine chimney spouts which resemble towers.

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Egypt is building a $1-billion mega-museum

Will it bring Egyptology home?

By Miryam Naddaf Photography by Rehab Eldalil for Nature 22 May 2024

For 100 years, Egypt’s scientists have watched as their nation’s story was largely told by institutions from Europe and the United States.

Can a stunning new museum change that narrative?

An aerial view of the Great Pyramid of Giza (bottom), built by the pharaoh Khufu, showing its proximity to the Grand Egyptian Museum site (top). Credit: Amir Makar/AFP Via Getty

T wo kilometres north of the Pyramids of Giza, around 20 minutes’ drive from the centre of Cairo, is a sprawling complex that opens a gateway to the past. When it opens fully, the Grand Egyptian Museum will be the world’s largest such facility devoted to a single civilization. The site occupies 500,000 square metres, or the size of about 80 football fields. A new airport, Sphinx International, has been built to serve those visiting the pyramids and the museum. A small section of the museum is open, and the whole facility is due to be inaugurated later this year.

Visitors are greeted by a colossal statue of Ramses II, the third pharaoh of the nineteenth dynasty, who ruled Egypt for nearly seven decades. Twice a year, the Sun’s rays beam down onto the face of this 3,200-year-old statue in the museum’s lobby. This effect is intended to mirror a solar alignment phenomenon on another Ramses II statue, at the Abu Simbel temple in Nubia, southwest of Aswan, where sunlight falls on the face of the statue on the king’s birthday and on coronation day.

 To the left of the lobby is the Grand Staircase. This comprises 108 steps rising to a height of 26 metres and it is lined with statues and sculptures denoting mystical temples and burial and funeral rites. At the top of the staircase is a panoramic vista of the Giza plateau and its iconic pyramids. That sight — and the museum itself — is intended to change how the world sees Egypt, and how Egypt sees the world.

Image captions

Credit: Fareed Kotb/Anadolu via Getty

“It’s a world museum in alignment with the British Museum and the Louvre,” says Shirin Frangoul-Brückner, an architect and co-founder of the firm Atelier Brückner in Stuttgart, Germany, which has designed key parts of the museum’s interior. The museum has the potential to inspire and train a new generation of research leaders from Egypt, says Monica Hanna, an Egyptologist at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, who is based in Aswan.

The museum has been funded through US$950 million in loans from Japan, which must be repaid. Ultimate control over its design and operations, including its research functions, rests with the Egyptian Armed Forces Engineering Authority. With such an array of influences, many scholars wonder how this museum devoted to Egypt’s past will shape the country’s future.

Colossal scale

The golden death mask of Tutankhamun, who was pharaoh during the eighteenth dynasty. Credit: Amir Makar/AFP via Getty

The museum’s extent is immediately evident to any visitor. It will showcase more than 50,000 ancient Egyptian artefacts — some 30,000 of which have not been displayed before.

Its star attraction will be the treasures of the boy king Tutankhamun, the pharaoh who ruled in 1332–1323 BC during the late eighteenth dynasty. The tomb was discovered in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor more than 100 years ago, but only now will the complete collection of some 5,000 burial artefacts be displayed, including his golden thrones, rings, magical amulets, decorated boxes, chariots and famous golden funerary mask. Only one-third of these have so far been exhibited at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, in Tahrir Square. The treasures will be on display in two galleries designed by Atelier Brückner and will reveal elements of Tutankhamun’s lifestyle and royal fashion during that period.

Credit: Courtesy of BESIX

Research revealed

Conservator Ahmed Atef examines a non-royal female mummy from the Late Period of ancient Egypt.

Nesrin Kharboush, head of the inorganic lab at the museum’s conservation centre.

The museum also houses one of the world’s biggest archaeological conservation research centres. This opened in 2010, and by 2017, some 40,000 artefacts had been transported there to undergo restorations in preparation for moving them to their new home. Both the museum and the conservation centre aim to boost local research on the artefacts, with a target of producing 20 papers each year about their archaeology, preservation and restoration.

Some 144 conservators and researchers — 66 of whom are women — work in 17 specialized laboratories 10 metres below ground. They use non-destructive methods to restore artefacts, including mummies and items made of stone, metal, leather, textiles, glass and papyrus, while analysing their historical and cultural significance. The aim is to determine the appropriate environmental conditions, such as exposure to light, humidity and temperature, that will prevent an object from deteriorating 1 . “The accumulated experience is immense,” says Tarek Tawfik, an archaeologist at the University of Cairo and a former director of the museum.

The core of their work is around Tutankhamun’s treasures, some 70% of which have not been analysed scientifically. “This very famous find has been under-published in a way,” says Marleen De Meyer, assistant director for archaeology and Egyptology at the Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo. “Most of the objects have never had a scientific publication,” she says.

Conservators at the Grand Egyptian Museum restore a collection of pottery from Hetepheres, queen of Egypt during the fourth dynasty.

A conservator at the inorganic lab works on pottery from the reign of Hetepheres, whose tomb was discovered at Giza in 1925. She was mother to king Khufu, the pyramid builder.

A conservator works on a bronze lion sculpture that was previously displayed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

The conservation centre’s researchers use non-destructive methods to restore artefacts.

Armour analysis

Hussein Kamal, director of the Grand Egyptian Museum’s conservation centre, explains the team’s work on Tutankhamun’s armour.

Safwat Mohamed Sayed, head of the organic lab.

On the day of Nature ’s visit, researchers at the organic lab at the conservation research centre are hard at work. One of their achievements is the conservation and restoration of a suit of armour belonging to Tutankhamun. The armour is made from fabric and animal hide and will be on display for the first time.

It is unique because it is the most complete example of armour from the Eastern Mediterranean during the Late Bronze Age (3300 to 1200 BC). For many years, researchers had seen pictures of ancient Egyptian armour only in battle scenes on temple walls.

The armour was designed to fit over the king’s chest and back like a sleeveless tunic and was originally made from about 4,000 small, shield-shaped pieces of rawhide that overlapped to form a fish-scale pattern.

Now, only one-quarter of the armour remains, and it was in a poor state when it arrived at the lab. Storage in high humidity had led to microbiological contamination of the materials, causing a rotting smell. Safwat Mohamed Sayed, head of the organic lab, and his team identified three categories of fungus and two types of bacterium with different cell walls on the armour. They published their findings earlier this year 2 .

When the armour was discovered in 1922, it was not considered important, but it was covered in castor oil, celluloid and paraffin wax in a failed attempt to prevent it from deteriorating. This caused more damage to the scales, forming a thin white layer, according to the study. The museum’s researchers used a variety of conservation techniques to treat the armour and separate the scales that were stuck together.

Tutankhamun's armour, made of cattle hide and linen, was in a state of decay because of high humidity and contamination by bacteria and fungi.

Egyptologist Salima Ikram at the American University in Cairo, who is not involved with the museum, and her colleagues had previously analysed 3 the thickness of the scales and suggested that they were made of untreated cattle hide. This material, although not as protective as bronze plates, would have afforded Tutankhamun greater mobility in battle than metal armour, but it’s not known if the rawhide armour was used in his lifetime, or if it was ceremonial garb for his burial.

Sayed and his conservation team imaged the armour using ultraviolet light, but found no blood stains or evidence of weapon strikes 2 . They also shot arrows into a replica of the armour from different distances to see how far they penetrated; these results have not yet been published. The arrows, fired from a distance of 12 metres at a speed of 120 kilometres per hour, failed to penetrate the replica, but an arrow shot from 2 metres away did. Researchers have told Nature that an attack on the king at such close range would have been unlikely. That said, “the absence of blood stains and arrow holes in the armour isn’t evidence that Tutankhamun didn’t use it in battle”, says Bob Brier, an Egyptologist at Long Island University in New York City. “It is evidence that he didn’t get shot.”

The conservation team is working on another item that has not been displayed before — one of Tutankhamun’s tunics, made of dyed linen. The garment has been damaged by moisture and the high temperatures inside the tomb. By looking for signs of wear and tear or traces of chemicals used for washing it, the team’s analysis will reveal whether the boy king wore the tunic in his everyday life or if it was a funeral costume.

Conservator Enas Mohamed (left) restores a linen tunic that belonged to Tutankhamun. 

Hussein Kamal points to a microscope image of the tunic to explain how the team analyses the garment’s composition and condition.

Tutankhamun’s tunic was damaged by moisture and the high temperatures inside his tomb.

Enas Mohamed studies the tunic to determine whether it was used in Tutankhamun’s daily life or if it was a funeral costume.

The vulture goddess

For the first time, visitors will also be able to see a restored collar, shaped to represent the vulture goddess Nekhbet, that was found on the neck of Tutankhamun’s mummy. The collar has been studied 4 by the conservation centre’s researchers, including Abdelaziz Elmarazky, a conservator at the inorganic lab. Its wings are stretched around the king’s neck as a symbol of protection. The item is understood to have been a funeral collar that was not worn during the king’s lifetime.

Using various imaging tools and analyses, the lab’s conservators have revealed the collar’s original shape and colours. They discovered that the collar was missing some blue beads that had been documented when the collar was found in 1925; the item was then kept in a small box in the storage rooms of the Tahrir Square museum. Some red and turquoise opaque glass had fallen off, and several of its golden plaques were missing small gold eyelets.

The conservation team also noticed that the original craftspeople had inscribed numbers on the reverse of the collar’s beads. The researchers dismantled the collar and reassembled it according to the sequence originally set by ancient Egyptian goldsmiths.

Credit: Bettmann/Getty

Cruising to an afterlife

The first boat of Khufu, who was a pharaoh during the fourth dynasty, in its new home at the Grand Egyptian Museum.

The museum is also the new home for two boats that belonged to Khufu, a pharaoh in the fourth dynasty some 4,600 years ago, one of which has never been displayed in public.

Khufu’s first boat dates back 4,600 years and is understood to be the world’s oldest surviving wooden vessel.

Built from Lebanese cedar, the boats were discovered by Egyptian archaeologist Kamal El-Mallakh near the southern side of the Great Pyramid in 1954.

The first boat was in relatively good condition and was displayed after reconstruction in a small museum near the Great Pyramid. It is understood to be the world’s oldest surviving wooden ship-like structure. It weighs 45 tonnes and is 44 metres long and 6 metres wide. In 2021, the intact vessel was transported very slowly in a massive, custom-built metal box 5 . What would usually be a 20-minute journey took a whole day and was an international event, streamed live. Once the boat arrived in its new location, the team built a structure to house it.

Brier and his colleagues made a two-metre model of the boat and tested it in a tank to see what it can do. They found that the boat is unlikely to have been used by the pharaoh to sail. “There’s no sail and mast. Also the oars that were with it were not powerful enough to move the boat,” says Brier. Their study 6 suggested that the boat was a funeral barge designed to cross the Nile. “It was used to take the body of Khufu from the east bank, the land of the living, to the west bank, the land of the dead,” says Brier.

Museum staff escorted a specialized large vehicle transporting the first Khufu boat to the Grand Egyptian Museum in August 2021. Credit: Xinhua/Shutterstock

A conservator works on restoring wooden pieces of Khufu’s second boat.

Khufu’s second boat had been dismantled into small pieces by ancient Egyptians and was buried south of the Great Pyramid in Giza.

The second boat had been dismantled into small pieces by ancient Egyptians and buried in pits south of the Great Pyramid, then covered with massive limestone slabs. A joint Egyptian–Japanese research team has so far excavated 1,700 wooden pieces of the boat and is working on restoring and reconstructing it 7 .

The researchers have found 8 steering oars, 52 oars for rowing and distinct copper fixtures, suggesting that it could have been used in water, according to Eissa Zeidan, who leads the team responsible for restoring the second boat. “The second boat might have been used to pull and drag the first boat behind it,” he adds. It is likely that it would have taken more than 50 people to move the boat down the Nile, according to a study by Kanan Yoshimura at the American University in Cairo 7 .

A military affair

Atef Moftah, an architect and senior officer in the Egyptian armed forces, was appointed to run the museum project in February 2016.

Notwithstanding these and other achievements, the museum’s progress has not been all plain sailing. The idea was first proposed in the 1990s, when it became clear that the Tahrir Square museum had become too small to accommodate the 7,000 daily visitors.

The Egyptian government secured loans from Japan for a new museum, and some 1,550 architects from 83 countries submitted design concepts for a competition overseen by the United Nations culture and science agency UNESCO and the International Union of Architects. Dublin-based architects Heneghan Peng were chosen in 2003, with a 2009 target date for completion.

The project has been beset with delays and changes to its administration, although for reasons outside its control. First came the Arab Spring protests against authoritarian rule that swept the Middle East in 2010–12. In 2016, a team of engineers led by Atef Moftah, an architect and a major-general in Egypt’s army, took over supervision of the museum project. This was followed by the COVID-19 pandemic and an ensuing economic crisis.

Atef Moftah (right), and Eissa Zeidan, who leads the team restoring Khufu’s second boat.

It is not uncommon for the armed forces to run big projects in countries where public institutions are weak. Moftah told Nature : “Previously, the ship had many captains and was going in circles, not moving in a straight line.” “As a military man, I have a mission and this mission must be accomplished successfully.”

Brier is also not surprised that the army is involved. “The military is involved in everything in Egypt,” he explains. It also owns companies and the museum is likely to be big business, Brier adds. Tourism is a crucial source of foreign currency and employment for Egypt’s struggling economy, and brought in $13.6 billion in the 2022–23 financial year. The museum is expected to generate about $55 million per year in admissions from an estimated 5 million visitors per year.

Some researchers whom Nature spoke to questioned how long the nation’s armed forces would be running the museum and research centre for. Zahi Hawass, a former Egyptian minister for antiquities, says the army is helping during construction and will leave after it opens fully. “The museum cannot be planned by army people,” he says.

Others, who asked not to be named, are concerned about the military’s previous use of museums in Egypt. The 122-year-old Tahrir Square museum was used to detain protesters during the 2011 Arab Spring uprising. Moftah declined to answer Nature ’s questions about when the military will withdraw from the new museum after it opens.

Protesters in front of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo’s Tahrir Square during the Arab Spring in February 2011. Credit: Andre Pain/EPA/Shutterstock

Writing Egypt’s story

British archaeologist Howard Carter examines the sarcophagus from Tutankhamun’s tomb in Luxor in 1925. Credit: Harry Burton via Ian Dagnall Computing/Alamy

Howard Carter (left) and aristocrat George Herbert, Earl of Carnarvon, who sponsored Carter’s excavation of Tutankhamun’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor. Credit: GraphicaArtis/Getty

One of the museum’s aims is to take back some control of the study of Egyptology, a field that has long been entangled with historical colonialism. Most excavations and research in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries were conducted by people from Europe and the United States during periods when Egypt was under the control of external authorities.

“We’ve managed to keep the collection of Tutankhamun, but still colonialism stripped us of the agency to produce knowledge about our past,” says Hanna. Western archaeologists framed the narrative of ancient Egyptian history in a way that was barely accessible to Egyptians, because most publications were in European languages. Even the term Egyptology — which covers a period of history that excludes the country’s Christian and Islamic eras — was coined by scholars from Europe.

Tutankhamun’s tomb was famously discovered in November 1922 by the British archaeologist Howard Carter in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor. The aristocrat George Herbert, Earl of Carnarvon, who sponsored Carter’s excavation, gave the exclusive rights to the Tutankhamun story to The Times newspaper in London. “Egyptian journalists couldn’t find out about the discovery, except for the London Times , and that caused the real furore,” says Brier.

Although for some researchers, the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb marked the beginning of the end of colonial-era Egyptology, it was not until 1970 that Cairo University opened a stand-alone college for the study of archaeology, followed by a department for conservation studies seven years later. Even today, Egypt’s archaeological research capacity does not compare with that of high-income countries. The team behind the museum told Nature that it is determined to change this.

Restitution

Researchers in Egypt say the opening of the museum needs to be accompanied by a plan to return artefacts to the nation, including archive materials. Although laws against the export of antiquities have existed in Egypt since at least 1835, many ancient Egyptian treasures have been shipped abroad, populating more than 350 institutions in 27 countries on 5 continents 8 .

“The real problem is that Howard Carter exported all his excavation notes to the Griffith Institute,” which is based at the University of Oxford, UK, says Hanna. “I think that the archive should come back from the Griffith Institute. This should also be part of the exhibition of the Tutankhamun objects,” she adds. “We cannot produce knowledge about the past without these archives, because then we’re just dealing with objects from the ground, not with something that has been thoroughly excavated and documented.”

The institute’s deputy director, Richard Parkinson, told Nature that the archive is in a fragile condition but that “requests for repatriation would always be welcome”. The archive has been digitized and is free to access, although images are of low resolution. The museum can provide high-resolution images at no cost to Egyptian researchers, he adds.

Hanna is also calling for systemic changes to Egyptology, beyond individual projects or institutions such as the Grand Egyptian Museum. “What would really help decolonize Egyptology is not necessarily a big museum, but putting in place policies that empower academics to actually excavate and produce knowledge about the past. That does not exist.”

“Unless we have financial independence to be able to carry out our excavations, conservation projects, site-management or public archaeology projects, we cannot really decolonize Egyptology,” says Hanna.

Ikram is hopeful. “What the museum offers with its state-of-the-art labs, and some really kick-ass scientists, is that people can collaborate, people can carry out work. But one should not just do bells-and-whistles science, one should have real research questions and be able to address them to move the discipline and our understanding of ancient Egypt forward,” she says.

But for others, including Ikram, efforts to reclaim a national narrative of Egyptology should not come at the expense of cancelling researchers who come from outside Egypt. “To learn about ancient Egypt is not for any one culture, or one group. Knowledge transcends, science and research transcends nationalistic boundaries,” she says.

The museum is “a big leap forward in the field of research, nationally and internationally”, says Tawfik. “It has the potential to really take research concerning Egyptology and conservation to new dimensions in Egypt, in cooperation with Egyptology and conservation all around the world. Before, “archaeology was in the hands of foreigners”, says Hawass. “Now it’s in our hands.”

• Author: Miryam Naddaf
• Original photography: Rehab Eldalil for Nature
• Photo editor: Tom Houghton
• Map design: Paul Jackman
• Subeditor: Anne Haggart
• Editor: Ehsan Masood

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