World’s fourth largest superyacht spotted arriving at Malta’s iconic Grand Harbour

The fourth largest superyacht in the world, and the fifth largest by length, was spotted cruising into Malta’s iconic Grand Harbour last week.

The stunning pleasure craft, simply called ‘Blue’, was photographed by freelance photographer Alex Turnbull.

Built by one of the world’s leading builders of custom luxury superyachts, Lürssen is a family-run yacht manufacturer based in Germany, dating back to 1875. The shipyard currently holds a near monopoly in the construction of supersized superyachts as it counts 13 of the world’s top 25 superyachts within its ranks.

Formerly known as Project Blue, the pleasure craft is 160 metres long and was formally launched in February 2022. It was tested in open water back in April, and after a successful trial, it departed from the Lürssen shipyard on 4th July for her maiden voyage to Malta.

The superyacht was designed by Terence Disdale, while the naval architecture was developed by Lürssen.

Blue is just one of 63 motor yachts longer than 100m across the globe, and sails under the Cayman Islands flag.

The impressive pleasure craft boasts a crisp white hull with four upper decks, providing for a highly elegant profile. The vessel’s beam measures a staggering 22.5 metres and the entire yacht clocks in at 15,320 GT.

On-board features include a pair of helicopter landing sites: a large helideck at the bow and a smaller helipad aft. From a recreational perspective, it has been praised for its extensive swimming platform, providing guests with a highly comfortable experience when accessing the water.

The vessel is kitted out with its very own beach club, an array of al fresco relaxing and entertainment spaces, and a jacuzzi installed on the sun deck.

According to superyachtfan.com, Blue caters for 48 guests across 24 cabins, and can hold 80 crew members in around 40 cabins. The superyachting platform also says that Blue is priced at around $600 million, and that it is owned by Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family.

It is one of the world’s largest to be equipped with diesel-electric power hybrid propulsion and is capable of using electric propulsion for slow speeds, and of generating electrical energy to operate the vessel at higher velocities.

In order to generate less noise and vibration and reduce nitrogen oxide levels, Blue is equipped with a state-of-the-art exhaust after-treatment system. Furthermore, the wastewater treatment plant is equipped with new membrane technology that allows the treated wastewater to be safely disposed of in ‘drinking water quality’.