SheikhMohammedBinRashidAl-maktoum

Dubai Ruler Debuts World's Largest Superyacht

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, the Emir of Dubai, has finally unveiled the largest yacht in the world. Formerly known as Project Panhandle / Golden Star, the 531-ft. Dubai (above) was originally commissioned by Prince Jefri of Brunei. Al-Maktoum purchased the partly-constructed behemoth in 2006, and had it transported from Blohm & Voss in Hamburg to the the newly formed Platinum Yachts shipyard in Dubai for completion (renamed then Project Platinum), at a total cost of about $350 million. With eight decks, the Dubai can accommodate 115 people including a crew of 88. In addition to the swimming pool, Jacuzzis, helipad and multiple dining areas, saloons, guest and VIP suites, the yacht features two owner's suites on the sixth and seventh decks and two heli-observations rooms on the seventh and eighth decks, Superyacht Times reports.

The interior is garish in the extreme, a floating Las Vegas casino by way of the UAE. She has a maximum speed of 26 knots and a cruising speed of 25 knots with a range of 8,500 nautical miles. The Dubai may not hold its world's largest yacht title for long, however; as we reported back in October, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich commissioned an even larger yacht, the $355 million, 555-ft. Eclipse. It remains to be seen whether the economic downturn, in which Abramovich lost several billion dollars, will hamper completion of the yacht which includes a military-grade missile defense system. The Eclipse is also being equipped with armor plating surrounding the bridge and Abramovich's master suite, as well as bullet-proof windows.

Tags: Blohm Voss, BlohmVoss, Brunei, Dubai, megayacht, Roman Abramovich, RomanAbramovich, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, SheikhMohammedBinRashidAl-maktoum, superyacht, UAE, yacht

Dubai Royal Wins Battle to Expand Scottish Castle

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Wealth

The other day we wrote about the Emir of Qatar's fight with the mayor of Paris over his plans to expand a historic mansion. Now another megarich Middle Eastern potentate is having similar problems - but in this case it looks as if he'll get his way. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the crown prince and ruler of Dubai, bought the Inverinate Estate, a 14-bedroom mansion on 63,000 acres in the Scottish Highlands near the Kyle of Lochalsh, 25 years ago for about $3 million. However, the Sheikh (above, at the Royal Ascot races), who was ranked at No. 5 on Forbes' list of the world's richest royals in 2008 with a fortune of $18 billion, recently decided the place is too small, the the Scotsman reports.

The Sheikh planned to build a new modern two-story lodge featuring a penthouse suite, dining room, kitchen and 16 bedrooms, all with en-suite baths and some with living-room areas. Made from a mix of natural stone, timber paneling and glass, it consists of three main blocks linked by glassed-in walkways. Though the present mansion was built in 1929 to replace an earlier 1880 building, critics initially opposed the Sheikh's plan for the incongruous addition, noting the building is a fine example of Scottish vernacular architecture of its period. After having been brought to a vote by the planning council however, the Sheikh will now be allowed to construct what one critic described as "something you would find in the Arabian desert."

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Tags: Dubai, Middle East, MiddleEast, Qatar, Scotland, sheikh mohammed bin rashid, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al-Maktoum, SheikhMohammedBinRashid, SheikhMohammedBinRashidAl-maktoum