Dilbar (yacht)

History
Name	Dilbar
Operator	Unknown (seized by authorities in Hamburg, Germany)
Port of registry	Cayman Islands
Builder	Lürssen
Launched	14 November 2015
In service	2016
Identification	IMO number: 9661792 MMSI number: 319094900 Call sign: ZGFO
General characteristics
Class and type	Displacement yacht
Tonnage	15,917 GT
Length	156 m (511 ft 10 in)
Beam	23.5 m (77 ft 1 in)
Draft	6 m (19 ft 8 in)
Propulsion	Diesel electric
Speed	22.5 knots (41.7 km/h; 25.9 mph) (maximum) 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) (cruising)
Capacity	40 passengers
Crew	80+ crew members

Dilbar (Persian: دلبر, literally "Beloved") is a super-yacht launched on 14 November 2015[1] at the German Lürssen shipyard and delivered in 2016.[2][3] She was built as Project Omar. The interior design of Dilbar was designed by Andrew Winch and the exterior by Espen Oeino.[4]

As of 2022, Dilbar is the sixth longest yacht in the world. At 15,917 gross tonnage (GT), she is the third largest yacht by volume, after Fulk Al Salamah and REV Ocean.[5][6]

The yacht is owned by a company held in a trust settled by Uzbek-Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov.[7] The yacht is reported to have cost $600 million,[8] employ 84 full-time crew members, and contain the largest indoor swimming pool installed on a superyacht at 180 cubic metres.[9] Usmanov previously owned, another, smaller yacht also named Dilbar (renamed Al Raya in 2018).[10][11][12]

History

Seizing by German government (2022)

Forbes reported that on March 2, 2022, Dilbar was seized by the German government as part of sanctions against Usmanov stemming from the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Dilbar was docked and undergoing refit at Blohm+Voss shipyard in Hamburg since October 2021.[13][8] This was later denied by the German authorities, who clarified that the yacht was not seized, but was covered by export control sanctions, meaning that Dilbar will not be able to leave Germany without special permission.[14] In June 2022 Dilbar was valued at "as much as $750 million."[15]

At the beginning of the war, the Dilbar was in Hamburg at the Blohm + Voss shipyard. The ship was placed on a dry dock and should be overhauled.

The exact legal ownership of Dilbar has been obscured. In April 2022, German federal police announced they'd investigated the yacht and found the yacht belonged to Usmanov's sister, Gulbahor Ismailova who was sanctioned in April 2022.[16] The yacht is owned by an independent trustee of an irrevocable family trust of which neither Usmanov nor his family members are beneficiaries since 2022. Usmanov’s sister Gulbahor Ismailova used to be beneficiary of the trust, but she was excluded from it after sanctions were imposed on her.[17][18]  

Ship and design

Dilbar in Port Hercules, Monaco, in 2017 with a helicopter on board

In April 2022, Dilbar was considered by Lürssen to be the largest motor yacht in the world by gross tonnage, measuring some 511 feet and 15,917 tons. She has two helipads and "one of the biggest indoor pools ever installed on a yacht." She was named after Alisher Usmanov's mother.[16]

The length of the yacht is 156 m (511 ft 10 in), with a beam of 24 m (78 ft 9 in) and a draft of 6.1 m (20 ft 0 in). Dilbar features a steel displacement hull with an aluminium superstructure, and half teak decks. The ship is registered in the Cayman Islands.^[citation needed]

See also

• List of motor yachts by length
• List of yachts built by Lürssen

References

1. "Video of Lürssen's 156m Omar launch". SuperYacht Times. Archived from the original on 2017-08-06. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
2. "Aerial photos of Lürssen's 156m Dilbar". SuperYacht Times.
3. "Lürssen 156m Dilbar arrives in Gibraltar on delivery voyage". Boat International.
4. Group, The Superyacht (2016-06-24). "Lurssen confirms the delivery of 156m Dilbar - SuperyachtNews". Superyacht News. Retrieved 2021-03-19. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
5. Pearson, Oliver (2016-07-29). "Meet the New World's Largest Yacht: Superyacht 'Fulk Al Salamah'". Yacht Charter Fleet. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
6. "A new look at the world's largest yacht: Dilbar". www.superyachttimes.com. Archived from the original on 28 October 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
7. White, Caroline (2024-02-03). "Ten of the world's biggest superyachts". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
8. Tognini, Giacomo. "Germans Seize Russian Billionaire Alisher Usmanov's Mega-Yacht". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
9. "Video: Lürssen 156m superyacht Dilbar delivered to owner". Boat International. Archived from the original on 28 October 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
10. Jefferies, Chris (22 June 2016). "Video: Lürssen 156m superyacht Dilbar delivered to owner | Boat International". Boat International. Archived from the original on 2016-05-20. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
11. Korotaeva, Maria (3 October 2018). "Mega yacht ONA ex.Dilbar sold and renamed RAYA". CharterWorld. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
12. "KING OF BAHRAIN • Net Worth $5 Billion • Owner of the Yacht Al Raya". SuperYachtFan. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
13. Tognini, Giacomo. "UPDATE: Fate Of Russian Billionaire Alisher Usmanov's Mega-Yacht In Germany Uncertain". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
14. Usmanov, Alisher (3 March 2022). "Behörden streiten Beschlagnahmung der Dilbar ab". Der Spiegel (in German). Retrieved 2022-03-10.
15. "Megayachts Running Low on Safe Harbors as Russia Sanctions Bite", K. Oanh Ha, June 22, 2022; Bloomberg News
16. "Germany seizes the world's largest yacht (at least according to volume)", Rachel Treisman, April 14, 2022; NPR
17. Diehl, Jörg; Obermaier, Frederik; Obermayer, Bastian; Lehberger, Roman (2022-09-27). "Alischer Usmanow: Ermittler durchsuchen Luxusjacht »Dilbar«". Der Spiegel (in German). ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
18. White, Caroline (2024-02-03). "Ten of the world's biggest superyachts". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2024-02-03.

External links

• Media related to IMO 9661792 at Wikimedia Commons