Lürssen
Lürssen is one of the oldest and most prestigious superyacht builders in the world, tracing its origins to a small boatyard founded on the Weser…
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Independent industry reference
The shipyards & size classes behind the world's superyachts.
Worldwide Superyachts is a research directory covering the major shipyards that build the world's large private yachts, and the size classes — superyacht, megayacht, gigayacht, explorer — the industry uses to describe them.
Built for owners, industry newcomers, and anyone researching a build before talking to a yard or broker.
Directory snapshot
Shipyards profiled6
Size classes4
Countries represented3
Last full reviewQ3 2026
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Who builds the world's superyachts
Most of the world's large yachts come from a small number of European shipyards, each with a distinct build philosophy.
Feadship
Feadship is a cooperative brand formed by two Dutch shipyards — Royal Van Lent and De Vries — along with the naval architecture firm De Voogt, and it…
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Oceanco is a Dutch shipyard known for large, technically innovative custom megayachts, including some of the most publicly recognized yacht designs…
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Benetti is an Italian shipyard based in Viareggio, on Italy's northwestern coast, and is often cited as the oldest continuously operating shipyard…
View shipyardHeesen Yachts
Heesen Yachts is a Dutch builder known for fast, aluminum-hulled yachts, having pioneered the use of fast-displacement aluminum hulls for large…
View shipyardAmels
Amels, part of the Damen Shipyards Group, is known for pioneering the semi-custom "limited editions" model in the superyacht sector — standardized…
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How the industry classifies size
"Superyacht," "megayacht," and "gigayacht" aren't strictly defined, but usage follows fairly consistent patterns.
Superyacht
"Superyacht" is the broadest and most commonly used term in the industry, generally applied to private motor or sailing yachts starting around 24…
View size classMegayacht
"Megayacht" is used, somewhat inconsistently across the industry, to describe substantially larger vessels — typically starting somewhere around 60…
View size classGigayacht
"Gigayacht" is an informal term used for the small number of private yachts that exceed 100 meters in length — a scale that historically was reserved…
View size classExplorer Yacht
Explorer yachts are defined less by length than by build purpose: reinforced, often steel or ice-classed hulls, greater range and fuel capacity, and…
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Featured ranking
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Top 25 largest superyachts in the world
Ranked by length overall, from Azzam at 180.6 meters down to Black Pearl at 106 meters — with builder and delivery year for each.
Methodology
How this directory is built
Each profile focuses on durable, well-established facts — founding history, typical size range, and build philosophy — rather than current pricing, order books, or delivery schedules, which change constantly and are best obtained directly from a shipyard or broker. This is a research reference, not a sales or brokerage platform.
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