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124m Katara: A Royal Palace at Sea

By Heather Collier

Little is known about Katara, as she has remained shrouded in secrecy for more than a decade. Reportedly built for the Qatari Royal Family, this custom Lürssen superyacht instantly grabbed headlines as one of the largest yachts in the world.

Launched and delivered in 2010, this breath-taking $400 million floating palace is believed to be owned by Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the former emir of Qatar, and was designed by Espen Øino , with interior spaces penned by Alberto Pinto.

Katara is rumored to feature a Beach Club with sea-terraces, a heli-pad, a cinema room, a Jacuzzi, several swimming pools, an elevator, an ample number of beauty salons and gyms, an array of jet skis, tenders, underwater lights, and other luxury ammenities.

Due to her lack of outdoor space and visible coverings, a lot of these ammenities are said to be inside the vessel or concealed for the benefit of privacy, with her interiors and specifications not publicly known.

The 7,922-tonne vessel offers more than enough room for those venturing on board, comfortably accommodating up to 34 guests and 95 members of crew, and at 124 metres long, she is said to be longer than a FIFA World Cup football field.

Katara is built with a steel hull and aluminium superstructure, with teak decks. Refitted in April of this year, she boasts a robust performance thanks to twin diesel MTU (20V 1163 M94) 20-cylinder 9,925hp engines, and cruises with ultimate stability at 15 knots, reaching a maximum speed of 20 knots.

As her name suggests, she is truly a remarkable 'celebration' of exceptional yacht-building; encapsulating the perfect balance between opulence and sophistication.

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Iconic yachts: On board Al Mirqab, the 133m superyacht with family at its heart

Related articles, superyacht directory.

Launched in 2008 by Peterswerft-Kusch, the iconic yacht Al Mirqab was designed by two of the top superyacht designers, with Tim Heywood penning her exterior and Winch Design creating the interior. But it is more than her design pedigree that makes this icon a standout. Her size was formidable at the time of her launch, and to this day, the 133 metre Al Mirqab remains among the top five per cent of the largest yachts in the world. Al Mirqab also blazed the trail for having many large-scale amenities.

Built for Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, the former Prime Minister and Minister of Qatar, Al Mirqab has the largest spa that Winch Design has ever worked on to this day, featuring an enclosed pool and balcony terraces that fold down over the sea, and her exterior has many firsts for Heywood as well. “I met the client in 2003, after he was unsuccessful in purchasing [115-metre] Pelorus ,” says Heywood. “He wanted a yacht in a similar style to contain a much larger number of guests and family cabins, an internal swimming pool with balconies, a large gym, sauna, hairdressing saloon and all the features which we now take for granted on the larger scale yachts.”

Permanent cantilevered sun awnings on the aft owner’s deck were a first, and they give a vast shaded area to the dining table. The helicopter pad with a refuelling station was also the largest Heywood had designed at the time, which necessitated considerable structural work by the yard. The yacht’s vast aft platform is a design feature that Heywood had developed from previous designs. It provides an additional entertaining/relaxation space, as well as a stately arrival and departure environment.

“The underwater lights were also quite advanced for those days and, for the second time (the first being Pelorus ), I mounted lights on the upper surface of the bulbous bow to illuminate the above water bow at night, a feature adopted by many designers since,” says Heywood.

Winch added several features to Heywood’s original arrangement, including an underwater viewing room, set forward of the internal swimming pool. Decorated in a pirate theme, the room became a family favourite. “This magical area, with chests of gold and pirate influences provided a space to inspire the children and hopefully young children again today,” says Winch. “It is for all to enjoy and experience the underwater beauty of the ocean.”

Other fanciful spaces on board include the family lounge overlooking the bow, which is decorated with the concept of butterflies. Light sycamore walls are clad with soft fabrics results to create a gentle and relaxing ambience. Meanwhile, the beamy main deck saloon was created in a square plan with seating areas in each quarter of the room. “It has a courtyard terrace feel, with fountains and casual seating around a sculpture centrepiece,” says Winch.

The brief to Winch was for a palatial family interior, with a focus on lifestyle encompassing children’s apartments and areas where the whole family can join their time together and experience the joy of great yachting. “The interiors team cut no corners in the design and manufacture of the materials, furniture and fixtures, creating an interior of such high standard that it is still outstanding today,” Winch says.

The owner was pleased with the vision that the design team brought to life, as Heywood recalls. “I remember taking the client into the completed wheelhouse and telling him that I wanted to create a cross between a Bentley and the Starship Enterprise, after looking around, he told me, ‘Tim, you have succeeded!’”

“Contemporary classic” is how Heywood describes Al Mirqab’s exterior design. “It’s a style that, I think, will be appreciated as very modern when she was first launched, but will be regarded by the knowledgeable observer as a classic design after twenty-plus years at sea,” he says. The most dominating feature of Al Mirqab’s exterior is her towering mast and funnel structure, which was designed to ensure that no exhaust fumes from the five generators found their way down to the open deck spaces, a problem the client had faced before on a previous yacht. Exhaustive wind tunnel tests were performed to confirm the height and forms of these structures. “She has, in my eyes, successfully progressed through time, still looking fresh and contemporary. She still has a commanding presence when anchored in a bay, surrounded by younger and even longer vessels.”    Despite her imposing size, or perhaps thanks to it, Al Mirqab is at heart a family yacht. “I believe Andrew and I pushed the concept of a family and (informal) State Yacht as far as we could, at the time, resulting in a travelling home for the client that is still used by the original owner and his family,” says Heywood. As an iconic yacht, Al Mirqab has certainly withstood the test of time.

Al Mirqab was a milestone project for Winch, Heywood and her owner. “The client gave me the opportunity to create a yacht that is a major chapter in my yacht designing career, for which I am extremely grateful,” Heywood says. “I don’t often look back at my work, but this piece of floating sculpture still makes me smile and fills me with pride.”

Winch echoes this sentiment, looking back fondly at Al Mirqab and confirming her place among the most iconic yachts in the world. “ Al Mirqab was a landmark project of such great scale, design and opportunity,” says Andrew Winch of Winch Design. “She is a truly significant yacht and one I have treasured ever since her completion. She’s an icon for a reason, and her exceptional quality still stands amongst the yachts of today.”

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AL MIRQAB Yacht – Stunning $300 Million Superyacht

He commissioned AL MIRQAB, delivered in 2008 from the German shipyard Kusch Yachts and designed by Winch Design, a UK-based design company.

The AL MIRQAB yacht blazed a trail in yacht building trends at the time of its construction because of the numerous large-scale amenities included in its structure.

AL MIRQAB yacht interior

The AL MIRQAB yacht was designed by Winch Design to reflect a perfect cross between a Bentley and the Starship Enterprise, with its palatial family-orientated interior.

She accommodates 55 crew members and 18 guests.

A wide variety of amenities makes this yacht a trailblazer of design.

There is an internal swimming pool with balconies, a large gym, a sauna, and a hairdressing salon.

A notable feature of AL MIRQAB is the underwater viewing room, forward of the pool.

This yacht feature is a family favorite with its pirate’s theme design.

The deck salon has a terrace feel with fountains and casual seating around the sculpture as a centrepiece.

The exterior was designed by Tim Heywood Design, with permanent cantilevered sun wings.

The helicopter pad is fitted with a refueling station that was a first when it was built.

The aft was developed from other projects with additional entertaining and relaxation spaces which delivers a stately arrival and departure for the yacht’s guests.

The steel hull is paired with underwater lights that were a first when it was built.

The mast that towers above the yacht’s superstructure is shaped like a funnel so that the fumes from the engines do not affect guests.

The family lounge is designed to reflect butterflies with a gentle and relaxing concept.

The construction was executed by Kusch Yachts at their shipyard based in Germany.

The design was developed in 2008 with Peters Werft leading the team.

AL MIRQAB is the biggest yacht Kusch Yachts have built at its impressive length of 133m(436.3 ft).

Specifications

AL MIRQAB is 133m(436.3 ft) in length, with a 19m(62.3ft) beam. She displaces 9604GT and has a max speed of 23kn with her five diesel-electric Wartsila engines.

Her cruising speed is sustained at 21kn. She is one of the largest superyachts in the world.

The at anchor stabilizers give a significant amount of comfort to the guests during their experience on the yacht. AL MIRQAB yacht has an annual $20 – $30 million running cost.

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Hellenism in the News

• Yiannis Kontos
• Jun 21, 2021

Qatar Sheik docks in Skiathos with €300 yacht

Sheikh al thani arrived at skiathos aboard the 133-meter yacht al mirqab, one of the largest and most luxurious yachts in the world..

Qatari Sheikh and former Emirati Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani, arrived at one of his favorite destinations in Skiathos, early last Saturday afternoon.

Sheikh Al Thani arrived in Skiathos aboard the 133-meter yacht Al Mirqab, one of the largest and most luxurious yachts in the world.

Qatari Sheikh and former Emirati Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani, arrived at one of his favorite destinations in Skiathos, early last Saturday afternoon. Sheikh Al Thani arrived in Skiathos aboard the 133-meter yacht Al Mirqab, one of the largest and most luxurious yachts in the world. The sheikh’s luxurious yacht anchored at 11 in the morning in the bay of the Maratha coast, becoming the focus of everyone’s attention.

In recent years, Al Mirqab has been mooring for a few days in Maratha, Skiathos, as the sheikh maintains personal relations with the hotel owners and the mayor of the island.

The yacht of the sheikh, aboard which are all his family members, all the necessary health protection measures have been taken and there is a permanent medical staff as well as a molecular analyzer in order to make continuous checks for the coronavirus. The sheikh’s floating “palace”

The floating “palace” Al Mirqab is the sixth largest yacht in the world and one of the three most expensive. It has a crew of 51, has 12 suites, two swimming pools, a helipad, a gym, a jacuzzi and a cinema hall, while it cost 300,000,000 euros.

The Al Mirqab was built in Germany in 2008 and was described as the most modern and luxurious boat of that year.

Inside there are hand-carved furniture, sofas with many pillows, Persian rugs, marble floors and bronze handles, while the walls are decorated with paintings by famous painters, including works by Van Gogh and Picasso.

Each suite has its own bathroom and balcony on the deck.

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To beat the 110°F heat in Doha, Qatar’s billionaire sheikh took his $300 million superyacht and sailed 4,500 miles to the balmy waters of Skiathos, Greece. Being the VIP that he is, the mayor of this pristine island paid a visit to the sheikh on his floating palace to welcome him.

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