Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz of the Saudi royal family has a new toy: the 65-meter (213-foot) Nourah of Riyadh, the largest motoryacht built to date in Turkey.
Delivered last Friday, Nourah of Riyadh was built at Yachtley, a shipyard located in the Kocaeli Free Zone, which runs along both the Black Sea and Sea of Marmara. The shipyard opened its doors in 2005, backed by Saudi, Lebanese, and Turkish capital, according to a few news reports. Construction on the megayacht began the following year.
Although no photos have been released, Nourah of Riyadh reportedly has six guest staterooms, accommodations for 21 crew, a private cinema, two elevators, and of course a helipad. The interior design is by Donald Starkey.
Turkish Foreign Trade Minister Kürşat Tüzmen was present at the handover ceremony on Friday and says his country intends to remain at the forefront of yacht construction. “This is a clear sign that we are growing fast in shipbuilding,” he told news agencies. “Our experts have already started preparations to build a 75-meter yacht here in Kocaeli. Turkey has gotten used to breaking new records, and we will work harder to introduce even better projects.”
If the yacht’s name is familiar, you may be thinking of a 42-meter (138-footer) built by CRN several years ago. The prince kept that one in the South of France and is expected to take his new delivery to Cannes in May. So, shutterbugs, get your cameras ready–and send some shots to Megayacht News. We’ll create a slideshow of the best photos and post it online.
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