Most people think of 300-foot-plus megayachts as a current trend. Certainly, there’s heightened marketing now in that size range. But, we’d be remiss to point out how some owners and yards were well ahead of the trend. Take the 312-foot (95-meter) Indian Empress, for example. She was built by Oceanco 15 years ago and remains one of the most readily recognizable yachts on the horizon. She’s also Oceanco’s largest delivery to date.
At launch, Indian Empress was known as Al Mirqab. While her sheer size was—and remains—impressive, other facts are equally notable:
- she’s capable of a reported 25½-knot top speed
- propulsion comes from triple 10,000-hp MTU diesel engines
- nearly 149,000 gallons (564,000 liters) of fuel is onboard
- no mere dining takes place onboard; Indian Empress has a banqueting room for up to 24 people
- for dockside bashes, she can host 500 people.
Indian Empress cruises privately as well as charters year-round today. Accommodations are ample, and luxurious. Upon delivery, she featured two master suites (yes, two) and 14 guest staterooms. Today, there’s an entire master apartment, occupying one deck, plus 15 additional staterooms.
In fact, see the master suite pictured above. Note the prominence of the color red. Indian Empress has several areas punctuated with this bright tone, including the curving sunpads on the upper deck. Even the twin tenders stowed aft on the main deck have red hulls.
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