It was only in May 2012 that the shell was brought into the dock without the bow section, eleven months later it was ready for final outfitting, and now "Azzam" is already on her sea trials. Peter Lürssen, CEO of Lürssen's yacht division, said proudly at the launch: "When we hand over the yacht, she will have been built in just three years plus a year of engineering to prepare for the shipyard work."
No deadline was given, but it is likely to be the end of 2013. The new Lürssen construction was coordinated by Mubarak Sa'ad Al Ahbabi, Minister of State to the President of the United Arab Emirates, together with an international team. Not only its size, but also its speed will be exorbitant for a yacht of this size: the 20.80 metre wide "Azzam" is expected to reach 30 knots with two diesel engines and two gas turbines with a total output of 94,000 hp. It will mainly be travelling in warm and shallow waters, which are likely to be off the Arabian Peninsula. The interior was designed by Frenchman Christophe Leoni, who had taken up residence in Abu Dhabi and, among other things, decorated the 29 metre long and 18 metre wide "Azzam" saloon, which has no pillars or columns. Leoni designed the interior entirely in the prestigious, straightforward and solemn style of the French Empire of the Napoleonic era.
"Azzam" on a test drive
