A yacht as big as my mother’s heart must have been the thought on Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov’s mind, when he named the world’s biggest superyacht Dilbar, worth $800 million and measuring 511 ft long, after his mum, Dilbar Usmanova. It is a grand declaration of love, respect, and adulation that surpasses fake promises of romance to bring the moon and stars down to Earth. She is a 15,917 GT testament of a son’s love for his mother, and one that challenges the belief that love cannot be measured.
It is rather common to name luxury vessels after wives, girlfriends, and even children; Russia’s richest man, Andrey Melnichenko, owns two stunning superyachts, rumored to be named after his wife ‘Alexandra,’ Motor Yacht A and Sailing Yacht A.
Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev named his pleasure craft after his daughter, Anna Rybolovleva, as did American sports billionaire Terry Pegula, who commissioned a superyacht for his family and aptly named it Top Five II after his five kids. But the Dilbar megayacht surpasses them all and shines with features like 60 cabins, two helipads, swimming pools, cinema, and is the largest yacht in the world in terms of gross tonnage. Despite the gigantic measurements, the boat boasts an impressive cruising speed of 22.5 knots and a displacement of 1,230 tons—the equivalent of around 12 blue whales.
The glorious Lürssen yacht of the 70-year-old billionaire, worth $13.7 billion, accommodated 36 guests and was serviced by 84 crew members. That was the case in the good old days when the early Facebook investor and metals magnate could enjoy his vessel in any corner of the world.
The Dilbar yacht was seized in Hamburg in April 2022 by a whopping 60 officers and, despite many pleas and attempts, the yacht has not returned home to the man who made his first fortune producing plastic bags. The Uzbek-born tycoon considers Dilbar his protected home and naming it after his mother must only make him feel more so. Dilbar is currently moored in Blumenthal, Germany according to Marine Traffic.
