With a length of 147 metres (482 ft 3 in) at delivery, the yacht was the longest and tallest in the world. It retained this status for 22 years until it was overtaken by Dubai in 2006.[2] Designed by Maierform and built in 1984 by Helsingør Værft [da; de] in Helsingør, Denmark, the first owner was the late King Fahd of Saudi Arabia. The yacht is owned by the Saudi royal family.[3]
The 147-metre-long ship has a beam of 18.3 m and a draught of 4.9 m. It is propelled by two 5,816 kW Pielstick diesel generator sets. Cruising speed is set at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph), but it can be raised to 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph).[4] At full capacity, the yacht requires a 60–65 man crew.[4][5] It can also hold up to 64 guests onboard.[6] The interior designer was David Nightingale Hicks.[4]
