Jeff Bezos has bought a superyacht so large, it needs its own 'support yacht'

The world's richest man has splashed out $500 million on a new 127-metre cruiser

Jeff Bezos's new yacht is expected to be a larger version of the Black Pearl, and will have three huge masts, but no helipad. Courtesy Oceanco

Jeff Bezos, the owner of Amazon and the world's richest man, has splashed out a cool $500 million on a 127-metre superyacht.

For those who like random comparisons, that is the equivalent of four-and-a-quarter blue whales swimming single file, or almost two A380 aircraft, parked nose to tail. Stood on end, it will be the same height as the Great Pyramid of Giza.

While the exact details are a closely guarded secret, according to Bloomberg, the superyacht, known as Y721, is being built by Dutch specialists Oceanco, and has three decks and three huge masts.

It is thought it will be a larger version of the existing Black Pearl yacht, and has taken two years to construct. It is expected to be completed in June. The Black Pearl is presently the largest and most technologically advanced sailing yacht in the world, but is expected to be bested once Y721 takes to the water.

Jeff Bezos, Amazon chief executive, is the world's richest man, a title he has held since 2018. AP

Despite the impressive stats, and huge price tag, thanks to the positioning of the masts, one thing that Y721 is missing is a helipad. Bezos and his partner, helicopter pilot Lauren Sanchez, resolved this inconvenience by buying a second support yacht on which helicopters will be able to land before being transported to the main vessel. The second, smaller yacht is not thought to be included in the half-a-billion-dollar price tag.

With a personal fortune estimated at $191 billion, Bezos can certainly afford the new purchase, having watched his wealth grow by $75bn during the pandemic, according to Bloomberg's Billionaires Index. As health restrictions bit, and people were confined to their homes, vast numbers switched to online shopping in 2020, with Amazon one of the biggest beneficiaries of the newly adopted habits. During the same period, the value of Amazon stock gained 75 per cent.

While Bezos’s new boat may be impressive, it is certainly not the biggest.

Nor is it the most expensive. The History Supreme, owned by Robert Kuok, cost a reported $4.8bn, thanks to the 10,000 kilograms of gold and platinum that adorn the dining area, deck, rails, staircases and even anchor. The master bedroom has an entire wall made from meteorite rocks and a 68kg, 24-carat gold Aquavista Panoramic Wall Aquarium. It also has a statue made from the bones of a Tyrannosaurus rex.