Scheherazade underway on a river in hazy morning light, seen in starboard profile with radar domes and the mast above the upper deck
Scheherazade underway.

Scheherazade

A 10,167 GT Lürssen with two helipads, frozen in Italy in 2022.

141.96 m
Length
10,167
Gross tonnage
2020
Delivered
18
Guests

In short

Scheherazade is a 141.96-metre motor yacht built by Lürssen in Germany as Project Lightning and delivered in 2020; with a gross tonnage of 10,167 she ranks 12th in the world by volume (Boat International, YachtBuyer). Espen Øino drew her exterior with two helipads and a beach club, and François Zuretti designed the interior (Boat International, YachtBuyer). She has relatively little open deck space: the covered areas aft on the main and upper decks are enclosed by glass sides and the sundeck is shaded by a hardtop, which helps give her 10,167 GT of internal volume (Boat International). Italy froze her at Marina di Carrara in May 2022; the owner has not been officially named, and Reuters put her value at about $700 million (Reuters, Boat International).

Videos

Three tours from YouTube.

4k | Float Out of MegaYacht SCHEHERAZADE - Project LIGHTNING - Lürssen shipyardDrDuuWatch on YouTube
4K | Yacht SCHEHERAZADE Project Lightning - first seatrial - Lürssen shipyardDrDuuWatch on YouTube
SCHEHERAZADE | start of the maiden voyage of the new mega yacht (ex. Project Lighting) | 4KMHspottingWatch on YouTube

Photos

Scheherazade underway on a river under an overcast sky, seen from the starboard side with a red buoy in the foreground and radar domes above the upper deck
Underway under an overcast sky
Aerial view of Scheherazade underway on a river, with the bow helipad and the upper-deck helipad marked H
Underway, with both helipads in view
Scheherazade underway on a river under a clear blue sky, two small boats passing in front
Underway, with two small boats in front
Aerial view of Scheherazade underway past a riverside village, both helipads visible
Underway past a riverside village
Scheherazade underway on a river under a blue sky, a small motor boat in the foreground and yard buildings, cranes and a tug behind her
Underway past yard buildings
Scheherazade underway on a calm river at dawn, seen from above the starboard bow
Underway at dawn
Close view of Scheherazade's bow and stacked upper decks in morning mist, with radar domes above and mist on the water
Bow and upper decks in morning mist

Further reading

Independent coverage we found. We link to it rather than rewrite it.

Specifications

Length overall
141.96 m (465 ft 9 in) 140 m in some reports
Beam
23.3 m
Draught
5 m 5.17 m in some listings
Gross tonnage
10,167
Shipyard
Lürssen, Germany (keel laid at Vegesack)
Build name
Project Lightning
Keel laid
7 December 2015
Launched
July 2019
Delivered
June 2020
Refit
Repairs at Marina di Carrara, Italy, from September 2021 YachtBuyer lists a refit in 2024
Naval architecture
Lürssen
Exterior design
Espen Øino
Interior design
François Zuretti
Construction
Steel displacement hull, aluminium superstructure, teak decks
Guests
18 in 9 cabins
Crew
40
Engines
2 × MTU 20V 1163 M84 diesel, 6,500 kW (8,837 hp) each, twin screws
Speed
20 kn max, 15 kn cruising
Fuel capacity
About 1,000,000 litres (264,172 US gallons)
Helipads
2: one on the foredeck, one on the upper deck
On board
Beach club, cinema, gym, spa, beauty room, two deck Jacuzzis, guest elevator, tender garage
Flag
Malaysia Cayman Islands in 2022
Owner
Not officially named; the Italian finance ministry did not name the owner (Reuters, May 2022)
Status
Frozen by order of the Italian finance ministry at Marina di Carrara, May 2022; current status not confirmed
Reported value
About $700 million (Reuters, 2022)

Where is she now

Live AIS position on:

MarineTrafficVesselFinder

IMO 9809980 · MMSI 533132321

Questions

How big is the Scheherazade yacht?
Scheherazade is 141.96 metres long with a 23.3-metre beam and a gross tonnage of 10,167 (Boat International, YachtBuyer). Some news reports round her length to 140 metres (Boat International).
Who built and designed Scheherazade?
Lürssen built her in Germany as Project Lightning and did the naval architecture; Espen Øino designed the exterior and François Zuretti the interior (Boat International, YachtBuyer). Her keel was laid on 7 December 2015, she was launched in July 2019 and delivered in June 2020 (YachtBuyer, Boat International).
What is on board Scheherazade?
She has two helipads, one at the bow and one on the upper deck, and a beach club aft (Boat International). YachtBuyer also lists a cinema, gym, spa, beauty room, two deck Jacuzzis, a guest elevator and a tender garage (YachtBuyer). She sleeps 18 guests in nine cabins, with 40 crew (YachtBuyer).
Is Scheherazade one of the largest yachts in the world?
Yes. Boat International called her the 12th largest yacht in the world in 2021 (Boat International). YachtBuyer ranks her 12th by gross tonnage and 13th by length (YachtBuyer).
Who owns the Scheherazade yacht?
The owner has not been officially named. When Italy froze the yacht in May 2022, the finance ministry did not name the owner, and police told Reuters they had struggled to identify the real one (Reuters).
How much is Scheherazade worth?
Reuters put her value at about $700 million in 2022 (Reuters). A build price has not been published.
Where is Scheherazade now?
Italy froze her at Marina di Carrara in May 2022, where she had been undergoing repairs since September 2021 (Reuters, Boat International). Her live position is on MarineTraffic and VesselFinder: IMO 9809980, MMSI 533132321 (vesseltracker).

Compare with

Yachts close to Scheherazade in length.

Nord yacht

Nord

141.6 m Lürssen expedition motor yacht, delivered 2021

Dragonfly yacht

Dragonfly

142.08 m Lürssen motor yacht, delivered 2024

Luminance yacht

Luminance

138.8 m Lürssen motor yacht, delivered 2024

Sources (7)
  1. Boat International, Superyacht Directory: Scheherazade
  2. Boat International, 12th largest yacht in world 140m Lürssen Scheherazade captured in new footage 30 Apr 2021
  3. Boat International, 140 metre yacht Scheherazade hit with freeze order in Italy 9 May 2022
  4. YachtBuyer, Scheherazade
  5. Reuters, report on the Italian seizure order, 6 May 2022 6 May 2022
  6. vesseltracker, Scheherazade (IMO, MMSI, flag)
  7. Wikipedia, Scheherazade (yacht) (IMO)