Despite the turbulent economic climate, we stand to witness a historic year for the league table of the World’s Largest Yachts in 2010, with 17 new yachts expected to launch themselves into the Superyachts.com Top 100. This is unprecedented, and it is unlikely that we will ever witness this again.

The contracts for these new mega yachts were signed some time ago, probably in 2006 or 2007, before the arrival of the global economic downturn. They are therefore products of a period of financial optimism, and reflect the enthusiasm of owners and builders prior to the recession. This frenzied fervour for a spot amongst the world’s largest brings us into 2010, a year which despite the economic slump, boasts a collection of yachts that are bigger and better than ever before.

Like most luxury products destined for wealthy owners, details of the upcoming deliveries remain well-protected by the shipyards and designers lending their talents, making the prediction of a future top 100 a difficult task. Bear in mind these 2010 projections are based on market intelligence and due to the secrecy that shrouds each of the yachts, they can change at any time.

If speculation proves to be correct however, Eclipse will soon will take the crown from the current number one spot holder, 162m Dubai, in the Superyachts.com Top 100. Long gone are the days when delivering a 60 metre yacht would earn a place amongst world’s largest yachts. Back in 2007, just 62 metres would have earned a place in the Top 100 world’s largest yachts listing, whilst 60.3 metres in 2006 would have been sufficient. As it stands the bare minimum to appear on the Superyachts.com Top 100 jumps to an impressive 73 metres.

Not only will 2010 see a new world number one, it will also see the largest yacht built in the US since the 1930s, with Derecktor’s 85.6m Cakewalk.

This article has been compiled from the link below:
http://www.superyachts.com/news/worlds-largest-superyachts-2010-preview-277.htm