Lists counting down the most popular songs of the year get a lot of attention among pop culture enthusiasts. In yachting, lists tabulating the biggest yacht deliveries of the year grab the headlines, too. However, a yacht doesn’t need to be the biggest to be impressive. In fact, some of the most newsworthy handovers this year are projects far from being in the top 20. In some cases, they don’t even crack the top 100. Here are some of the most significant superyacht deliveries of 2025, and what makes them so notable.
The overwhelming majority of custom yachts are motoryachts. Royal Huisman is among the few builders still welcoming sailing-yacht enthusiasts. It delivered the performance ketch Aquarius II to a repeat customer. Specifically, she’s a 212-footer (65-meter) replacing a 184-foot (56.18-meter) cruising ketch from the yard, which the owner christened Aquarius in 2018. For his new yacht, the owner brought back the same designers as the cruising ketch, namely Dykstra Naval Architects and Mark Whiteley Design. His reasoning was pretty simple: “I want to keep winning Bucket races!” Simultaneously, he wants comfortable spaces for enjoying time between regattas. The increase in size remarkably provides for 45 percent more volume. This permits a fourth guest stateroom, a much bigger gym, and more capacious alfresco cockpits. Importantly, the increase in volume benefits the captain and crew, with a larger galley, crew mess, and laundry, plus an extra crew cabin.
Although the yacht Breakthrough is among a few significant superyacht deliveries of 2025 for Feadship, she is truly a breakthrough. She’s the Dutch builder’s first to feature hydrogen fuel cells. The propulsion system pairs hydrogen fuel cells and MTUs capable of running on HVO, which burns cleaner than diesel. Additionally, the fuel cells can run on methanol instead of hydrogen. According to Feadship, Breakthrough can cruise at 10 knots emission-free or enjoy silence at anchor, each up to one week, with the fuel cells. A total of 30 guests can stay aboard, enjoying amenities like a Neptune lounge, a room straddling the waterline. It has a big window to enjoy the views above and below the surface. Yet another reason why she’s so significant: This 390-footer (119-meter) is the largest delivery from a Dutch shipyard this year.
Leviathan’s owner, Gabe Newell, has a vision like no other owner. The co-founder and president of Valve Corporation, a video-games maker, Newell commissioned this 364-footer (111-meter) especially for scientific research. He further wanted to raise the bar on crew wellbeing and retention. As a result, some crew-only areas look more like luxury guest areas, with oak and wenge finishes. An alfresco basketball court and the sundeck, complete with hot tub, are available to the crew, too. Plus, a gaming lounge doubles as a crew classroom, for quiet learning. “Leviathan challenged convention in a completely new and exciting way from an operational standpoint,” her interior designer, Mark Berryman, asserts. “The goal was to consider where the most valuable experiences occur for the community of people onboard,” Newell explains. “By increasing crew productivity, we can enable them to focus more on engaging with guests and creating meaningful experiences for everyone.”
The Italian Sea Group has marked several significant superyacht deliveries this year. But July was particularly important, with the delivery of the first of two projects bearing design by the late Giorgio Armani. Giovani Costantino, the Group’s founder and CEO, calls No Rush “Giorgio Armani’s poetic elegance.” With an LOA of 236 feet (72 meters), every exterior line and interior space reflects the vision and hand of Armani. The interior areas include a spa and an overall subdued yet still sophisticated décor, with soothing tones. That attracted a buyer just prior to completion, who christened her After You. That buyer recently sold the yacht to another owner, who has renamed her No Rush. Although there’s no word as to whether the Armani Casa interior design will remain, the champagne-toned paint job is still present.
Since comparatively few yachting enthusiasts commission sailing yachts, Simena is a standout. She’s one of the most significant superyacht deliveries of 2025 for a few further reasons. Firstly, the 203-footer (62-meter) is the first-ever launch from Ares Yachts, based in Turkey. Secondly, she’s among the 30 largest privately owned sailing yachts in the world. This classic-looking cruiser (top and above) has mahogany wheels at her twin helms. Inside, she has accommodations for 12 and a relaxed, welcoming look and feel. The décor complements the classic profile, with antiqued brass accents, for instance, and time-honored tones and textures from woods and leathers. Ares Yachts showcased her at September’s Monaco Yacht Show, in anticipation of a new owner buying her. She’s still for sale, for €45.9 million.