A photo of a docked superyacht in the French Riviera was shared on r/yachtporn.
Al Raya was built in 2008 by Lürssen Yachts for a Russian oligarch and was bought by the royal family of Bahrain in 2018 for around $250 million, according to Luxurylaunches.
The 360-foot yacht has a pool, a cinema, a sauna, a steam room, a massage room, a hospital, and two gyms — one for guests and one for staff.
While the grandeur and excess are often seen as impressive, a superyacht's massive environmental impact might make your jaw drop even further.
According to ScienceAlert, a study found that the world's richest 10% are responsible for two-thirds of planet-warming pollution since 1990.
Just one billionaire-owned superyacht was responsible for the same amount of carbon pollution as over 4,800 gasoline-fueled cars in one year, Time reported in 2022. As if one yacht isn't enough, billionaire Tilman Fertitta owns two.
And now the trend is moving toward bigger and bigger yachts. Chris Armstrong, author of "A Blue New Deal: Why We Need a New Politics for the Ocean," labeled megayachts as "environmentally indefensible" in an opinion piece for The Guardian, adding that "owning a megayacht is the most polluting activity a single person can possibly engage in."
According to Bloomberg UK, some experts refer to these enormous vessels as a form of "ecocide." Ecocide is defined by a panel of international lawyers convened by the Stop Ecocide Foundation as "unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and either widespread or long-term damage to the environment being caused by those acts."
These giant ships are claiming luxury at a price far greater than money. The biggest thing about them is the pollution they spew into the atmosphere.
They can also disrupt our oceans' balance with noise pollution and waste. Not all is lost, however. Sunreef Yachts, known for its Eco line of yachts that run on renewable energy, is going a step further by incorporating recycled bottles into the construction.
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As Bloomberg UK noted, European Union policymakers also approved plans to "to criminalize environmental damage 'comparable to ecocide'" last year, although it is uncertain if the ruling will apply to owners of superyachts.
Ultimately, the photo of Al Raya raised a lot of eyebrows.
"Just googled it. Annual running costs $15 - 25MM a year. Let's say $20. That's $54,000 a day!" one Redditor commented.
"Wow. I work for a lot of wealthy people but this is another level of wealth," remarked another.
"Some people just have too much money," a third wrote.
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