Dilbar Yacht: 156 Metres of Volume & Engineering

Dilbar is a 156-metre Lürssen motor yacht delivered in 2016 under the project name Project Omar. At 15,917 gross tonnes, she remains one of the most voluminous private yachts ever built and is notable for a 25-metre swimming pool holding about 180 cubic metres of water.

The original MegaYachtGuy article focused on Dilbar as the “world’s largest super yacht.” Today, the most accurate way to describe her is as one of the world’s largest private motor yachts by internal volume rather than by overall length.

From Project Omar to Dilbar

Lürssen built Dilbar in Germany and delivered her in 2016 after a build period of roughly four and a half years. During construction she was known as Project Omar. Her exterior was created by Espen Øino International, while Winch Design developed the interior.

The yacht replaced an earlier Lürssen also named Dilbar. That older 110-metre yacht was delivered in 2008 and was later renamed, so photographs and specifications from the two vessels are often mixed online. This page refers only to the 156-metre yacht delivered in 2016.

Why Dilbar became famous for volume, not length

Dilbar is not the world’s longest yacht — vessels such as Azzam are longer — but her 15,917 GT internal volume places her among the most extraordinary private yachts ever built. Gross tonnage measures enclosed internal volume rather than weight, which is why a slightly shorter yacht can feel far larger inside.

Her beam is about 23.5 metres, spread across seven decks. The result is roughly palace-scale interior space combined with the proportions of a modern displacement yacht.

The 25-metre swimming pool

One of Dilbar’s signature features is her indoor swimming pool. Lürssen states that the pool is 25 metres long and contains approximately 180 cubic metres of water. It is widely described as one of the largest swimming pools ever installed aboard a yacht.

Handling that much moving water aboard a vessel is an engineering challenge in itself. The pool became one of the defining features used to illustrate Dilbar’s scale and the level of technical integration required throughout the build.

Authorized public photographs of Dilbar’s 25-metre interior pool are extremely limited, so this article avoids using unrelated or misidentified pool images.

Diesel-electric propulsion on a giant scale

Dilbar uses diesel-electric propulsion. Published specifications describe a roughly 30,000 kW electric power plant, with Wärtsilä generator engines supplying large electric propulsion motors. The yacht can cruise at around 18 knots and reach approximately 22.5 knots.

Despite her size, reported range is around 6,000 nautical miles at economical cruising speed, giving the yacht genuine long-distance capability.

Who owns Dilbar?

Dilbar has long been publicly associated with billionaire businessman Alisher Usmanov. The present legal ownership picture is more complicated. Public reporting describes trust and corporate structures connected to Usmanov’s family, while sanctions-related proceedings in Germany have examined whether the yacht should legally be treated as owned or controlled by a sanctioned person.

Because that legal position has evolved, MegaYachtGuy describes Usmanov as the businessman historically and publicly associated with the yacht, rather than presenting a simplified claim about present beneficial ownership.

Two helipads, a cinema and nearly 100 crew

Public yacht profiles describe two helipads, extensive spa and wellness areas, a cinema, gym, sauna, elevator and large tender facilities. Depending on the source, accommodation figures vary, but current technical databases commonly list about 24 guests in 12 suites and a crew complement approaching 100.

The yacht’s guest count is relatively modest compared with her internal volume, which helps explain the extraordinary amount of space available for service areas, crew circulation, machinery and recreation.

Dilbar specifications