Ecstasea
| LOA | 85.95 m |
|---|---|
| Gross tonnage | 2,107 GT |
| Beam | 11.5 m |
| Delivered | 2004 |
| Builder | Feadship (De Voogt Naval Architects) |
| Interior design | Terence Disdale |
| Propulsion | combined diesel and General Electric gas turbine |
| Top speed | about 33 knots, range about 5,000 nautical miles at 15 knots |
The largest and fastest of her day
Delivered in 2004 at 85.95 metres, Ecstasea was the largest yacht Feadship had built up to that point. She stood out for pace as much as size, with a slender hull engineered for a top speed of around 33 knots. That combination of length and speed was highly unusual for a displacement superyacht of her era. She marked a bold step for the yard into very large fast yachts. Her narrow, knife-like hull set her apart from the broad displacement yachts of her day.
Her place in the yard's story is that of a technical statement. Building a hull to run at more than 30 knots at nearly 86 metres called for a narrow beam and serious propulsion engineering. She proved that Feadship could deliver speed at flagship scale without giving up finish. Two decades on she remains one of the most distinctive fast yachts the yard has produced. Few yachts of her length have matched her pace since. She was sold in 2009 by original owner Roman Abramovich to Alshair Fiyaz through brokers Merle Wood, and she remains privately held today.
A slender hull for speed
The exterior and naval architecture are the work of De Voogt, who gave Ecstasea a long and slim hull with a beam of just 11.5 metres to help her reach high speed. The profile is sleek and purposeful, with a low, fast look on the water. The steel hull carries an aluminium superstructure to keep weight down. The proportions read as athletic and lean for her length. Careful weight control ran through the whole build to support her speed.
The exterior hides a clever piece of engineering forward. A helicopter hangar sits beneath the foredeck under sliding deck sections, with a lift platform that raises the aircraft to deck level for landing. Broad decks give owner and guests room to enjoy fast passages and quiet anchorages alike. The layout keeps her equally at home cruising or covering long distances at speed. Her outdoor spaces make the most of the swift, open passages she was built for. The steel hull and aluminium superstructure add up to a deadweight of 585 metric tons on a beam of just 11.5 metres. Top speed on diesel power alone reaches around 25 knots, with a fast cruise near 22 knots before the turbine boost is engaged.
An 85.95 metre Feadship with a gas turbine and a slender hull, built to run at around 33 knots.
Terence Disdale below decks
The interior is the work of Terence Disdale, the designer known for a relaxed and natural style built on texture and light. Ecstasea accommodates 15 guests across eight staterooms, supported by a crew of around 24. The owner's quarters are given a generous private area away from the guest flow. Disdale's approach gives the interior a warm, resort-like calm that offsets the yacht's speed. Natural textures and soft tones run through the guest spaces.
The volume of an 86 metre hull allows generous social and private spaces despite the slim beam. There is room for dining, lounging and wellness areas across the decks. Fine materials and Feadship joinery give the rooms real depth. The interior stays serene while the machinery does the hard work below. Light reaches deep into the yacht through her glazing. Fifteen guests are accommodated across eight staterooms, supported by a crew of around 24 who keep the fast hull running smoothly. Her owner's quarters occupy a private forward section screened from guest and crew movement.
Gas turbine drive
The engineering heart of Ecstasea is a combined propulsion package that adds a General Electric gas turbine to her diesel power for high-speed running. That arrangement drives her to a top speed of around 33 knots and a fast cruise near 25 knots. Her range reaches roughly 5,000 nautical miles at a more economical 15 knots. The setup gives her a rare mix of sprint speed and genuine ocean reach. Her steel hull and aluminium superstructure add up to a gross tonnage of 2,107 GT.
Running a gas turbine on a private yacht is a serious engineering undertaking that few builders attempt. The slender hull and careful weight control were essential to making the speed possible. Systems were built for reliability across long, fast passages. The machinery marks her out as one of the most ambitious fast Feadships of her time. Her turbine boost sits ready for when an owner wants to press on. A General Electric LM2500 turbine adds roughly 30,843hp to four MTU diesels for a combined output near 43,000hp, enough to push her past 30 knots on trials.
A fast yacht for a bold owner
Ecstasea answers the brief of an owner who wanted the length of a flagship with the pace of a much smaller yacht. Her gas turbine and slim hull gave her a character unlike almost anything else afloat when she launched. Yachts with this much technical history hold a lasting fascination well beyond their specification. She remains a landmark fast yacht in the yard's record. Her rarity keeps interest in her strong across the years.
For an owner she offers the ability to cover ground quickly and reach distant anchorages under her own power. The speed suits a buyer who wants to move between cruising grounds at pace. The size gives generous space for family and guests despite the fast hull. Ecstasea stands as one of the boldest engineering statements Feadship has delivered. Her blend of speed and space is still rare at her length. Two decades after delivery she remains one of only a handful of superyachts built around a gas turbine, a choice few owners since have repeated given the running costs it carries.
Engines and systems
| Main engines | Four MTU 16V4000 M70 diesels (about 3,000hp each) plus one General Electric LM2500 gas turbine (about 30,843hp) driving twin screws plus a waterjet for turbine boost. Combined output is reported between roughly 42,800 and 46,800hp depending on outlet. Top speed is reported at 33 knots, up to 35 knots on sea trials; cruising speed on diesels alone is reported at 22 to 25 knots |
|---|---|
| Stabilizers | Rolls-Royce retractable fin stabilizers, plus a separate at-anchor stabilization system |
| Bow thruster | Jastram bow thruster, 250kW |
| Fuel tankage | 256,500 litres per most brokerage listings, though a competing figure of roughly 138,000 litres also circulates and is treated here as an unresolved discrepancy |
| Fresh water tankage | 96,140 litres, supplemented by a desalination plant producing 50,000 litres a day |
| Range | 5,000 nautical miles at 15 knots cruising, the one figure with no reported discrepancy across sources |
What owners and crew report
Owner identity (original)
Commissioned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and delivered in 2004 as the largest Feadship built to date.
Boat InternationalDesign brief
Reportedly commissioned after Abramovich owned the 49.5 metre Sussurro and wanted far more interior volume without giving up speed; the brief grew from an initial target near 20 knots to a design exceeding 30 knots via combined diesel and gas-turbine power.
YachtBuyerSea trial performance
Reportedly exceeded her own design speed target on sea trials, reaching as high as 35 knots against a design target in the low 30s.
YachtBuyerFirst change of ownership
Sold by Abramovich to Pakistani billionaire Alshair Fiyaz in June 2009 through brokers Merle Wood.
WikipediaCurrent owner confirmation
Coverage of a 2022 Bermuda port call describes the yacht as currently thought to be owned by Alshair Fiyaz, press language short of a confirmed registry fact.
The Royal GazetteDesign award
Terence Disdale's interior won Best Power Interior at the International Superyacht Society Awards in 2005.
YachtBuyerNotable incident
On 15 December 2019 the yacht's observation platform struck the Simpson Bay Bridge control booth in St Martin after veering off course in high wind and current while docking; the booth was destroyed, the operator was unhurt and the yacht suffered only minor damage.
Newsweek
What is good, and what to watch
Strong points
- A genuine speed-for-size breakthroughFour MTU 16V4000 M70 diesels plus a General Electric LM2500 gas turbine give a reported 33-plus knots, up to 35 on trials - an unusual hybrid propulsion approach for an 86 metre yacht in 2004, and still cited as one of the fastest large yachts ever built.
- Record-holder at deliveryThe largest yacht Feadship had built at her 2004 delivery, a title she held until later Feadship flagships surpassed her.
- Award-winning interiorTerence Disdale's interior won Best Power Interior at the 2005 International Superyacht Society Awards.
- One consistent hard numberRange is reported at 5,000 nautical miles at 15 knots across every independent listing checked, giving real confidence in that one figure even where others conflict.
What to watch
- Materially inconsistent published specificationsGuest capacity is reported as both 15 and 14 across different outlets, cabin count varies between 8, 7 and 6, and crew is given as 24, 25 or 27 depending on the source. No single figure can be called authoritative.
- Unreconciled fuel tankage figuresMost brokerage listings state 256,500 litres of fuel, but a competing figure of roughly 138,000 litres also circulates and could not be reconciled against a shipyard-level source.
- Ownership prices are unconfirmedEvery sale price ever quoted in press coverage for Ecstasea is a press estimate, not a confirmed transaction figure, and no primary source settles what she actually changed hands for in 2009.
- A documented handling incidentThe December 2019 collision with the Simpson Bay Bridge control booth in St Martin, attributed to high wind and current overcoming control while docking in a narrow lagoon entrance, is a public, video-documented incident.
Practical detail
| Reported build cost | No shipyard-sourced build cost found in any outlet searched. One low-detail aggregator lists an estimated value of USD 200 million, which reads as a current valuation rather than a sourced original build cost and is not corroborated elsewhere |
|---|---|
| Reported annual running cost | Not publicly reported by any source found for this specific yacht |
| Charter status | Private yacht. YachtCharterFleet lists her explicitly as not available for charter, and CharterWorld's own listing carries a disclaimer that she is not necessarily available for charter or sale |
| Refit history | Most listings cite a refit in 2011; Superyachts.com instead cites 2009, a discrepancy that could not be resolved against a primary refit-yard record |
| Not publicly known | The confirmed current beneficial owner (press only says Fiyaz is believed to own her); the verified 2009 transaction price; original build cost; independently audited running costs; generator load and fuel-burn figures beyond the basic generator model |
Questions owners ask
How big is the Feadship Ecstasea?
LOA: 85.95 m. Gross tonnage: 2,107 GT.
Who is the Feadship Ecstasea for?
The owner who wants flagship length with the pace of a much smaller yacht, able to sprint between distant cruising grounds.
What is the Feadship Ecstasea good at?
A genuine speed-for-size breakthrough. Four MTU 16V4000 M70 diesels plus a General Electric LM2500 gas turbine give a reported 33-plus knots, up to 35 on trials - an unusual hybrid propulsion approach for an 86 metre yacht in 2004, and still cited as one of the fastest large yachts ever built.
What are the drawbacks of the Feadship Ecstasea?
Materially inconsistent published specifications. Guest capacity is reported as both 15 and 14 across different outlets, cabin count varies between 8, 7 and 6, and crew is given as 24, 25 or 27 depending on the source. No single figure can be called authoritative.
What do owners and crew report about the Feadship Ecstasea?
Commissioned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and delivered in 2004 as the largest Feadship built to date. (Boat International)
Who it is for: The owner who wants flagship length with the pace of a much smaller yacht, able to sprint between distant cruising grounds.