Onlooker sparks outrage with photo of 460-foot yacht off coast: 'Abomination'

A massive 460-foot yacht recently anchored off the coast of Nice has ignited a debate online in a yacht-focused subreddit. 

A user posted a photo of the ship, writing, "Cool boat seen in Nice :)" — but commenters didn't hold back.

"It's Yas and it's friggin' ugly AF," one user wrote. 

Yas is owned by Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who is a member of Abu Dhabi's royal family.

"Now that's a facade only a mother could love," another said.

Some commenters pointed out how the yacht owner was maintaining an older vessel rather than splurging on something new and updated. 

One person commented: "I'm agreeing with you, but the yacht is 10 years old and everything on it is as-new. The owner spends insane amounts on the yacht and it shows in how they are keeping her condition."

While aesthetics took center stage, the sighting also brings up considerations of the superyacht industry's environmental footprint. 

Large luxury yachts burn enormous quantities of fuel and produce high amounts of planet-heating pollution — sometimes more per trip than an average passenger jet. These mega-vessels also consume vast amounts of resources in construction and maintenance, contributing to broader concerns about inequality and waste.

While maintaining an old vessel is preferable in terms of waste, compared to other yacht owners feeding new construction and manufacturing, the yacht is still a yacht — a symbol of luxury and excess that comes with a notable effect on our planet and the communities near where it anchors. 

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While some companies are moving toward a more sustainable yacht industry, with vessels powered by cleaner fuels and construction, it's ultimately a non-essential (and some would even say over-the-top) lifestyle choice with damning consequences on the less-privileged sectors of society. 

Most commenters were appalled by its style, with one writing: "The design abomination of putting half of a streamlined design superstructure onto a 1980's Netherlands Frigate hull....streamlined in the front liner in the back....is just ugggggly. But if this is the only 460 foot yacht you can have, go for it."

Another said, "Yeah I get it. They saved some $ by buying used and retrofitting. Good for them. But still," which followed with a gagging GIF.

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