A secretive billionaire's $300 million yacht highlights unseen cost of extreme luxury

An unnamed billionaire commissioned a $300 million superyacht from Feadship, an exclusive yacht company, featuring a 50-square-meter pool. 

"The client had a precise vision for a unique, full-custom Feadship, and we are extremely proud of the result," Feadship sales director Maarten Jansen said in a press release. 

What happened?

The superyacht's design plan was dubbed Project 828 — and Project Milky Way — and was shaped by the billionaire's personal lifestyle preferences, according to Luxury Launches. 

The four-deck vessel was commissioned in 2023. It is in the Netherlands for final outfitting, dockside checks, and system commissioning before sea trials begin, Luxury Launches reported. 

One standout feature is a 16.7-by-3-meter pool, one of the largest integrated into a Feadship hull. The pool was planned as the social hub of the yacht's outdoor spaces, not simply as an amenity.

Why does it matter?

Superyachts are widely associated with heavy fuel consumption, carbon pollution, and resource-intensive upkeep. Pollution, warming oceans, and climate instability can affect public health, insurance costs, economies, and communities already on the front lines of flooding and heat.

Superyachts are considered among the worst polluters in transportation. According to the Carbon Inequality Kills study, 50 of the world's richest billionaires produce 300 times more carbon emissions than the average person. From Jeff Bezos to Mark Zuckerberg, those at the peak of wealth disproportionately contribute to climate issues.

These yachts alone produce 860 times more carbon than the average person and about 1,500 times more pollution than the average family car over the course of a year. 

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