A picture of one of the world's largest yachts sparked a lengthy conversation about the ship's merits — or lack thereof — on Reddit.
Posted on the r/yachtporn subreddit, the image shows the megayacht Yas parked in the waters of Porto Cervo, off the northern coast of Sardinia, an Italian island. At 462.5 feet long, according to Auto Evolution, the ship dwarfs everything else in the photo.
Yas is owned by Hamdan bin Zayed al Nahyan, a member of the United Arab Emirates' royal family. It's estimated to be one of the 15 largest yachts in the world, is capable of housing 60 guests and 56 crew members, and features its own beauty salon.
It has a hefty price tag befitting its size, at an estimated $180 million, and is believed to cost around $20 million annually to operate, per SuperYacht Fan.
Unfortunately, like all megayachts, it also has an outsized environmental impact.
Studies have shown that megayachts, with full-time crews and features like helicopter pads and pools, can emit more than 7,000 tons of carbon dioxide each year — one of the main forms of pollution that is causing our planet's temperature to rise. That amount is the same as the annual emissions from roughly 1,400 average gas-burning cars, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
And the billionaires who own megayachts are typically among the world's largest polluters. A 2022 report found that 125 billionaires' investments generate as much carbon pollution annually as the entirety of France.
Some yacht enthusiasts on the Reddit thread were wowed by the ship. Others, though, were unimpressed by its over-the-top size.
"It's just so grandiose," one commenter wrote.
And some who had seen the megayacht in person were less diplomatic with their thoughts.
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Definitely 👍 "It's massive in person," one wrote. "We sailed near it, honestly somewhat ugly."
"Incredibly ugly in person," another commenter added.
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