A 45.3 metre superyacht built in Umm Al Quwain is on its way to Europe. Suzie Q, the first hull of Gulf Craft's Majesty 145, has left the build sheds and will make its debut at European boat shows in 2027, according to BOAT International. In the same week, the yard's Majesty Yachts brand unveiled a 54 metre flagship, a 30.8 metre Gulf Craft Nomad 101 was launched in Umm Al Quwain, and Lionel Messi was reported to have ordered a 26.8 metre catamaran that is being built at Sunreef Yachts' shipyard in the UAE. A country that has long bought superyachts now builds them for export.
The Majesty 145
Suzie Q measures 45.3 metres, with an 8.1 metre beam, a 2.2 metre draught and a volume of 499 gross tonnes, according to BOAT International. The model was presented at the 2025 Dubai International Boat Show, and the sale of the first unit was announced shortly afterwards. The yacht was launched in April, held a guest preview and sea trials in May, and will be available for charter through Aqua Marine after delivery.
The design is by Cristiano Gatto Design, a long-standing Gulf Craft collaborator, and the brief is built around wellbeing: six guest cabins, two infinity-style pools, an upper-deck gym and a spa with an infrared sauna. The technical list is practical rather than showy. A heat recovery system supplies hot water and climate control, fire protection uses water mist, and there is a certified lithium battery storage and charging system for water toys. The model is semi-custom, offered with several stern, bow and upper-deck layouts.
"This moment is about recognising the people who continue to carry our standards forward," Mohammed Hussein Alshaali, chairman of Gulf Craft, said at the preview, adding that it shows "what can be achieved from the UAE."
The order book behind it
According to BOATPro data cited by BOAT International in mid October, Gulf Craft has seven yachts on order or under construction. The largest is the first Majesty 160, a 49 to 50 metre yacht due for delivery in 2027, with a fast-displacement hull by Van Oossanen Design, seven guest cabins and fold-down balconies.
Above it sits the newly announced Majesty 180. The 54 metre flagship was revealed at the Monaco Yacht Show, and Gulf Craft bills it as the world's largest semi-production composite yacht on completion. That is the builder's own claim. No delivery date, cabin count or tonnage has been published.
The smaller end of the range is moving too. The Nomad 101, a tri-deck explorer-style yacht with interiors by Phathom Design using flax, hemp and bamboo fibres and reclaimed wood, was launched at Umm Al Quwain this month. BOATPro expects delivery in early 2027.
Gulf Craft is not new to this. The company was founded in 1982, and its main complex in Umm Al Quwain covers about 43,000 square metres, according to Zawya. What has changed is the size of what leaves it and where it goes.
Messi's catamaran and the second UAE yard
Sunreef Yachts is a Polish builder, but its Ultima range is produced in the Emirates. According to BOAT International, Messi has ordered a Sunreef Ultima 88, a 26.8 metre power catamaran with four guest cabins, a full-beam owner's suite, a jet ski garage and twin 1,000 horsepower engines, which will join his MIM Ocean fleet in the Balearic Islands. It is under construction at the company's UAE shipyard. BOATPro counts 26 Sunreef yachts on order or in build.
That yard is in Ras Al Khaimah. When Sunreef announced it in January 2023, it described a 65,000 square metre site, a first hall of 13,000 square metres and an investment of about 30 million euros, according to the German trade title Boote. The yard's output is being sold to a world market, not only to Gulf owners.
What it means for a buyer in the Gulf
Build slots. Waiting time is the first problem in the new-build market. Large hulls from the established northern European yards are booked years ahead, as AVNET set out in its guide to how long a superyacht new build takes. A semi-production yacht in the 30 to 55 metre range is the part of the market where a buyer can still find a slot within a reasonable time, and two of the yards offering such slots are now a short drive from Dubai.
Supervision. Building at home changes the owner's role. A Gulf buyer, or the buyer's project manager, can visit the shed during build, attend sea trials in local waters and take delivery without a long delivery voyage. Problems are easier to catch while the yacht is still in the shed.
Service. Gulf Craft opened a service centre in Ajman in early 2025, about 108,000 square feet with carpentry, upholstery, paint, fabrication and mechanical workshops, according to Yachting magazine. Warranty work and refits near home are a real advantage for owners who keep the yacht in the Gulf over the winter, which more are doing; the UAE's residency route for yacht owners is covered in AVNET's guide to the superyacht golden visa.
Resale. This is the open question. Resale value depends on the builder's name in the broker market, and the European yards have decades of sales records behind them. Sending the Majesty 145 to the European shows is a step towards building that record. Prices for the Majesty 145, the Majesty 180 and Messi's Ultima 88 have not been published, and no reliable figure exists for how Gulf-built yachts hold value against European ones.
What to watch
The Majesty 145's European show programme in 2027 will be the first real test of how buyers outside the Gulf see a UAE-built superyacht. Before that, the delivery of the first Majesty 160 next year will show whether the yard can deliver near 50 metres on schedule. For a buyer in the region, the practical point is already clear: a yacht can now be commissioned, built, trialled and serviced in the UAE.