XANADU, or in her previous name Helgoland was a passenger ship, that was used for a long period to take passengers to a small island in the North Sea, named Helgoland. This island is located a few kilometers north of the German mainland. The local tourism of the island is extremely developed, mainly thanks to the fact it is a duty free island ,and its relatively short distance to the mainland had developed a tourism of 'Tax saving'. The Helgoland carried on its decks over 1500 people each day. The cost of a ticket was equivalent to the save on purchasing one pack on margarine.

How and why to convert a vessel that was carrying over 1500 people to a private luxury yacht that will be used for 24 guests only?

The not so common answer is here.

Let's start with some numbers: The vessel is planned to be one of the 20 largest yachts ever built. With over 9000 horse powers, powering at max speed of 24 knots , 3464 Tons which divided on 7 decks with total sqm of over 5000, and in Total 104 meters of length and 15 meters of beam.

Present and Future

The present and future of this ship looks extremely bright. Two years ago the vessel was purchased from its German operator in order to be upgraded and make it one of the 20 BIGGEST YACHTS ever built. According to Boat International '2007 list of largest yachts ever built' the vessel would be ranked as number 14.