YAS
ID#
142
Previous name(s):
HNLMS Piet Hein / Al Emirat / Swift 141
YAS
ID#
142
Previous name(s):
HNLMS Piet Hein / Al Emirat / Swift 141
PRIVATE USE ONLY
PRESIDENTIAL/STATE OWNED
PRIVATE USE ONLY
PRESIDENTIAL/STATE OWNED
Length
141
m
/
463
ft
Beam
15
m
/
49.2
ft
Volume
5,001
GT
Guests sleeping
60
Cabins
30
Crew members
56
Main Specs
Length
141
m
/
463
ft
Beam
15
m
/
49.2
ft
Volume
5,001
GT
Guests sleeping
60
Cabins
30
Crew members
56
Estimated Value
$180,000,000
Build
Shipyard
ADM Shipyards
Year
1981
Hull Type
Mono-Hull
Full displacement
Hull Material
Steel
Superstructure Material
GRP
Last Refit
2021
Show more about refit(s)
Categories
Build Type
1-of-1 Custom build
Conversion
Vessel Type
Yacht
Mega yacht
Categories
Build Type
1-of-1 Custom build
Conversion
Vessel Type
Yacht
Mega yacht
Design
Exterior
Pierrejean Design Studio
Main Color
White
Interior
Pierrejean Design Studio
Amenities
Elevator
Swim platform
Tender garage
Spa
Sauna/Steam room/Hammam
Massage room
Gym
Swimming pool
Jacuzzi
Helipad
Build
Shipyard
ADM Shipyards
Year
1981
Hull Type
Mono-Hull
Full displacement
Hull Material
Steel
Superstructure Material
GRP
Last Refit
2021
Show more about refit(s)
Design
Exterior
Pierrejean Design Studio
Main Color
White
Interior
Pierrejean Design Studio
Categories
Build Type
1-of-1 Custom build
Conversion
Vessel Type
Yacht
Mega yacht
Amenities
Elevator
Swim platform
Tender garage
Spa
Sauna/Steam room/Hammam
Massage room
Gym
Swimming pool
Jacuzzi
Helipad
Exterior Design
All pictures made by me (@theyachtinfo).
Exterior Design
All pictures made by me (@theyachtinfo).
Exterior Design
All pictures made by me (@theyachtinfo).
Interior Design
Likely to remain private indefinitely.
Interior Design
Likely to remain private indefinitely.
Interior Design
Likely to remain private indefinitely.
Performance
Cruising Speed
23
kn
Max Speed
26
kn
Range
5,000
nm
Propulsion
Type
Diesel
Motor yacht
Horse Power
21,000
HP
Engines info
Performance
Cruising Speed
23
kn
Max Speed
26
kn
Range
5,000
nm
Propulsion
Type
Diesel
Motor yacht
Horse Power
21,000
HP
Engines info
Rumored Owner
H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Nationality
Emirati 🇦🇪
Estimated Net Worth
$1B
See ownership history
Rumored Owner
H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Nationality
Emirati 🇦🇪
Estimated Net Worth
$1B
See ownership history
Fun Facts
🪖 HER LIFE BEFORE AND HER TRANSFORMATION:
The vessel that would eventually become “Yas” began life as a Royal Netherlands Navy frigate named “HNLMS Piet Hein”, launched in the late 1970s.
She then served the Dutch Navy for about two decades before being decommissioned and sold to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 1998.
Under the UAE Navy she was known as “Al Emirat”, but saw little active use. Around 2007, a member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family acquired the aging warship with an audacious vision: to transform it into a private luxury yacht.
This conversion project was code-named “Swift141” – ‘Swift’ alluding to high performance (the frigate hull was built for speed) and ‘141’ reflecting the planned yacht length in meters.
Work started at Abu Dhabi’s ADM Shipyards and after about three years of structural changes, the venerable grey warship re-emerged in 2011 with a striking new white silhouette, now christened “Yas”. The hull was relaunched at that point, though the yacht was not yet complete. What followed was several more years of fit-out and finishing; it wasn’t until 2015 that “Yas” was fully delivered as a functioning superyacht ready to cruise.
Transforming a 40-year-old military ship into a floating palace was an immense engineering challenge. The original plan for “Yas” was relatively modest, but once refit work began, the team discovered that the majority of the frigate’s old steel hull needed to be rebuilt or reinforced. This unexpected turn gave the owner and designers an opportunity to completely reinvent the vessel’s structure and aesthetics.
The yacht’s hull was actually stretched by roughly 12 meters during the rebuild – bringing her to about 141 m in length – in order to enhance her proportions and add new leisure space.
This is what she looked like ⬇️
😮 THE INCREDIBLE SUPERSTRUCTURE:
One of the most demanding tasks was the construction of “Yas” ’s futuristic superstructure. Over 500 custom-formed glass panels had to be integrated to form the yacht’s sweeping glass canopy, a feat that designers later described as one of the project’s greatest technical challenges.
The use of so much glass and composite material in the upper structure was unprecedented. It was assembled with the help of specialist firms from abroad, since the local yard had never built anything quite like it.
🤐 VERY FEW INFORMATION:
Under his ownership, “Yas” has remained a strictly private vessel – she is not available for charter, and the owner and shipyard have released virtually no images of the yacht’s interior, maintaining an aura of exclusivity and secrecy around the boat
Even the yacht’s name carries a bit of mystique: “Yas”. We have no idea why it is called that. Perhaps because one of the owner’s son is named ‘Yas’. Or because it is named after the ‘Yas Island’, which is a luxury development in Abu Dhabi. More probably because of the son I would guess.
👑 BUILT BY THE ROYAL FAMILY:
“Yas” has been owned since her conversion by Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a high-ranking member of the Abu Dhabi royal family. Sheikh Hamdan is a prominent UAE politician (he has served as a deputy prime minister) and a billionaire businessman, which makes “Yas” quite literally a yacht fit for royalty.
It was Sheikh Hamdan who envisioned turning the retired frigate into a glamorous pleasure craft and he is said to have pursued the project not only for personal use but also to help jump-start a world-class shipbuilding capability in the UAE.
Sheikh Hamdan has used “Yas” as his floating palace, cruising to destinations from the Mediterranean to Indian Ocean under the Cayman Islands flag – a unique blend of royal opulence and naval heritage in one vessel.
📸 UNLIKE ANY OTHER YACHT:
Many superyachts claim to be unique, but “Yas” truly looks like no other yacht on the water. With her slender ex-naval hull and curvaceous, ultra-modern profile, “Yas” has been likened to a sleek dolphin or even a spaceship in appearance.
The forward half of the vessel is dominated by a massive glass-enclosed superstructure – essentially a giant, curved glass dome that houses the bridge and the owner’s deck, giving the yacht a distinctive “visor” or bubble-like facade.
Beyond her looks, “Yas” also breaks norms with sheer capacity – the yacht can accommodate up to 60 guests in 30 cabins, an unprecedented number for a private vessel.
🪖 HER LIFE BEFORE AND HER TRANSFORMATION:
The vessel that would eventually become “Yas” began life as a Royal Netherlands Navy frigate named “HNLMS Piet Hein”, launched in the late 1970s.
She then served the Dutch Navy for about two decades before being decommissioned and sold to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 1998.
Under the UAE Navy she was known as “Al Emirat”, but saw little active use. Around 2007, a member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family acquired the aging warship with an audacious vision: to transform it into a private luxury yacht.
This conversion project was code-named “Swift141” – ‘Swift’ alluding to high performance (the frigate hull was built for speed) and ‘141’ reflecting the planned yacht length in meters.
Work started at Abu Dhabi’s ADM Shipyards and after about three years of structural changes, the venerable grey warship re-emerged in 2011 with a striking new white silhouette, now christened “Yas”. The hull was relaunched at that point, though the yacht was not yet complete. What followed was several more years of fit-out and finishing; it wasn’t until 2015 that “Yas” was fully delivered as a functioning superyacht ready to cruise.
Transforming a 40-year-old military ship into a floating palace was an immense engineering challenge. The original plan for “Yas” was relatively modest, but once refit work began, the team discovered that the majority of the frigate’s old steel hull needed to be rebuilt or reinforced. This unexpected turn gave the owner and designers an opportunity to completely reinvent the vessel’s structure and aesthetics.
The yacht’s hull was actually stretched by roughly 12 meters during the rebuild – bringing her to about 141 m in length – in order to enhance her proportions and add new leisure space.
This is what she looked like ⬇️
👑 BUILT BY THE ROYAL FAMILY:
“Yas” has been owned since her conversion by Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a high-ranking member of the Abu Dhabi royal family. Sheikh Hamdan is a prominent UAE politician (he has served as a deputy prime minister) and a billionaire businessman, which makes “Yas” quite literally a yacht fit for royalty.
It was Sheikh Hamdan who envisioned turning the retired frigate into a glamorous pleasure craft and he is said to have pursued the project not only for personal use but also to help jump-start a world-class shipbuilding capability in the UAE.
Sheikh Hamdan has used “Yas” as his floating palace, cruising to destinations from the Mediterranean to Indian Ocean under the Cayman Islands flag – a unique blend of royal opulence and naval heritage in one vessel.
😮 THE INCREDIBLE SUPERSTRUCTURE:
One of the most demanding tasks was the construction of “Yas” ’s futuristic superstructure. Over 500 custom-formed glass panels had to be integrated to form the yacht’s sweeping glass canopy, a feat that designers later described as one of the project’s greatest technical challenges.
The use of so much glass and composite material in the upper structure was unprecedented. It was assembled with the help of specialist firms from abroad, since the local yard had never built anything quite like it.
📸 UNLIKE ANY OTHER YACHT:
Many superyachts claim to be unique, but “Yas” truly looks like no other yacht on the water. With her slender ex-naval hull and curvaceous, ultra-modern profile, “Yas” has been likened to a sleek dolphin or even a spaceship in appearance.
The forward half of the vessel is dominated by a massive glass-enclosed superstructure – essentially a giant, curved glass dome that houses the bridge and the owner’s deck, giving the yacht a distinctive “visor” or bubble-like facade.
Beyond her looks, “Yas” also breaks norms with sheer capacity – the yacht can accommodate up to 60 guests in 30 cabins, an unprecedented number for a private vessel.
🤐 VERY FEW INFORMATION:
Under his ownership, “Yas” has remained a strictly private vessel – she is not available for charter, and the owner and shipyard have released virtually no images of the yacht’s interior, maintaining an aura of exclusivity and secrecy around the boat
Even the yacht’s name carries a bit of mystique: “Yas”. We have no idea why it is called that. Perhaps because one of the owner’s son is named ‘Yas’. Or because it is named after the ‘Yas Island’, which is a luxury development in Abu Dhabi. More probably because of the son I would guess.
All media not captured by this website remain the sole property of their respective owners, as credited. No licenses, copyrights, or other usage rights are granted to users of this site. All rights are reserved by the original creators.
Majority of the pictures displayed on this website are AI-generated illustrations used for visual representation purposes only. Not real pictures, unless explicitly stated otherwise. The appearance of the actual yacht may differ from those shown in the illustrations.
This page is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute a formal listing for sale or charter. I am not the manager, owner, nor representative of this vessel. While the data provided is gathered from publicly available sources, I cannot guarantee that all information is accurate, complete, or up to date at all times.
All media not captured by this website remain the sole property of their respective owners, as credited. No licenses, copyrights, or other usage rights are granted to users of this site. All rights are reserved by the original creators.
Majority of the pictures displayed on this website are AI-generated illustrations used for visual representation purposes only. Not real pictures, unless explicitly stated otherwise. The appearance of the actual yacht may differ from those shown in the illustrations.
This page is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute a formal listing for sale or charter. I am not the manager, owner, nor representative of this vessel. While the data provided is gathered from publicly available sources, I cannot guarantee that all information is accurate, complete, or up to date at all times.
The Yacht Info
Copyright © 2026 The Yacht Info
All rights reserved
The Yacht Info
Copyright © 2026 The Yacht Info
All rights reserved