The rise and rise of the mega yacht: Billionaires play one-upmanship on the high seas as demand for giant vessels costing up to £462MILLION surges

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A game of billionaire one-upmanship is raging on the high seas, with superyachts getting bigger and more extravagant. 

Global yacht management company Hill Robinson says demand for 328ft-plus mega yachts has surged over recent years.

The firm's co-founder, Nick Hill, reveals that the vessels are becoming 'far more complicated' with high-tech navigation and communication systems and they're also decked out with increasingly luxurious toys, from submarines to helicopters.

Currently the biggest player on the water is the Azzam, owned by the United Arab Emirates president, with the $600 million (£462 million) vessel measuring 592ft

Coming in at second place in the mega yacht stakes is the $450 million (£346 million) Eclipse, owned by Russian oligarch and Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich

Commenting on the trend, he told the Superyacht Times: 'As the boats have got bigger, clients expectations have changed considerably. 

'In many cases they're highly intelligent, extremely well-informed and well-connected - there's nothing that they can't find out after spending a few minutes online!' 

Industry experts from the Superyacht Intelligence Agency told MailOnline Travel it has 12 328ft-plus superyachts on its data base that are due to be delivered by 2022.

In addition, there has also been growth within the 295ft-plus sector with 2019 'already set to be a strong year, with seven orders scheduled for delivery'. 

The Dubai measures 531ft and was built in 2006 for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates

A view of the Dilbar, which is the world's fourth biggest yacht at 512ft. It was built in 2016 for Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov

Industry experts from the Superyacht Intelligence Agency told MailOnline Travel it has 12 328ft-plus superyachts on its data base that are due to be delivered by 2022. In addition, there has also been growth within the 295ft-plus sector with 2019 'already set to be a strong year, with seven orders scheduled for delivery'

Currently the biggest player on the water is the Azzam, owned by Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the United Arab Emirates president, with the $600 million (£462 million) vessel measuring 592ft.

It includes room for 36 guests and a crew of 60, with perks including a bullet-proof master suite, missile defense system and submarine.

There are no interior shots available of the yacht in a bid to retain privacy, but the furnishings were given a lavish touch by French designer Christophe Leoni.

Coming in at second place in the mega yacht stakes is the $450 million (£346 million) Eclipse, owned by Russian oligarch and Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.

The 536ft-long vessel boasts two helicopter pads, cabins for 24 guests, two swimming pools and a disco hall, as well as a missile detection system.

Both the Azzam and the Eclipse were built by specialist shipyards based in Germany. 

Sailing Yacht A is the world's largest sailing yacht at 468ft. The eye-catching floating home, which cost an estimated $450 million (£346 million) and was designed by Philippe Starck for Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko, is powered by hybrid diesel-electric

The luxury yacht Al Said owned by the Sultan of Oman is seen sailing off the coast in Dubrovnik, Croatia. It is the world's fifth longest superyacht at 509ft

Saudi Arabia's King Fahd's 482ft-long luxury yacht called Prince Abdulaziz lies in the harbour of Malaga, Spain

The Topaz, from the German shipyard Lürssen, is owned by the Royal family of Abu Dhabi. It measures 482ft and was built in 2012 

One of the biggest players in the superyacht construction industry is Lürssen, which is based in Bremen and prides its history on building the world's first motorboat in 1886.

Last year the Dilbar - a yacht Lürssen built for Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov for an estimated $600 million (£462 million) - was named Motor Yacht of the Year 2017 after the judges were dazzled by her lavish design.

It is the world's fourth biggest yacht at 512ft, after the $300 million (£231 million), 531ft-long Dubai, which was also built by Lürssen for the prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Rounding out the top ten is the Al Said (509ft), the Prince Abdulaziz (482ft), the Topaz (482ft), the El Mahrousa (478ft), the Yas (463ft) and the Ocean Victory (459ft).

Incredibly the El Mahrousa, which serves as Egypt's presidential yacht, is the oldest active superyacht in the world and it was built by the London-based Samuda Brothers company in 1863.

Now it's said that a new era of yacht building is on the horizon.

In 2020, the longest superyacht in the world is set to be delivered. 

The El Mahrousa is the world's eighth biggest yacht, measuring 478ft. It was built in 1865 for the Arab Republic of Egypt

Yas, which measures 463ft, was built in 2011 for Emirati politician Hamdan bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan De Schelde

The seven-deck luxury superyacht Ocean Victory is owned by billionaire steel magnate Viktor Rashnikov, who is worth more than $8.3 billion (£6.3 billion) according to Forbes. It is the 10th largest superyacht in the world

The Rev, which will measure 599ft, was ordered by Norwegian businessman Kjell Inge Røkke. 

Instead of being a pleasure cruiser however, the Rev was designed as an exploration vessel to aid ocean research.

In addition, she has been designed as an environmentally-friendly vessel,  with a diesel-electric propulsion system and an exhaust cleaning system.

She will be able to accommodate up to 90 people, including crew members, scientists and researchers.

An equally cutting edge vessel is the Sailing Yacht A, which is the world's largest sailing yacht at 468ft.

The eye-catching floating home, which cost an estimated $450 million (£346 million) and was designed by Philippe Starck for Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko, is powered by hybrid diesel-electric.