In pictures: Futuristic $15m superyacht unveiled

This futuristic superyacht was unveiled in Zhuhai, China yesterday – the result of five years of planning, design and construction.

Costing $15m, the new trimaran yacht, the Adastra, is 42.5 metres long, 16 metres wide and weighs 52 tons. The ultimate in luxury toys, she can be controlled within a 50-metre range using an iPad.

Designed by John Shuttleworth Yacht Designs and built by McConaghy Boats in Zhu Hai, her maximum speed is 22.5 knots and her range is 4,000 nautical miles at 17 knots.

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The Adastra has been described by Boat International as “one of the world’s most amazing superyachts, [which] could spell the future for efficient long-range cruising.”

She has been designed to have low fuel consumption without scrimping on sea holding and luxury accommodation. The alien space craft “outrigger” shape has been developed to increase stability in waves for the lightweight vessel.

The structure is carbon fibre with a Nomex honeycomb core, the hull is Glass/Kevlar foam sandwich and the interior is lightweight oak.

The ship’s integrated monitoring system is SiMON and it has an automated Alfa Laval system for cleaning the fuel.