News

The World’s Largest Wooden Superyacht Visits The Arabian Sea

Currently moored in the warm waters of Dubai, the custom 50-meter vessel was built in 2020 and is brokered by Bush & Noble.

Published

3 years ago

August 8, 2023

Nour Nasir

world's largest wooden superyacht visits the arabian sea

Bush & Noble

Moored in the shimmering waters of the Arabian Sea, a 50-meter teak vessel, currently for sale at a cool 9.995 million USD, is the largest wooden superyacht ever built.

Brokered by Bush & Noble, the superyacht dwarfs vessels like The Maltese Falcon, Eclipse, or Azzam. However, aside from its sheer size, this yacht sets itself apart by being crafted from teak, mirroring the lines and building techniques of a traditional Arabian dhow.

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“We are thrilled to have this stunning custom wooden yacht as part of our fleet. It truly is a one-of-a-kind yacht that is sure to impress even the most discerning yachting enthusiasts,” says Brett Noble, Co-Founder of Bush & Noble.

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When construction began in 2020, the superyacht’s hull became its main talking point. The superstructure is crafted from teak and covered with a GRP shell, making the yacht a work of art to behold. According to Noble, “the construction for the hull was based on traditional dhow techniques, whereas the superstructure combines the latest techniques with old-school aesthetics”. It’s clear that this superyacht isn’t just a visually stunning vessel but also a love letter to the shipbuilding traditions of the region.

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Under the craft’s sleek exterior are a raft of state-of-the-art navigation and safety systems. Meanwhile, the yacht’s interior boasts a completely bespoke and utterly luxurious suite of cabins that can accommodate 12 guests alongside a team of five crew members.

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Brett Noble explained the uniqueness of this special build. “This type of yacht exemplifies the Middle East market in many ways, but mostly because not many people are brave enough to step outside the comfort zone of GRP or similar construction. As with Dubai, they always push the limits of what is possible”.

Also Read: Abu Dhabi-Backed Tech Sculpture To Be Installed In Houston

The teak marvel certainly creates a lasting impression, and while the vessel’s owner remains anonymous, enthusiasts are keen to have the yacht recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s largest wooden superyacht.

News

Visa’s Return To Syria Starts With A Test And A Bank In Lebanon

Foreign visitors will be the first users to benefit, but whether Syria’s own banks and cardholders follow is still an open question.

Published

2 days ago

August 27, 2026

Dana Saadeh

visa's return to syria starts with a test and a bank in lebanon

Visa is returning to Syria. Its first live international card transaction in the country was a test rather than a launch, and the milestone event ran through a Lebanese bank.

The acquirer (the bank on the merchant’s side of a card payment) was Fransabank Lebanon, with Paymera as the other named partner. Nadim Moujaes, who heads a Fransabank Group subsidiary, describes the test as both the culmination of “longstanding efforts to link Syria back to international payment networks” and “the first step in a larger path”.

Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa makes the first electronic payment in Syria using a @Visa card at a store in Damascus, following the lifting of US sanctions on Syria. pic.twitter.com/lpAN7nQ6Fc

— Tech Magazine (@TechMGZN) August 27, 2026

“We are excited to have successfully tested live transactions today as we plan to enable international visitors to use their Visa cards while in Syria,” says Leila Serhan, Visa’s senior vice president and group country manager for the North Africa, Levant and Pakistan region. Although a significant first step, that plan doesn’t come with a hard date for when a visitor’s card will work normally.

Mohammed Safwat Raslan, governor of the Central Bank of Syria, says the test paves the way for international card acceptance in Syria and that maintaining strong compliance, risk management and operational controls will remain essential. Serhan likewise stresses that Visa has worked within applicable legal, regulatory and compliance requirements. For a test transaction, it seems there was a great deal of attention paid to the rules, with the entire operation being carefully managed.

Also Read: Lebanon’s 5G Era Begins With 150 Stations And A $1M Budget

The test is the latest step in a sequence that began in December 2025, when Visa announced a strategic roadmap to support Syria’s integration into the global digital economy. In February 2026 it hosted its first industry gathering of banks, ecosystem partners and policymakers in Damascus and, the same month, signed an agreement with Syria’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in San Francisco.

Michel Kattouah, Paymera’s CEO, called the test “the return of international card acceptance,” but while that’s positive news, there’s no word yet on when a Syrian bank will issue a Visa card to a Syrian customer.