If there were a league table for superyachts, Italy would come out top, according to Bloomberg. A total of 228 superyachts have been cruising off the Italian coast over the five days to August 27, up from 208 at the same time last year.

The 511-foot Dilbar, reportedly owned by Alisher Usmanov, the 437-foot Al Mirqab, owned by Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jaber Al Thani, and the 355-foot Le Grand Bleu, owned by Eugene Shvidler, are among the largest yachts spotted in Italy in recent days, Bloomberg reported.

The resurgence in interest in chartering a super yacht has been attributed to the super-wealthy wanting to escape from the trials and tribulations of coronavirus and its travel restrictions.

A league table compiled by Bloomberg shows that while the US stands in second place, with 198 superyachts spotted in the same period, this is down by 43 vessels on the same time last year. Greece and Spain have shown considerable year-on-year growth, the former by almost 50 percent and the latter by more than one-quarter.

France attracted 168 superyachts in the same period, up from 161 a year ago. Monaco attracted 41 superyachts this year compared to 26 in August 2020.

PHOTO: Moored in Monaco Max Brodie