New Billionaire Owner of Skat Superyacht Is Also the Owner of the Gigantic REV Ocean

Few other superyachts out there are as instantly recognizable and as famous as Skat. Though by no means a new build, having been delivered to the original owner in 2002, this Lurssen leisure craft resembles a military vessel in both silhouette and paintjob but is packed with luxury amenities despite the utilitarian exterior – and matching interiors.

Skat was done on commission for Microsoft billionaire Charles Simonyi on a brief that called for a utilitarian vessel that matched the styling of his home and private jet. Simonyi believed yachts were too much alike, like "carved out of soft cheese." He wanted the opposite of that: a steel vessel that looked like a steel vessel.

The result was Skat, a superyacht that could proudly boast of having exactly zero curves since it's made entirely out of sharp angles and long, aggressive lines. Skat seems ripped out of a military catalog, and the interiors match the exterior styling, with exposed concrete walls and steel surfaces used as blank canvases for Simonyi's enviable collection of art.

With an exterior by Espen Oino, and interiors by Marco Zanini and Flavia Alves De Souza, Skat was estimated at $60 million and marked several industry and Lurssen firsts when it was launched. These include the first helipad by Lurssen and the first case in the industry in which this much glazing was used on a yacht this size.

Offering accommodation for 12 guests and 19 crew, Skat is powered by twin MTU engines that take it to a top speed of 17 knots (19.5 mph / 31.5 kph). Range is 4,600 nautical miles (5,293 miles / 8.519 km) at cruising speed.

Simonyi sold Skat in 2021 for an undisclosed amount to a mysterious buyer. For him, the superyacht had been home, but he'd realized the time had come to upgrade – and he did so with another Lurssen build, the equally-aggressively-styled but bigger and more expensive Norn.

Since news of the Skat sale emerged, not much was heard of the new owner, except for unconfirmed reports that he could be Swiss entrepreneur Eugenio Losa. In mid-July, Skat popped up in Mallorca and lingered there for weeks, so it was clearly on vacation. Later still, at the end of the same month, the name of another billionaire came up after he was photographed onboard: Kjell Inge Røkke.

A local publication has since confirmed that Røkke is the new owner of Skat, having bought it sometime last year. The news comes just months after Røkke, the richest person in Norway, with a fortune estimated at $5 billion, moved to tax haven Switzerland and, perhaps more shocking of all, after passionate proclamations of wanting to save the planet by actively working towards stopping climate change. A superyacht is not exactly eco-friendly, to put it mildly.

Røkke is not just another billionaire with a new toy, spectacular as it might be. Røkke is also the owner of REV Ocean, often dubbed the biggest and most expensive superyacht in the world. At 183 meters (600.4 feet) in length, it would be just that, except that it doesn't fit the superyacht or even the megayacht category: it's a research and expedition vessel, as evidenced by its "REV" moniker.

That said, calling it the biggest superyacht in the world isn't incorrect, either. REV Ocean will double as charter once it's delivered, as the money raised this way will serve to fund future expeditions in a self-sustaining cycle that will ensure continuous operation.

REV Ocean was initially scheduled for delivery in 2020 and then pushed back to 2022. As of right now, it has a probable 2024-2025 delivery date, following another string of delays prompted by worldwide supply shortages and the financial crisis. In the meantime, while he waits for delivery, Røkke went out and got himself another boat in the much smaller but still very impressive Skat.

The irony of the situation is blatant for a casual observer. REV Ocean, which Røkke poured millions into and will reportedly cost over $500 million by the time it's complete, is the kind of vessel that will help save our planet. Or so it's been presented. Not only will it carry researchers and double as a floating laboratory packed with tech to study live undersea and even to gather data from the atmosphere, but it will collect and dispose of huge quantities of plastic "without a trace."

REV Ocean is the ginormous lovechild of the fanciest, most luxurious cruise liner with the most badass research vessel. According to plan, at least, it will combine two very unlikely extremes, luxury and a noble purpose, luxury amenities like condos and three oversize pools with very advanced gear that will help us understand what we're doing to the ocean and how we can stop it.

Røkke is a member of the Gates-Buffet Giving Pledge as of 2017, which means he promised to give away his fortune. He's also vocally passionate about environmental issues, and REV Ocean is meant as confirmation that on stuff like climate change, he likes to put his money where his mouth is. If the report that he's the new owner of Skat checks out, it's clear that Røkke is also striving to keep up with the Joneses.

What good is a billionaire if they don't show off a new superyacht when billionaire summer season kicks off, right?