Nearly half of the world's superyachts belong to Americans and Britons

While they’re usually associated with Russian oligarchs and Middle Eastern royalty, nearly half of the world’s superyachts are owned by wealthy Americans and Britons.

According to a new study by London-based yacht management firm Camper & Nicholsons and London-based Wealth-X, which analyses the spending habits of the super-rich, a third of super yacht owners are from the USA, followed by British owners with an 11% share.

In third place, Italy is home to 5% of all owners, followed by Australia (4%) and Russia (3%).

The report found that the average value of a superyacht over 30 metres (98ft) has dropped to $10million from around $16million in 2011. The average length is 41 metres (134ft).

The largest superyacht in the world, the Azzam, owned by United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is 180.6 metres (592.5ft).

While the Mediterranean and Caribbean are traditional superyacht destinations, owners are increasingly looking to visit exotic places such as the Galapagos Islands, Asia or Antarctica, meaning the demand for ice-breaking hulls and long-range capabilities is on the up.