Breakthrough: Bill Gates’ Hydrogen Megayacht Set to Steal the Show at Monaco Yacht Show 2025

All eyes in Monaco this September will be on one yacht. While a record fleet of roughly 120 superyachts worth billions prepares to flood Port Hercule for the 34th Monaco Yacht Show, it’s the 390-foot hydrogen megayacht Breakthrough — widely linked to Bill Gates — that is expected to steal the thunder and wow the more than 30,000 visitors.

Event scale and context

The 2025 Monaco Yacht Show runs from 24–27 September 2025 and will bring together some 560 exhibitors alongside an exceptional fleet of roughly 120 superyachts, with nearly half of those vessels being world premieres — the highest number of premieres the show has seen. Organizers and industry figures are calling this a historic edition and a global benchmark for the sector.

What makes Breakthrough the headline act

At nearly 390 feet (about 118.8 m) and 7,247 GT, Breakthrough is the largest yacht expected in Monaco this year and is being hailed as the world’s first hydrogen fuel-cell superyacht. Its scale — five decks above the waterline and multiple decks below, fourteen slide-out balconies, seven opening platforms and an owner’s suite spread across multiple levels — gives it a residential, townhouse-by-the-sea feel.

Radical propulsion and zero-emission hotel load

The yacht’s engineering is as headline-worthy as its scale. Breakthrough integrates a multi-megawatt hydrogen fuel-cell plant into an onboard DC grid, paired with powerful Azipod propulsion units — a combination that lets the yacht supply its full hotel load with zero emissions, cruise through harbours at low speeds without burning fossil fuels, and remain on anchor in silent, emission-free mode for extended periods.

Its cryogenic storage system keeps liquid hydrogen chilled to roughly −423 °F (near-liquid-hydrogen temperatures), which then feeds the fuel cells; designers have also included flexible systems such as a methanol-to-hydrogen reformer and HVO-capable generators for backup on long passages. Those specs underline the industry’s shift toward practical, high-end sustainability rather than symbolic gestures.

A floating suite of extraordinary amenities

The yacht is equally lavish inside: amenities reported across broker listings and press coverage include a multi-level owner’s apartment, underwater lounges with sea windows, a 27-foot pool with a glass floor that can rise and transform the space, cinemas, wellness facilities and more — all packaged into a vessel that industry brokers are describing as one of the most extraordinary yachts ever built.

Not the only star — but arguably the conversation changer

Breakthrough may dominate headlines, but Monaco 2025 still promises a parade of premieres and design statements: Admiral’s 236-foot After You (styled by Giorgio Armani), Damen’s 197-foot Xplorer, Perini Navi’s sailing Katana, Vitters’ glass-infused Magic, Feadship’s ice-ready Valor and many others will add variety and spectacle along the Côte d’Azur. For buyers, designers and investors, the show remains the place to see where luxury, technology and trend converge.

Why this matters

Beyond the glamour and price tags, Breakthrough represents a pivot point: it is proof that cutting-edge zero-emissions propulsion can be integrated at superyacht scale without sacrificing comfort or aspirational design. Whether the conversation in Monaco becomes one of pure spectacle or a serious debate about the future of yachting — lower lifecycle emissions, alternative fuels and new refuelling infrastructures — remains to be seen. But this September, the world will be watching.