Megayacht marina in Malaga is fully booked up and these are the luxury vessels taking pride of place

The megayacht marina in Malaga city is once again running out of space - something that happened for the first time during spring last year. After the docking of three luxury boats this month, each of about 100 metres in length, which have joined other vessels of between 50 and 60 metres, the space available along the entire length of Muello Uno (pier 1) and up to half of pier 2 (Palmeral) remains booked for almost the entire month of June.

The three biggest yachts are old acquaintances of Malaga's port: I Dynasty (102 metres); Lady Moura (101) and Mayan Queen (92). Just J's (61 metres) joined at the end of last week, while Zenobia (57) is moored alongside other yachts of somewhat smaller lengths in front of the Palmeral.

The latest to arrive at the city's megayacht marina is the newcomer Just Js. The boat can be more commonly seen in Miami and the Caribbean. Although not small in size at all (61 metres), this luxury yacht is not particularly notable compared to its neighbours on Muelle Uno.

What is interesting about it is its name. The owner of Just J's is American billionaire Jay Schottenstein (1954). Born in Columbus, Ohio, the entrepreneur and philanthropist is the chairman of Schottenstein Stores Corp, which owns chains of shops such as American Eagle Outfitters, DSW Inc. and Value City Furniture.

According to expert website SuperYachtFan, the yacht's name is a sentimental nod to the Schottenstein family, all members of which share a name that begins with the letter 'J'. Jay is married to Jeanne and the couple has three sons: Joseph, Johnathan and Jeffrey.

The boat was built at the Dutch shipyard Hakvoort in 2016 and has capacity for 12 passengers and 16 crew. Among its most luxurious features are a lift connecting the decks, a skylight above the bed in the master cabin, a jacuzzi on one of the decks, and an outdoor pool.

Just J's is powered by twin Caterpillar engines, giving it a top speed of 16 knots, and a cruising speed of 12 knots. It is valued at around 70 million dollars.

The Mayan Queen belongs to the Mexican Baillères family - owners of Grupo Bal, a conglomerate that includes companies in the retail sector, the best known of which is El Palacio de Hierro (a chain of department and luxury shops). It also has investments in mining and metallurgy, insurance and finance.

As for the yacht, which is 93 metres long and has a beam of 15 metres, it has a market valuation of around 140 million euros. It was built at the German shipyard Blohm+Voss in 2008 and is prepared to accommodate 16 guests in eight cabins, which are attended by a crew of 22 professionals.

Luxury extras include a helipad for landing a helicopter, as well as a large dinghy. In terms of entertainment, it offers jet skis and snorkelling equipment; an outdoor swimming pool with a waterfall; jacuzzi and spa. The yacht is even equipped with a large indoor cinema.

I Dynasty is a regular at Malaga's port. It was in fact the first large luxury pleasure vessel to spend its winter stay between 2023 and 2024 (period of inactivity between two seasons) at the Marqués de Guadiaro dock. The 101-metre superyacht was built in 2015 on behalf of Alijan Ibragimov - a billionaire from Kazakhstan, co-founder of the multinational Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC), dedicated to diversified natural resources, mining, processing, energy and logistics. Its owner passed away in 2021, reportedly due to Covid-19.

The vessel was built at the Kusch Yachts shipyard in Germany. It can accommodate 22 guests in 11 cabins; and 30 crew in another 15 cabins. Among its most characteristic facilities is a 30-square-metre covered swimming pool, which also serves as a dock for auxiliary and recreational boats. It is powered by a Rolls Royce diesel-electric hybrid engine, with a top speed of 17 knots and 14 knots cruising. It has a range of 6,500 nautical miles (about 12,000 kilometres) and is valued at about 200 million euros.

Lady Moura is another old acquaintance in the waters of the Costa del Sol, having regularly moored at Malaga port for at least a decade. The large letters on the side are said to be made of solid gold, but this has not been confirmed. The ship is owned by Nasser Al Rasheed - a Saudi Arabian tycoon, owner of the engineering consultancy Rasheed Engineering, advisor to the Saudi royal family and one of the world's largest private fortunes.

With a length of 105 metres and a beam of 20 metres, 'Lady Moura' is considered one of the most luxurious boats in the world, due to its profusion of exotic details. The ship was designed by Italian architect Luigi Sturchio and was built at the prestigious German shipyard Blohm+Voss in 1990. It has already been refitted twice.

Its services include a spa, casino, party room, several lounges, an operating theatre, a heliport and several pleasure boats. It can accommodate up to 30 passengers, although it has twice as many crew (61 people). It is powered by 6,900-horsepower diesel engines and can reach a top speed of 20 knots.