‘Zen’ moment: Another billionaire superyacht is turning heads in Seattle
It’s 100 feet shorter and $100 million cheaper than Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s superyacht, but the billionaire’s yacht had no problem attracting attention in Seattle on Tuesday.
“Zen,” a 289-million-foot yacht reportedly owned by Chinese billionaire Wu Guangming, cruised through the Ballard Locks and out into Puget Sound, attracting onlookers along Seattle’s famous streets.
Flying the flag of the Cayman Islands, the vessel had its port of registry, George Town, under its name on the stern.
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Wu is the founder of China’s Jiangsu Yuyue Medical Equipment and Supply, which supplies equipment such as resuscitation machines, oxygen tanks and diagnostic equipment.
Forbes ranks Wu, with a net worth of $2.6 billion, No. 1251 in its 2026 list of billionaires. It was unclear if he was on board or why the ship was in Seattle.
Marine Traffic listed Alaska as the vessel’s reporting location.
The boat’s propellers and lines were tended to by a dozen or so members dressed in matching white shirts and black shorts. US Army Corps of Engineers crews guide the ship through the Locks, which connect the waters of Lake Washington, Lake Union, and Salmon Bay to the flowing waters of Puget Sound.
“It’s the season,” said one employee when asked by GeekWire if it seems like an unusual number of superyachts are coming into Seattle these days. He said it wasn’t the biggest he’d ever seen and besides, the Locks were long enough to hold the 600 meter Space Needle lying on the ground.
Zuckerberg’s “Launchpad” arrived in Seattle on May 26 and turned heads with its trip to the Locks before heading to Lake Union and attracting more attention before exiting.
Zen is being built in 2021 by Feadship, the same Dutch shipbuilder that makes Launchpad. According to Superyacht Times, Zen can accommodate 16 guests and 25 crew. In the world rankings of the largest yachts, it is ranked number 141.
Matt Sunday of Green Lake was out for a bike ride Tuesday evening when he stopped to check out Zen on the Locks. The director of engineering at Boeing, on Sunday said he is interested in how the boat moves on the water.
“I’m interested in accuracy and the way arrows are used,” said Sonto. “It looks like it has space, but it’s tighter than the captain wants it to be, I’m sure.”
On Sunday, he said he couldn’t really fathom the wealth of someone who would own such a ship, calling it a “$200 million toy.”
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