TOP Poole luxury yacht company Sunseeker International is holding an exclusive celebration at the Cannes Yachting Festival to mark the delivery of its 100th luxury performance superyacht.

Owners and special guests from across the globe will attend a VIP champagne breakfast on September 9 to celebrate the achievement of building 100ft-plus yachts, which signals a coming of age for the iconic British brand.

The launch of Sunseeker's first 100ft-plus model, the 105 Yacht in the summer of 2000, was the first step in the company's progress towards becoming a major player in the superyacht sector. Since then it has taken the company less than 15 years to reach this impressive milestone, producing on average around seven superyachts every year in Dorset.

The range now extends from the sleek and powerful 101 Sport Yacht to the majestic flagship 155 Yacht with many options in between.

New models are due to be launched in 2016 including the 131 Yacht and 116 Yacht which have both attracted advance orders from customers until 2017.

Chief executive Phil Popham said: “Sunseeker is renowned for making luxury performance motor yachts that deliver innovation, technology, design and style. The breadth of our range is the world’s largest under a single brand, built upon a heritage spanning nearly 50 years. From our earliest model measuring a very modest 17 feet to our current flagship 155 Yacht, we pride ourselves on hand-crafting boats that inspire and delight.

"This is a momentous occasion which is truly worth recognising and I am delighted to be joining our customers and colleagues from around the world to celebrate our milestone of delivering 100 luxury yachts over 100 feet.”

The bespoke service allows owners to choose the interior design and layout and has led to a wide range of international awards ever since the debut 105 Yacht became the first British-built production boat to win two of the world's most prestigious accolades - the International Superyacht Design awards.

With strong financial backing and support from the Wanda Group, the company has ambitious plans to strengthen its position as the top global brand for luxury performance motor yachts. It currently builds more boats 80ft and above every year than any other brand.

Panel

Top statistics on Sunseeker’s 100 x 100ft+ yachts:

• Total length if placed end to end: 3.405 kilometres – enough to stretch over 38 Premiership football pitches

• Total displacement: 14,150 tonnes – roughly the weight of over 1,000 London double-decker buses

• Total interior volume: 1,274,924 cubic feet – enough to fill 15 Olympic size swimming pools

• Total exterior deck space: 12,522 square metres, or 3.1 acres – the size of nearly 50 tennis courts

• Total installed power: 551,000 BHP – enough to power 10 Boeing 747s to take-off

• Total installed cylinder capacity: 3,648 litres.