Taking the power trimaran concept further than has ever been attempted before, the launch of the massive 42-metre Adastra heralds a new age in superyachting.

The Adastra, unveiled last week in China, is the new pleasure cruiser of Hong Kong-based billionaire businessman Anto Marden, who commissioned its construction five years ago.

Designed by Sussex-based yacht designer John Shuttleworth, the Adastra can be cotrolled remotely via iPad. The awe-inspiring behemoth weighs in at a positively leviathan 52 tons, and is 42.5 metres long and 16 metres wide. The Adastra's hull is wrought from glass and Kevlar, and can comfortably hold nine guests and a crew of six.

Most impressively, the Adastra can function as a travelling craft: with a maximum speed of 22.5 knots and a range of 4,000 nautical miles at 17 knots, the Adastra can conceivably be used to trek from the UK to New York.

John Shuttleworth Yacht Design