OMNIA is a classic Dutch-built motor yacht whose history extends back to 1974, although she did not begin life as a luxury yacht.
Originally constructed by Amels at Makkum in the Netherlands as FOMALHAUT, the vessel was one of a small series of Dutch pilot vessels designed for demanding North Sea service.
After more than two decades of professional maritime use, FOMALHAUT was sold and ultimately transformed into a large expedition-style motor yacht.
She later carried the names PRINCESS LAYA, ELANYMOR and AKULA, before becoming OMNIA in 2022 following another major refit.
More than half a century after construction, she remains in service as a distinctive 61-metre classic superyacht.
Vessel Details
Current Name: OMNIA
Former Names: AKULA, ELANYMOR, PRINCESS LAYA, FOMALHAUT
IMO: 8925646
MMSI: 229351000
Call Sign: 9HA5419
Type: Motor Yacht / Converted Pilot Vessel
Current Flag: Malta
Built: 1974
Builder: Amels / Welgelegen Amels & Zoon Scheepswerf, Makkum, Netherlands
Original Type: Pilot Vessel
Current Length Overall: approx. 61.0 m
Historical Registered Length: approx. 59.0 m
Current Beam: approx. 10.7 m
Historical Gross Tonnage: 865 GT
Current Amels Published Gross Tonnage: 972 GT
Current Guest Capacity: up to 16 guests
Suites: 8
Current Interior Design: H2 Yacht Design
Exterior / Naval Architecture: Amels
Latest Major Refit: 2022
Current Status: In service
Built as FOMALHAUT
The vessel was constructed in 1974 at Amels' former shipyard in:
Makkum, Netherlands.
Her original name was:
FOMALHAUT.
She was not designed as a private yacht.
Instead, FOMALHAUT belonged to a small class of robust pilot vessels developed for professional service in Dutch waters.
Sister ships included:
SPICA
and
ALTAIR.
All were named after stars.
A Working Pilot Vessel
FOMALHAUT spent the first part of her career as a working maritime vessel rather than a pleasure craft.
The heavy-duty hull form and generous internal volume designed for professional pilot operations later made the vessel an excellent candidate for conversion into a long-range motor yacht.
This background explains the very different proportions of OMNIA compared with purpose-built modern superyachts.
FOMALHAUT → PRINCESS LAYA
During the 1990s, the vessel left professional pilot service.
She was sold and renamed:
PRINCESS LAYA.
This marked the beginning of the transition from working vessel to private yacht.
PRINCESS LAYA → ELANYMOR
The vessel subsequently became:
ELANYMOR.
During the late 1990s she underwent major conversion work to transform the former pilot vessel into a luxury expedition-style yacht.
The conversion changed the ship's interior purpose completely while retaining much of the robust underlying structure built by Amels.
Conversion into a Superyacht
The reconstruction produced a large yacht capable of long-range operation while maintaining the strong and relatively high-volume hull of the former pilot vessel.
Over the following years, facilities included luxury guest accommodation and extensive deck areas.
At various stages of her yacht career, the vessel was also equipped for helicopter-related operations.
ELANYMOR → AKULA
In 2008, the yacht was renamed:
AKULA.
This became one of the best-known identities in her modern career.
She retained the AKULA name for approximately fourteen years.
AKULA → OMNIA
A further major transformation occurred in:
2022.
Following an extensive refit, AKULA emerged as:
OMNIA.
Amels now officially lists the yacht as:
61 metres
with a gross tonnage of:
972 GT
and accommodation for:
16 guests in eight suites.
2022 Refit
The 2022 programme substantially updated the yacht.
Amels credits:
H2 Yacht Design
with her current interior and exterior styling work.
The refit created a much more contemporary yacht internally while preserving the unusual classic hull and profile inherited from the 1974 pilot vessel.
Malta Flag
Following the latest changes, OMNIA transferred to the:
Maltese flag.
Her current radio identity is:
MMSI 229351000
Call Sign 9HA5419.
The same MMSI had previously been associated with the yacht while operating under the UK flag, reflecting continuity through the ownership and registry changes.
Piraeus Connection
OMNIA has a documented connection with the Piraeus area.
PiraeuShips published the dedicated:
OMNIA – IMO 8925646
entry in August 2022.
The yacht was also photographed at the:
Piraeus anchorage in May 2023.
Her presence in Greece therefore coincided closely with the period around her latest major reconstruction and new OMNIA identity.
From Zea to Dubai
OMNIA continued to visit Greek waters after the PiraeuShips recording.
AIS history records her departing the Zea / Piraeus area in August 2024 before later appearing in the Persian Gulf.
Her last widely available terrestrial AIS report in early March 2026 placed the yacht moored in the:
Dubai / Palm Jumeirah area.
More Than Fifty Years Old
By 2026, OMNIA has exceeded:
50 years since construction.
Her survival is particularly notable because the vessel has effectively lived two completely different lives:
first as a professional Dutch pilot vessel,
and later as a large luxury motor yacht.
The robust construction of the original Amels vessel has allowed repeated major modernisations rather than retirement.
PiraeuShips Record
OMNIA was recorded by PiraeuShips during the newest chapter of a remarkable career extending back to 1974. Built by Amels at Makkum in the Netherlands as the pilot vessel FOMALHAUT, the ship spent her early life in professional maritime service before being sold and progressively transformed into a large luxury yacht. She subsequently carried the names PRINCESS LAYA, ELANYMOR and AKULA before emerging from a major 2022 refit as OMNIA. Amels now lists the yacht at 61 metres and 972 GT, accommodating up to 16 guests in eight suites. More than half a century after construction, OMNIA remains in service, making the PiraeuShips footage a record not simply of a classic motor yacht but of one of the most extensive working-vessel-to-superyacht transformations in the archive.
Original video footage © PiraeuShips. All rights reserved.
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