Luxury superyacht as science lab

The 74-meter RV Pegaso comes with the usual roster of flat-screen TVs, designer furniture and en-suite bathrooms, but a closer inspection reveals that it also doubles as a fully-fledged floating laboratory, CNN reported.

Indeed, Pegaso's "RV" designation stands for "research vessel", and the boat is equipped with a five-man submarine, a decompression chamber for deep sea diving and a small team of marine biologists.

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Alex Flemming is the chief executive of the yacht's managing company, Pegaso Marine . He explains that anyone who charters the yacht can have as much or as little involvement in the research as they like, with the one condition that they always allow a group of scientists to travel with them.

Flemming believes demand for boats of this type represent a growing trend within the yachting community, where people are looking for something more than just a hedonistic getaway.

"The historic perception of the superyacht set is the south of France , drinking champagne and having a lovely time," he said. "But suddenly people are going: 'Hang on a second. I can go somewhere further afield and be a part of something bigger.'

"This is about getting the most out of time and also feeling as though they're doing some good," he added.

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