The Ocean Breeze moored in Nice. (AFP)

Paris, Dec. 17: A super-yacht which was built for Saddam Hussein is on sale for £17 million.

The floating palace, originally named Qadissiyat Saddam, after a famous Arab victory over the Persians in 637 AD, was made by Danish shipbuilders in 1981.

The yacht was meant to be the sister ship of Al Mansur (The Victor), another of the executed Iraqi dictator’s vessels, but it was never delivered to Iraq. Al Mansur was bombed by Anglo-American forces during the Iraq War of 2003, but Qadissiyat Saddam remained out of harm’s way.

The yacht, now renamed Ocean Breeze and moored off Nice, is an astonishing testament to the playboy lifestyle enjoyed by Saddam and his entourage.

The 270feet vessel is full of customised fittings ordered by the Iraqi leader from builders Helsingor Vaerft.

It is decorated throughout with fine mahogany, gold, silver and marble, and was described by its builders as “lavish in every detail and very Arabic in style”.

The décor included Arabesque arches, dark wood carvings, deep-pile carpets, and loose rugs woven in Islam’s holiest cities.

Aside from the typically Muslim features, including prayer rooms and ornate fountains, the specification was much the same as super-yachts owned by millionaires the world over.

There are bathrooms with gold taps, Jacuzzis, steam rooms, hi-tech entertainment suites and games parlours, including table tennis and pool tables, and flat-screen TVs in almost every cabin.

With banquets in mind, there is silverware for 200 people. But as the yacht was intended for Saddam’s private use, it can sleep only a relatively modest 28 people. There is a helicopter pad and a health clinic, complete with a mini-operating theatre.