A (sailing yacht)

Last updated
White Pearl A Seite.JPG
Sailing yacht A, starboard
History
Flag of Sierra Leone.svgSierra Leone
NameA
Namesake A
Owner Andrey Melnichenko, but seized by Guardia di Finanza
Port of registry Freetown, Sierra Leone
OrderedMarch 2011
Builder Nobiskrug
Yard number787
LaunchedApril 2015
AcquiredMay 2017
Identification IMO number:  1012141 [1]
StatusSeized by authorities; currently anchored in the Gulf of Trieste
General characteristics
Tonnage12,558 gt
Length142.81 m (468.5 ft)
Beam24.80 m (81.4 ft)
Height~100.00 m (328.1 ft)
Draught~8.00 m (26.2 ft)
Decks8
Installed powerVariable-speed diesel-electric plant
PropulsionLineshaft controllable-pitch twin screw
Sail plan3,747 m2 (40,330 sq ft) 3-mast schooner rig
Speed
  • Cruising: 16 knots (30 km/h)
  • Top: 21 knots (39 km/h)
Range5,340  nmi (9,890 km)
Crew54

Sailing Yacht A is a sailing yacht launched in 2015. [2] The vessel is a sail-assisted motor yacht [3] designed by Philippe Starck (exteriors and interiors) [4] [5] and built by Nobiskrug in Kiel, Germany for the Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko. [6]

Contents

History

Its propulsion consists of a variable-speed hybrid powerplant with two lineshaft controllable-pitch propellers that is sail-assisted by a three-mast fore-and-aft sailing rig. The freestanding carbonfiber rotating masts were manufactured by Magma Structures at Trafalgar Wharf, Portsmouth. [7] Doyle Sailmakers USA manufactured the three fully automated carbonfiber/taffeta full roach sails. The furling booms were built in Valencia by Future Fibres. The rigging of the yacht was developed partially to be implemented on cargo ships and for commercial use. [8] The vessel features an underwater observation pod in the keel with 30 cm (12 in)-thick glass. It is the largest private sail-assisted motor yacht in the world. [9]

Sailing Yacht A was delivered by Nobiskrug on 3 February 2017, and left Kiel on 5 February 2017. [10] [11] [12] It exited the Baltic Sea in light mode on near-empty fuel tanks in order to clear the Drogden Strait with minimum draught. It underwent final sea trials and the final fit-out at the Navantia shipyard in Cartagena, Spain. Boat International called it "the boundary pushing superyacht". [3] The yacht is owned by Melnichenko through Valla Yachts Ltd. of Bermuda, and was initially registered there at Hamilton. [13] In December 2021 the yacht was moved to the Isle of Man flag and registered at Douglas. [14]

Sanctions

The yacht was seized by the Italian Guardia di Finanza on 12 March 2022 in the port of Trieste, due to the EU's sanctions imposed on a number of Russian businessmen as a consequence of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A spokesperson for Melnichenko vowed to contest the seizure. [15] While under seizure, the yacht was re-registered in June 2022 at Freetown, under the Sierra Leone flag. [14] As of September 2024, the yacht was at an anchorage in the Gulf of Trieste. [16] [17]

Specifications

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Maltese Falcon</i> (yacht) Luxury yacht and full-rigged ship

Maltese Falcon is a full-rigged ship using DynaRig technology, which was built by Perini Navi in Tuzla, Istanbul, and commissioned by her first owner, Tom Perkins. She is one of the world's most complex and largest sailing yachts at 88 m (289 ft), similar in size to the Athena and Eos. The vessel dropped its BVI flag in 2008 and was purchased by Pleon Ltd, which put it to charter use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feadship</span> Dutch shipbuilding venture

Feadship is a cooperative venture between two shipyards: Royal Van Lent Shipyard and Koninklijke De Vries Scheepsbouw. Feadship designs and constructs high-end luxury yachts and is one of the leading builders of custom superyachts such as Aquarius, Symphony, Savannah and Venus.

Nobiskrug is a shipyard located on the Eider River in Rendsburg, Germany, specialized in building innovative, custom-made luxury superyachts.

<i>Dubai</i> (yacht) A superyacht owned by the current Ruler of Dubai

Dubai is the name of a 162 metres superyacht owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the current ruler of Dubai, who serves as the vice president, prime minister, and minister of defense of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

<i>A</i> (motor yacht) Superyacht

Motor Yacht A is a superyacht designed by Philippe Starck and engineered by naval architect Martin Francis. She was built by the Blohm + Voss shipyard at the HDW deepwater facility in Kiel. She was ordered in November 2004, and delivered in 2008 at a rumoured cost of US$300 million. With a length of 119 metres (390 ft) and measuring almost 6,000 tonnes, she is one of the largest motor yachts in the world. Before 2022 she was connected with the Russian entrepreneur and industrialist Andrey Melnichenko, but, according to his representatives, he has no relation to her anymore, neither in terms of ownership, nor in any other way. The yacht has been laid up in the United Arab Emirates since 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aleksandra Melnichenko</span> Serbian former singer and model (born 1977)

Aleksandra Melnichenko, also known as Sandra Meljničenko, is a Serbian philanthropist and a former singer and model. She is married to the Russian billionaire entrepreneur Andrey Melnichenko.

<i>Luna</i> (yacht) Luxury motor yacht

Luna is the world's second-largest expedition yacht. In 2022 it was seized by authorities in Germany.

Rossinavi, founded in 1980, is an Italian shipyard based in Viareggio and specialized in the construction of full-custom steel and aluminium superyachts.

<i>Royal Romance</i> (yacht)

MY Royal Romance is a 92-metre luxury yacht, built by Feadship as hull #1005 and designed by De Voogt Naval Architects. Her interior design is done by Seymour Diamond. She is powered by twin MTU 3,004 hp diesel engines. One of her exterior features includes a swimming pool located on the main aft deck. Royal Romance accommodates 14 guests and 22 crew members. She was delivered to her owner, the Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, in July 2015 and subsequently sold on 31.03.2021. Royal Romance is not available for charter.

<i>Savannah</i> (yacht) Superyacht built in Holland in 2015

Savannah is a super-yacht built in 2015 at the Dutch Feadship yard in Aalsmeer.

<i>Black Pearl</i> (yacht) Sailing yacht launched in 2016

Black Pearl is a sailing yacht launched in 2016, which is 106.7 meters (350.1 ft) in length. It has three DynaRig masts supporting a sail area of 2,900 square meters (31,215 sq ft). The yacht was known during its build process originally as Oceanco Y712 and thereafter as "Project Solar". The hull is steel, the superstructure aluminum, and the masts carbon fiber. The yacht is owned by the family of Russian billionaire Oleg Burlakov, who died in 2021.

Jade Yachts is a Taiwanese yacht manufacturer headquartered in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It is a subsidiary of the Jong Shyn Shipbuilding Company.

Vitters Shipyard is a shipyard specialized in building large sailing yachts. It is located in the town of Zwartsluis in the Netherlands.

References

  1. ↑ "SY A (1012141)" . LR ships in class. Lloyd's Register.
  2. ↑ "The best photos of Sailing Yacht A". www.boatinternational.com. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Exclusive: 6 facts about the build of Sailing Yacht A". Boat International. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  4. 1 2 Martin Hager (2 November 2015), "Sailingyacht "A" - Ein bau der Superlative" (PDF), Boote Exclusiv, no. 6/15, pp. 8–11
  5. ↑ "SAILING YACHT A | Luxury Sailing Yachts | Nobiskrug". Nobiskrug Superyachts. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  6. 1 2 Amanda McCracken (November 2015), "Nobiskrug visit report", Boat International, no. 353, pp. 128–138
  7. ↑ The World's tallest freestanding masts (PDF), Magma Structures, archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2021, retrieved 21 October 2015
  8. ↑ "Sailing Yacht A". www.superyachttimes.com. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  9. ↑ Laura Nineham (30 October 2015), Facts about the build of Sailing Yacht A, Boat International
  10. ↑ Chris Jefferies (3 February 2017), "Sailing Yacht A delivered by Nobiskrug", Boat International
  11. ↑ Vesna Blötz (3 February 2017), Nobiskrug to deliver sail-assisted superyacht "Sailing Yacht A", German Naval Yards Kiel, archived from the original on 4 August 2020, retrieved 24 February 2017
  12. ↑ Charl van Rooy (6 February 2017), "Sailing Yacht A delivered", SuperYacht Times
  13. ↑ Tognini, Giacomo (12 March 2022). "Italian Police Freeze Russian Billionaire Andrey Melnichenko's Sailing Yacht A". Forbes. Jersey City. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  14. 1 2 "SY A (1012141)" . Equasis. Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy . Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  15. ↑ "Italy seizes Russian oligarch Melnichenko's Sailing Yacht A". Reuters. 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  16. ↑ Team, SuperYacht Times Editorial (26 September 2023). "143m Sailing yacht A in Trieste". www.superyachttimes.com. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  17. ↑ "Da due anni nel golfo di Trieste yacht A dell'oligarca - Notizie - Ansa.it". Agenzia ANSA (in Italian). 11 March 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  18. ↑ "Sailing Yacht A". www.superyachttimes.com. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  19. ↑ "Diesel Engines for Patrol Crafts and FPBs".
  20. ↑ "Six facts about the build of Sailing Yacht A". www.boatinternational.com. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  21. ↑ Nicholls, Laura (2 July 2020). "Tech 101: How superyacht exhaust after-treatment systems work". Superyacht Times. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2021.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.