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 2023, the yacht was at an anchorage in the Gulf of Trieste. [16]

Specifications

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "SY A (1012141)" . LR Class Direct. 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. French Ministry for Transport . 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. ↑ "Sailing Yacht A". www.superyachttimes.com. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  18. ↑ "Diesel Engines for Patrol Crafts and FPBs".
  19. ↑ "Six facts about the build of Sailing Yacht A". www.boatinternational.com. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  20. ↑ 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.

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