The £360million super yacht belonging to Russian oligarch Andrey Melnichenko has been spotted sailing into Gibraltar.
Sailing Yacht A – which has eight floors, a helicopter pad, an underwater observation room and three spa pools – can be seen floating by a massive tanker, and still appears to dwarf the vessel.
The staggeringly huge vessel is 468ft long and has three 300ft masts that are taller than the Palace of Westminster’s clock tower.
Melnichenko, 45, a Belarus-born industrialist thought to be worth about £11billion, had the boat dreamed up by renowned French designer Philippe Starck and it launched earlier this year.
It comes with an opulent lounge featuring floor-to-ceiling windows, an owner’s cabin bigger than most London flats and space for 20 guests and 54 crew.
Melnichenko is the main shareholder of EuroChem, one of the leading fertiliser producers in the world.
Sailing Yacht A is the latest addition to the oligarch’s fleet. He is also the proud owner of smaller vessel – Motor Yacht A – which is itself worth £240million.
Who’s a big boat, then? The enormous mega-vessel belonging to Russian oligarch Andrey Melnichenko can be seen above appearing to dwarf a tanker in Gibraltar. Also visible in the foreground is another yacht, utterly tiny in comparison to the mighty Sailing Yacht A – the ninth biggest yacht in the world. Sailing Yacht A boasts eight floors – with a helicopter pad on one of the decks – and an underwater observation room. The staggeringly huge vessel is 468ft long and has three 300ft masts that are taller than Big Ben’s tower
Mega: The yacht is so huge that it stands up fairly well against a cruise liner in this photograph. Melnichenko, 45, a Belarus-born industrialist thought to be worth about £11billion, had the boat dreamed up by renowned French designer Philippe Starck and it launched earlier this year at a cost of around £360million. It comes with an opulent lounge featuring floor-to-ceiling windows, an owner’s cabin bigger than most London flats and space for 20 guests and 54 crew
Sleek: The eye-catchingly huge yacht has previously been spotted in Monaco. Melnichenko, its owner, is the main shareholder of EuroChem, which is one of the leading fertiliser producers in the world. He lives a glamorous, jet-setting lifestyle with his wife, Aleksandra, a former model and pop star from Serbia. In addition to two massive yachts, he owners a customised Boeing 737 private jet, a villa in the French Riviera, a penthouse in New York and a sprawling estate near Ascot, England
The yacht has a maximum speed of 21 knots (24mph) and a cruising speed of 16 knots (18 mph). It was built by Nobiskrug in Rendsburg, Germany. It flies with the flag of Bermuda. Pictured: The stand-out Sailing Yacht A pictured sailing into Gibraltar
It is powered by a ‘hybrid diesel-electric package with controllable pitch propellers,’ and is designed to accommodate 20 guests and a crew of 54. Project Director Dirk Kloosterman previously said of it: ‘This has been the most challenging assignment of my career. I am confident Sailing Yacht A will be the world’s greatest yacht in terms of design and technology for the years ahead’
Sailing Yacht A replaced the oligarch’s other, smaller vessel – Motor Yacht A – which is itself worth £240million. But Sailing Yacht A eclipses its younger sister
The yacht has a range of 6,500 nautical miles and has been spotted all across the world, including in places such as Honolulu, Malibu, Monaco, Puerto Rico, Turkey and Thailand
Pictured in May: The hyper-modern vessel was seen emitting a bright blue neon glow in the Mediterranean waters after sunset
WHO ARE ANDREY MELNICHENKO AND HIS GLAMOROUS WIFE ALEKSANDRA?
Andrey and Aleksandra Melnichenko, a former model and pop star from Serbia – the couple met in France in 2003
Born in Gomel, Belarus, during Soviet rule, Andrey Melnichenko is one of the richest citizens of Russia and the world, with a reported net worth of around £11billion.
He is the main shareholder of EuroChem, one of the leading fertiliser producers in the world.
The billionaire industrialist met his wife Aleksandra, a former model and pop star from Serbia, in the South of France in 2003 and within two years were married in the same spot in an extravagant wedding which included performances by pop stars Whitney Houston and Christina Aguilera, along with Spanish singing legend Julio Iglesias.
Moscow-based Melnichenko paid singer Jennifer Lopez $2million to perform at his wife’s lavish 30th birthday bash at their English mansion in Ascot, and the pair regularly throws sailing parties attended by the rich and famous.
In 2008, rocker Lenny Kravitz performed at their third wedding anniversary bash on Motor Yacht A. Three years later rapper Snoop Dogg entertained partygoers in a specially-built mirrored disco room.
Mrs Melnichenko once told Harper’s Bazaar: ‘The boat is perfect for parties, and we are always looking forward to the next one.’
In addition to two of the world’s largest superyachts and a sprawling estate in Berkshire, west of London, the couple owns a villa in the French Riviera, a duplex penthouse in New York, a flat in London and a customised Boeing 737 private jet.