Russian Billionaire Unveils His £260m Superyacht Which Has 8 Floors And An Underwater Observation Room
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When money is no object, it pays to keep up with the times.
And that’s exactly what one Russian billionaire has done as he has upgraded his £190million superyacht for a new model – at a cost of £260million.
Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko’s ‘Sailing Yacht A,’ which Mr Melnichenko is thought to have named ‘A’ to ensure it is listed first in shipping registers, is taking its first sea trials in Kiel, northern Germany.
The behemoth is the world’s largest sailing superyacht as the Russian industrialist takes his quest to ruling the seas one step further.
The vessel is an upgrade to the Russian billionaire’s current multi-million pound ‘Motor Yacht A,’ that set him back £190million.
At 468ft in length, with ship masts nearing 300ft high, the ‘mega-yacht,’ has eight floors and includes an underwater observation room.
Superyachtfan.com reports that the boat is powered by a ‘hybrid diesel-electric package with controllable pitch propellers,’ and is designed to accommodate 20 guests and a crew of 54.
The yacht was designed by Frenchman Philippe Starck and built by German Naval Yards, Nobiskrug.
Mr Melnichenko is expected to recover some of the costs by licensing the technology developed for the vessel for commercial applications.
Melnichenko also owns a Boeing 737. The multi-billionaire already has one luxury home on the seas the Motor Yacht A – but has this time turned his attention to sailing power.
The epic vessel boasts a staggering eight decks and its keel incorporates one of the largest single pieces of curved glass ever made at 193 square feet and weighs a whopping 1.8 tons.
It dwarfs other famous super-yachts like The Maltese Falcon, which is 298ft and weighs 1,367 tons.
Cruise speed of the ship is 18mph, with a top speed of 24mph. The hull is made of steel, with a teak-finish deck.
This has been used to create a stunning observation pod on the bottom of the vessel so Mr Melnichenko and Serbian model wife Aleksandra, can enjoy stunning views of the sea.
The yacht will have a high-tech digital control system operated using a touch sensitive sheet of black glass in the bridge.
This will allow the crew to raise and lower the sails and even drop the anchor with a brush of their fingers.
The 43-year-old was born in Belarus and is married to a former Serbian model. He was named as the 97th wealthiest person on the planet by Forbes, and the ninth richest in Russia.
Mr Melnichenko, whose net worth is estimated at £6billion ($9billion), founded the fertilizer producer EuroChem, the coal producer Suek, the power generator SGK, and the pipe exporter TMK.
Speaking about the project earlier, a spokesman for Mr Melnichenko said it ‘pushed the boundaries.’
‘This project was a considerable financial risk for him as he had to fund massive R&D to see if he could achieve his vision,’ they said.
‘But he is a man to always push the boundaries and to challenge the industries he works with to think out of the box so he can achieve something new and exciting as well as beautiful.
‘Sailing Yacht A is a monument to invention.’
Benjamin Maltby of MatrixLloyd, the global authority on superyachts’, told MailOnline Travel that while the yacht may be ready to sail, the interior design work will be ongoing.
‘While she’s been launched, the interior will take many more months to complete,’ the company said.
‘It’s where the cash really gets splashed. Interiors typically cost at least £10,000 per square metre and often much more.
‘Make no mistake – this will be a very significant ship. While precise details of the sailing rig have yet to be released, not since the days of the mighty clipper sailing ships, such as the Cutty Sark, has such a large sailing vessel been built.
Wow! This is amazing, what a yacht! money is good o