The world’s largest sailing yacht, Sailing Yacht A, has been seized by Italian authorities after its Russian owner was placed on a sanctions list
\nItalian authorities have\u00a0seized the largest sail-assisted superyacht ever built, the 143m (470ft) Sailing Yacht A, Italian news outlets are reporting.
\nAccording to the Reuters news agency in Rome, the Italian prime minister\u2019s office confirmed this morning (Saturday, March 12) that the yacht had been seized after owner,\u00a0Russian billionaire Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko, was placed on an EU sanctions list following Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine.
\nThe Philippe Starck-designed\u00a0Sailing Yacht A is one of the most of the distinctive yachts ever built. At 143m (470ft) long it features eight decks, and a\u00a020m freeboard.
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\nSailing Yacht A has a beam of 24.8m and a 20m freeboard
\nIt was built by Nobiskrug in Germany and launched in 2016. It carries three of the world\u2019s largest carbon rigs, which are unstayed and rotating, with over\u00a03,700 square metres of sails set via an in-boom furling system. It also features a\u00a0gimballed crow\u2019s nest, accessible by lift, 60m high in one of the curved masts, an\u00a0observation pod embedded in the keel and a three-man submarine.
\nThe hull has a maximum beam of 24.8m and includes 24 shell doors concealed within it.<\/p>\n
It was built under strict non-disclosure agreements, but has been reported to have a price tag of around \u20ac530 million ($578 million).<\/p>\n
The yacht is reported to have been sequestered at the northern port of Trieste, following sanctions imposed on its owner.\u00a0Melnichenko owns the fertiliser producer EuroChem Group and coal company SUEK.<\/p>\n
Several high profile superyachts belonging to Russian oligarchs have been seized across Europe in the past week, although this is the first sailing vessel of its kind to be impounded.<\/p>\n
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The post World\u2019s largest sailing yacht, Sailing Yacht A, seized appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The world’s largest sailing yacht, Sailing Yacht A, has been seized by Italian authorities after its Russian owner was placed on a sanctions list Italian authorities have\u00a0seized the largest sail-assisted superyacht ever built, the 143m (470ft) Sailing Yacht A, Italian … <\/p>\n