The Sailing Yacht A was built as project 787 ‘White Pearl’. She has been delivered by Nobiskrug to her owner in 2017. She is the world’s largest sailing yacht. Who is her owner? Andrey Melnichenko.
The yacht is powered by MTU enegines. Her cruising speed is 14 knots. The luxury yacht can accommodate 20 guests and has a crew of 20.
She is very large – 143 meters or 469 ft with a beam of 25 meters or 82 ft. She has 8 decks. She features a 1 ft thick glass underwater observation area located in the keel.
Cost Price
The yacht’s value is widely reported in the media to be over EUR 400 million or US$ 500 million. We think that her price was around US$ 600 million. We calculated this amount based on her very large displacement of 12,558 tons. A value of US$ 600 million would be US$ 48,000 per ton. Which is actually a relatively low amount. Nowadays a high-quality yacht, built in Northern Europe, will cost you around US$ 65,000 per ton. (Which would make SY A’s value around US$ 800,000,000).
Design
The Sailing Yacht is designed by Philippe Starck. Some of her design features are similar to the motor yacht A. Her composite masts are the largest in the world. She is powered by a hybrid diesel-electric package with controllable pitch propellers.
Owner
The yacht’s owner is Andrey Melnichenko. He also owns (or owned) the famous Motor Yacht A.
Delivery in 2017
She was delivered to the owner in early May 2017. Delivery was in Monaco by the project team led by Dirk Kloosterman. It was after having completed her final sea trials in the Navantia shipyard in Cartagena. And after final tests and inspections in Gibraltar. See an amazing video of the yacht leaving Germany hereunder.
Arrest in Gibraltar
Gibraltar media report that the yacht was arrested in Gibraltar. This was following a claim of EUR 15.3 million by Nobiskrug. Nobiskrug is reported to have filed a claim for breach of contract. As the final payment of EUR 9.8 million was not paid.
There seemed also a dispute about other invoices, totaling EUR 5,4 million. The yacht was heading for Spain for further work to be carried out.
Update: SuperYachtFan was informed that there was a brief technical incident in Gibraltar over disputed costs in arbitration. Not outstanding payments or unpaid invoices between the company owner of the yacht and the shipyard.
Seized in Italy
In March 2022 Italian media reported that the yacht was seized by the Guardia Di Finanza (Italian customs) as a result of her owner Melnichenko being put on an EU sanctions list.
Draught
We came aware of some technical and legal issues regarding SY A. It seems her designed draught was 8 meters.
Her actual weight was less than her designed weight, causing a draft of 7.5 meters instead of 8 meters. This affected the yacht’s handling. And a portion of the yacht’s bulbous bow (which is intended to sit below the waterline) in fact showed above it. Which was considered unsightly.
It was tried to solve the issue by adding extra weight to the yacht. But a calculation mistake was made, and the yacht was still too light. We were told there is still litigation going on regarding the settlement of the financial damage.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How much is Sailing Yacht A?
Her value is $600 million.
Where is Sailing Yacht A?
See our Location Page for her current location, using IAS data.
Who owns the Sailing Yacht A?
Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko.
How big is the Sailing Yacht A?
She has a length of 143m (468ft), her beam is of 24.88m (82ft), her draft is 8m (26ft), her volume is 12,558 tons.
How fast can Sailing Yacht A go?
Her top speed is 21 knots.
What happened to Sailing Yacht A?
The yacht was seized by the Italian authorities in the port of Trieste, due to the EU’s sanctions imposed on her owner Andrey Melnichenko.
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More About Info About This Yacht
Info about the yacht’s Owner, more Photos and Video, her current Location, and the latest News.