FIT FOR A BOND BADDIE, £225M BOMBPROOF YACHT INVADES THAMES
WITH its stealth- like shape and ‘upside down’ hull, it’s the kind of vessel any Bond villain would be proud of.
Certainly, this superyacht causes waves of interest wherever she goes.
The £225million ship, built for Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko, is currently turning heads in London after Tower Bridge was raised so it could cruise up the Thames and moor alongside the museum ship HMS Belfast.
But the extraordinary opulence which lies behind the 390ft long, 5,959 ton motor boat’s 1.7in thick bomb-proof windows is even more jaw- dropping than its eye-catching exterior.
It boasts around 24,000sq ft of living space in total – more than 20 times that of an average semi-detached house in Britain – and its vast main deck is said to be in the style of a ‘sumptuous artist’s loft’ which offers the ‘ultimate entertaining space’ with a back-lit Baccarat crystal dining table.
The walls are covered in stingray and silver leaf, floor to ceiling mirrors fill the guest suites and there are exotic horned chairs in crocodile skin, complete with the tails trailing on to the floor.
The 2,500 sq ft all-white master suite, which requires a fingerprint scan for access, has curved panoramic windows and a king-size bed which rotates with the press of a silver button.
Another white-padded suite that features a circular bed and a flatscreen television which retracts from the ceiling has reportedly been nicknamed the ‘the nookie room’ by employees of Mr Melnichenko, 44.
It is not known if he and his wife Aleksandra, 39, a Serbian former model, have used it.
Of course, there is a swimming pool too – three of them to choose from, in fact, one of which has a glass floor.
There is also a ‘wellness room’ for massages and beauty treatments, a helipad, and an open air party deck.
The yacht has seven cabins in all, can accommodate up to 14 guests and has a crew of 42.
For all its lavish features, however, the vessel, which has a top speed of 23 knots and a 200,000-gallon diesel tank which costs around £375,000 to fill up, has the most pedestrian of names – Motor Yacht A.
This is thought to be derived from the first name initials of Mr Melnichenko, who made his fortune from coal and fertilisers, and his wife.
The couple – who have one child – celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary on the yacht in 2011 when rapper Snoop Dogg performed in a special built mirrored discotheque. Mrs Melnichenko told Harpers Bazaar magazine: ‘The boat is perfect for parties, and we are always looking forward to the next one.’
Actors Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher once celebrated New Year on the yacht in the Caribbean.
But Mrs Melnichenko said she and
‘Totally over the top’
her husband also ‘love to be alone’ on the yacht with her pet Maltese dog, called Vala, who has accompanied them to more than 40 countries.
Built in 2008 by German shipyard Blohm and Voss, the yacht was designed by Frenchman Philippe Starck, who said: ‘A is a monolith. A line in the sand that makes every boat that came before it obsolete.’
Mrs Melnichenko said she was ‘included in every step of the interior design’, adding: ‘My personal style is minimalist or totally over the top. I hate anything in the middle.’
For all its charms, the yacht was advertised for sale earlier this year. Yesterday it was still being advertised on a ship broker’s website.
Mr Melnichenko has already got himself an even grander yacht - called Sailing Yacht A – which is 468ft long, reportedly cost £313million and is the world’s 9th longest.
His spokesman was unavailable
for comment yesterday. Ships requiring a bridge lift at Tower Bridge must book at least 24 hours in advance but it is free, a Tower Bridge spokesman said.
Mooring a boat of a similar tonnage to A in this area of London could cost at least £2,000 a day.