Mediterranean

Two Bodies Found Inside Sunken Yacht off Sicily

Scuba divers scouring the wreck of British tech magnate Mike Lynch's family yacht, which sank off Sicily two days ago, have found two bodies inside it, a source close to rescue operations said on Wednesday.One of the bodies belonged to a heavily built man, the source said.Rescue officials have been looking for six missing people, including Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter and Jonathan Bloomer, a non-executive chair of Morgan Stanley International.The British-flagged Bayesian, a 56-meter-long (184-ft) superyacht…

Yacht Crew Expected to Deny Arson Charges Over Fire on Greek Island

The crew members of a yacht accused of starting a forest fire last week on the Greek island of Hydra are expected to deny arson charges when they appear before a judge on Wednesday, a legal source said.Wildfires are common in the Mediterranean country but they have become more frequent and devastating due to hotter, drier and windier weather, which scientists link to climate change. Greece has in recent years beefed up penalties for arson.The fire, which is believed to have been sparked by fireworks…

Fully Customized 29-meter Sanlorenzo SL96A Launched

From its yard in the Ligurian coastal town of Ameglia, Italian shipyard Sanlorenzo has launched a fully customized SL96A, the 29-meter asymmetric model from its popular SL Series.Featuring a sleek GRP hull and superstructure with sweeping horizontal lines, the 100 GT yacht claims a beam of 6.67-meters and a draft of 1.9-meters, ensuring even the shallowest anchorages and harbors are accessible while providing luxurious accommodation for up to 10 guests.With the build overseen by Nick Hatfield from Sanlorenzo’s UK representative…

Highfield Named Oyster Yachts CEO

Ashley Highfield has been appointed as the new CEO of Oyster Yachts. Highfield, who was previously Executive Chairman of the British-based luxury boat builder, has been fulfilling the interim CEO role since September 2022 following a reorganization, and was formally offered the role last month.“I have known Ashley for literally decades, and been hugely impressed by his energy, experience, and vision across a number of businesses. In more recent years, Ashley and I have been closely working together on the successful turnaround of Oyster and growth of its topline revenues and brand.

New Intellian Antenna aims to Improve Live TV Reception on Vessels

Intellian Technologies announced its new t-Series and s-Series antennas to enhance the live television (TV) experience for those onboard maritime vessels.The new t-Series antennas, available from September onwards, will leverage improved technology to elevate the user and customer experience. Featuring an upgrade to Intellian’s trademarked WorldView Technology (WLNB), it is designed to enabel seamless television viewing onboard anywhere in the world as vessels travel between regional services.The four new models of the t-Series - t85N, t100N, t130N, t150N - range from 85cm up to 150cm.

Russian Oligarch Vekselberg's Superyacht Seized in Spain

Spanish police on Monday impounded a superyacht belonging to Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg on behalf of U.S. authorities, the first time the United States has seized property belonging to a Russian oligarch since its invasion of Ukraine in February.Valued at more than 90 million euros ($99 million), the 78-metre-long "Tango" (255 ft) was seized in a shipyard on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca, the Guardia Civil police and the U.S. Justice Department said in parallel…

Barcelona Wins Race to Host America's Cup in 2024

Barcelona was confirmed on Tuesday as the venue for the next America's Cup in 2024, seeing off Malaga, Jeddah and Auckland in a closely-fought competition to host the prized sailing event.Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and Team New Zealand, who retained the America's Cup last year with victory over Italy's Luna Rossa in Auckland, said they had decided on Barcelona as the next host city as defenders of the 'Auld Mug'.The team had rejected a $99 million bid from the New Zealand Government and Auckland Council to host the 37th edition of the America's Cup…

Spain Detains Yacht Thought to Be Owned by Rosneft CEO

Spanish authorities on Wednesday detained a mega-yacht called "Crescent" that is believed to belong to Igor Sechin, the sanctioned chief executive of Russian oil giant Rosneft, a police source told Reuters.The 135-metre-long yacht, described by specialist publications as one of the biggest in the world, sails under a Cayman Islands flag and arrived in Spain from Italy in November 2021, according to monitoring site Marine Traffic.Spain's Transport Ministry, which confirmed the detention but not the ownership, said it docked…

France Seizes Yacht Reportedly Belonging to Rosneft Boss Sechin

French customs have seized a yacht belonging to Rosneft boss Igor Sechin as it tried to leave the Mediterranean port of La Ciotat in a breach of EU sanctions on Russian oligarchs, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said.The move came as western states are implementing massive sanctions, including asset freezes, against Russia for invading its neighbor Ukraine. A separate nearly $600 million luxury yacht owned by Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov has also been seized, by German authorities, Forbes reported. The 88-meter "Amore Vero" arrived in La Ciotat on Jan.3 and was due to stay there until April 1st for repairs…

Feadship Refit & Services Welcomes Home 'the Fleet'

Eight Feadship originals 'return home' to their launch yard for refitThe vessels, in and of themselves, are spectacular visuals. But the vision of them floating into town to Feadship in Hoofddorp, The Netherlands -- or one of the builder's other three Feadship yards -- is other-wordly with the juxtaposition of stylish and mammoth modern yachts set against the quaint European countryside. In a huge milestone for the Refit & Services program that Feadship officially began offering in 2018…

Vittoria Yachts to Debut VELOCE 32 RPH in Cannes

Vittoria Yachts has welcomed a brand new division, Veloce 32 Rised Pilot House, dedicated to the design and construction of yachts at the Adria naval shipyard, that fully embodies the spirit and style: a typical Mediterranean ship, inspired by fast patrol vessels, designed for speed but also for long journeys at sea. The company is staging its debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival 2021 with Veloce and its other three Yacht divisions, scheduled from September 7 to 12, 2021.Designed and built by Hydro Tec engineer Sergio Cutolo…

VARD to Build World's Largest Superyacht

Norwegian shipbuilding and design group VARD announced it has secured a contract to build the world's largest superyacht.At 33,500 GRT, with a length of 222 meters and a beam of 27 meters, the $600 million superyacht Somnio was unveiled Monday as the first ever residential "yacht liner", featuring 39 luxurious apartments for a select, secret group of ultra-wealthy travelers.Captain Erik Bredhe, co-founder of Somnio, is overseeing the project. He said, "Somnio, meaning 'to dream' in Latin…

Cruise Shipping: Sea Cloud Spirit Delivered

Sea Cloud Spirit has been delivered to Sea Cloud Cruises from the Vigo, Spain shipyard, and its maiden voyage is set for September 14, 2021, for a 10-night roundtrip Rome to Rome. The plan is to have the ship spend the fall in the Western Mediterranean and the upcoming winter season in the Canary Islands. As cruising makes its return, the new build with a capacity of only 136 guests, is expected to become a nice alternative for younger guests looking for a smaller cruise experience.Sea Cloud Spirit is a modern sailing ship…

Peters & May Appoints Judson as CEO

Marine transport and logistics provider Peters & May has appointed Simon Judson as its new CEO with immediate effect. A 20-year veteran of the marine industry, Judson previously held the position of Global Operations Director with the company. He joined the company in 2009 when Peters & May purchased Judson’s own marine logistics and yacht transportation company, Complete Freight.Based in the U.K. head office, Judson will oversee the company’s range of services currently delivered through 10 company offices and a network of global agents.

Vittoria Shipyard Launches Yacht Division

The first design project is the 50-m Explorer yacht, designed by Hydro TecThe Duò family, with their hundred years of experience in military, paramilitary and civil shipbuilding, has ventured into the luxury boat sector. The Vittoria Shipyard has launched Vittoria Yachts, the new division, dedicated to designing and building yachts, able to draw on the production capacity and know-how developed over almost a century of business experience, adding over 870 units to the new market segment of luxury yachting.Leading Vittoria Yachts on their journey are Paolo Duò…

Amels Launches 77m Luxury Expedition Yacht La Datcha

Damen's luxury yacht builder Amels has launched a new 77-meter expedition yacht La Datcha.La Datcha’s emergence from her building hall in the Netherlands this week marks the start of the final stages of her build process before she heads on a global charter itinerary which is set to include heli-skiing in Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands and dive adventures off Papua New Guinea. This a yacht built for adventure – custom designed to explore the world’s far-reaching destinations without compromising on luxury.

Sichterman Adds Two Aluminum Yachts

Sichterman has launched the first Libertas 15M and Felicitatem 20M at their shipyard in Workum, The Netherlands.With these aluminum yachts, the Dutch boutique yacht builder adds two vessels to its fleet, after the launch of the Inveni 18m in May 2019.Just like the Inveni 18M, the Libertas and the Felicitatem are the result of a collaboration between designer Cor D. Rover, naval architect Van Oossanen and yacht builder Workumer Yachtservice.Due to a smart building process and a disruptive interior program…

KVH Elite Adds Mediterranean Region for Yachts

KVH Industries, Inc., announced that beginning June 1, it will add the Mediterranean region, a premier super yacht destination, to its KVH Elite service for unlimited HD-quality streaming onboard yachts. The dedicated service, which includes no overages or data limits, was initially launched last October in the Caribbean, where it was well-received by both private and charter yachts.KVH will continue to offer KVH Elite in the Caribbean—including Florida, the Caribbean, and the islands of the eastern Caribbean—in addition to beginning service in the Mediterranean…

KVH Intros Unlimited VSAT Streaming Service for Yachts

KVH Industries, the mobile technology innovator and connectivity provider, has announced that it is introducing KVH Elite, an unlimited VSAT streaming service that delivers HD-quality, dedicated bandwidth to superyachts.The new KVH Elite streaming service is launching in November 2019 from Florida through the Caribbean, including the islands of the eastern Caribbean, with the Mediterranean expected to follow in 2020. This service, which is part of KVH’s fully global mini-VSAT BroadbandSM HTS network, is designed for maximum coverage…