flying fox yacht seized

A Russian oligarch's $400 million superyacht is sailing towards Turkey, following allegations of trafficking and money laundering, reports say

• A $400 million yacht tied to a Russian oligarch is sailing towards Turkey, per ship-tracking data.
• The US held it in the Dominican Republic over allegations of money laundering and arms trafficking, per local reports.
• The yacht departed on April 22 without a destination, local media reported.

A luxury yacht linked to a Russian oligarch is heading in the direction of Turkey after it was reportedly investigated by the US over accusations of arms trafficking and money laundering.

The Flying Fox, a 446-foot vessel worth $400 million, is owned by Dmitry Kamenshchik, according to media   reports . Kamenshchik, chairman of Moscow's Domodedovo Airport, has a net worth of $2.1 billion, per Forbes .

The superyacht was first anchored on March 21 in Port Don Diego in the Dominican Republic for one month before it set sail on April 22 with no destination, local newspapers Dominican Today and Diario Libre reported.

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At time of writing, Flying Fox was sailing east off the coast of Algeria, its nose pointed towards Turkey, according to ship-tracking data by Marine Traffic . The destination port was "not recognized," on Marine Traffic's site.

Turkey's government hasn't sanctioned Russia over its war in Ukraine, meaning that Russian oligarchs' assets are safe from seizure in the country. Over the past few months, Turkey has become a popular destination for Russian oligarchs' yachts to moor and avoid sanctions, including Roman Abramovich  and  Oleg Deripaska 's vessels.

When the Flying Fox was docked in Port Don Diego in March, authorities from the US and the Dominican Republic boarded the yacht to carry out a search for alleged trafficking and money laundering, Diario Libre and Dominican Today reported. The authorities then seized the yacht, per both reports.

Luis Abinader, president of the Dominican Republic, said if there were no findings from the investigation of the Flying Fox, the authorities would release the yacht, Diario Libre reported.

The Public Prosecutor's Office confirmed to Dominican Today that the Flying Fox had left the port in April but workers in the port told the online newspaper and Diario Libre that they were unaware of where the yacht was headed to.

The US Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the ministry for the president of the Republic didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

The Flying Fox was rumored to belong to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos , but a representative of the retail giant told Insider in August 2019 that it wasn't his vessel. The superyacht features a large swimming pool, a cinema, a hospital, and two helipads, per SuperYacht Fan.

Watch: Videos show dead bodies and a mass grave in Bucha, Ukraine

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The Flying Fox, which was Beyonce and Jay-Z’s home for a few weeks in September 2021, has been reportedly seized in the Dominican Republic after some alleged ties to a Russian oligarch. This proves, once again, that it’s not Bezos’.

The Flying Fox was incredibly famous in 2021, and for different reasons. One that is verified was that Beyonce and Jay Z partied on it for a few weeks. And it had a rental price of $4 million a week.

And the second, unverified and debunked, that it allegedly belonged to Jeff Bezos. Before you start rolling your eyes, this rumor has been debunked, and even Amazon released a statement against the rumors. Plus, Jeff Bezos has his own megayacht in the works.

And now, the 446-ft (136 m) charter megayacht has been seized in the Dominican Republic. The yacht arrived in Santo Domingo from La Romana on Monday night, and it was supposed to stay until March 25 to stock up on food and fuel. But the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) carried out a search of the megayacht on Friday afternoon, and the U.S. instructed the Dominican government not to allow the yacht to leave.

The reason is that the yacht is among the vessels wanted by the U.S. and is allegedly owned by a Russian oligarch. According to  CDN , the owner of one of the most luxurious yachts in the world belongs to Dmitry Kamenshchik, who also owns the Domodedovo airport in Moscow, Russia, Forbes reports.

The same outlet reports that this would put the country in the middle of the conflict between the U.S. and Russia, given that this measure is among the sanctions imposed by Washington to all the Russian oligarchs after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The megayacht is powered by two MTU 16V 1163 M84 diesel engines that take it to top speeds of 20 knots (23 mph/37 kph) and a cruising speed of 15 knots (17mph/28 kph), and it can accommodate up to 22 guests in 11 cabins.

When it arrived in the Dominican Republic, the charter megayacht reportedly had tourists traveling on it.

• Russian oligarch
• superyachts
• The Flying Fox

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By SuperyachtNews 28 Mar 2022

Flying Fox detained in the Dominican Republic

This detention is significant because it’s the first time the us has extended its arm beyond its own waters….

According to local reports, the United States government has requested that the government of the Dominican Republic arrest 136m Flying Fox . At this juncture, superyacht arrests are dime a dozen with many such stories having been circulated by the trade and mainstream media, however, the potential arrest of Flying Fox is significant because it represents the first time that the US has extended the reach of its influence beyond its territorial waters with regards to superyachts owned by sanctioned individuals.

It has been reported that agents from the US Homeland Security Investigations Office (HSI), who were joined by representatives of the Dominican Republic’s customs authorities and a variety of other agencies, boarded Flying Fox on 25 March.

“The seizure of MY Flying Fox in the port of Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic, last Friday, is significant not only because of the size of the vessel but because this is the first time that authorities in a country seeking to freeze assets have seized a vessel located outside their own jurisdiction,” explains Benjamin Maltby, partner at Keystone Law.

According to Maltby, it seems likely that officials from the US’s HSI, relied on Article 155 of the Dominical Criminal Procedure Code state that “Judges and the Public Prosecutor's Office must provide maximum cooperation to requests from foreign authorities as long as they are made in accordance with the provisions of international treaties and this code”.

“However, local lawyer Félix Portes, is reported to have publicly challenged the action as being illegal and unconstitutional, being in violation of national sovereignty and Article 3 of the Dominican Republic’s constitution,” continues Maltby.

“While this has significant implications for other possible island bolt-holes, such as the Seychelles and Maldives, and for nations situation at global maritime pinch points, such as Panama and Singapore, the HSI has either been ineffective or slow off the mark.”

If the US intends to freeze or arrest assets in locations beyond its own territory, it seems odd that this would be the first instance. However, if they are able to successfully freeze an asset in another country, it could create a serious issue for sanctioned owners who felt that they had successfully managed to keep their superyachts beyond the scope of the sanctions by removing them to various other locations. That being said, the success of such a project on the part of the US is anything but guaranteed given the geopolitical complexity of encroaching on another nation’s sovereignty should they not wish to comply with the demand of the US.

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U.S. Imposes Sanctions on Yacht Company That Caters to Russian Elites

The Treasury Department also identified four yachts as being linked to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.

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By Julian E. Barnes and Michael Forsythe

• June 2, 2022

WASHINGTON — The U.S. government leveled sanctions against a yacht management company and its owners, describing them as part of a corrupt system that allows Russian elites and President Vladimir V. Putin to enrich themselves, the Treasury Department announced on Thursday.

Imperial Yachts, which is based in Monaco and controlled by the Moscow-born Evgeniy Kochman, caters to Russian oligarchs. The Treasury Department said Mr. Kochman and his company provide yacht-related services to “Russia’s elites, including those in President Putin’s inner circle.” Imperial Yachts, the department said , conducts business with at least one person subject to sanctions.

The Treasury Department also identified four yachts linked to Mr. Putin: the Shellest, the Nega, the Graceful and the Olympia. The department said Mr. Putin used the Nega for travel in Russia’s north, and the Shellest periodically travels to his Black Sea palace. The department said Mr. Putin has taken numerous trips in the Black Sea on the Graceful and the Olympia.

The Treasury action did not name the 459-foot Scheherazade , an Imperial Yachts-associated ship that U.S. intelligence officials say could have been built for Mr. Putin’s use.

“Russia’s elites, up to and including President Putin, rely on complex support networks to hide, move and maintain their wealth and luxury assets,” said Brian Nelson, the under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence at the Treasury Department.

“We will continue to enforce our sanctions and expose the corrupt systems by which President Putin and his elites enrich themselves,” he added.

The department also announced sanctions against four Russian government officials and Yury Slyusar, the president of a Russian state-owned company that supplies aircraft to Russia’s military.

The State Department separately imposed sanctions on Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for the Russian minister of foreign affairs, and Alexei Mordashov, a Russian billionaire. The Commerce Department announced that it was adding 71 organizations to its entity list, in an attempt to block Russia’s military from importing key technology.

Also put under sanctions was Sergei Roldugin, a Russian cellist and a longtime friend of Mr. Putin, described by the Treasury Department as “a custodian of President Putin’s offshore wealth.” Mr. Roldugin was added to the European Union’s sanctions list in late February, days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He has been described as “ Putin’s wallet. ”

Mr. Kochman and Imperial Yachts were the focus of a New York Times investigation showing that the company was at the heart of what is essentially an oligarch-industrial complex, a network of companies including German shipbuilders, French designers, high-end Italian carpenters and Spanish marinas that serve Russian oligarchs and employ thousands of skilled workers.

According to a U.S. intelligence assessment, a group of investors led by one of Russia’s richest men, Gennady Timchenko, who has been under sanctions since 2014, provided the money to buy three ships: the Scheherazade, the Crescent and the Amadea, whose construction at a German shipyard was overseen by Imperial Yachts. Their combined cost of as much as $1.6 billion could have bought six new frigates for the Russian navy.

In addition to Imperial Yachts, the Treasury Department issued sanctions against four other companies owned or controlled by Mr. Kochman. Those include OOO Bilding Management, which is known as BLD Management, a company that builds and renovates villas in Russia as well as in Western Europe for oligarchs.

A lawyer for Imperial Yachts, Simon Clark, previously denied that the company had any connection to Mr. Timchenko.

In a statement released Thursday after the Treasury Department announcement, Imperial Yachts said the “accusations made against us by the U.S. government and in the press are false.”

“Imperial Yachts conducts all its business in full compliance with laws and regulations in all jurisdictions in which we operate,” the company added. “We are not involved in our clients’ financial affairs.”

But Treasury officials disputed that contention in their announcement. U.S. and international authorities have moved to seize the three yachts connected to Mr. Kochman and his company. U.S. officials are fighting a court battle in Fiji to take control of the Amadea, which they contend was sold last year to Suleiman Kerimov, a Russian oligarch who is on a U.S. sanctions list. Feizal Haniff, a lawyer for the British Virgin Islands company that controls the Amadea, said the owner is Eduard Khudainatov, who is not under any sanctions.

Mr. Khudainatov is a protégé of Igor Sechin, the chief executive of the state-controlled oil company Rosneft and a close ally of Mr. Putin.

Mr. Khudainatov is also the owner — on paper — of the Scheherazade, according to documents the United States submitted to a Fiji court. The United States contends that he is a “straw owner” of the two vessels.

Last month Italy impounded the Scheherazade , after it appeared to be readying to set sail from the port of Marina di Carrara, on the northern coast of Tuscany. In March, Spain seized the Crescent in the port of Tarragona. Spanish police told Reuters that the superyacht is believed to belong to Mr. Sechin.

The United States added the Flying Fox, another yacht managed by Imperial Yachts, to its sanctions list. The 446-foot vessel is the world’s biggest yacht available for charter , at 3 million euros ($3.2 million) a week, according to Imperial’s website. Last year, Jay-Z and Beyoncé vacationed on the yacht.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and other American officials are helping lead an international effort to seize the assets of Russians who have acted as enablers of the Kremlin and its invasion of Ukraine.

In an interview Tuesday, before the new sanctions were announced, Elizabeth Rosenberg, the assistant secretary for terrorist financing and financial crimes at the Treasury Department, said that international cooperation to go after Russian oligarchs and their assets was increasing.

“It feels like we’re experiencing a sea change right now,” Ms. Rosenberg said. “It’s a huge leap forward on international cooperation for hunting assets, for freezing them and for pursuing law enforcement investigations and activity, including seizure activities.”

Treasury officials say taking action against oligarchs and the companies that help them spend their wealth will ultimately hurt the Russian government’s ability to wage war against Ukraine.

“Suddenly some of these secrecy jurisdictions around the world are no longer so secret for Russian ultrahigh-net-worth individuals to hide and move their money,” Ms. Rosenberg said. “It will constrain Russia’s ability to make money to support their war effort.”

Julian E. Barnes is a national security reporter based in Washington, covering the intelligence agencies. Before joining The Times in 2018, he wrote about security matters for The Wall Street Journal. More about Julian E. Barnes

Michael Forsythe is a reporter on the investigations team. He was previously a correspondent in Hong Kong, covering the intersection of money and politics in China. He has also worked at Bloomberg News and is a United States Navy veteran. More about Michael Forsythe

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Russian superyachts find safe haven in Turkey, raising concerns in Washington

PORT AZURE, Turkey – On a hot August evening at a marina on Turkey’s southern coast, the crew of the Flying Fox was hard at work, keeping the 446-foot superyacht immaculate for future guests willing to pay $3 million a week. One crew member leaned over the railing at the stern, wiping the highly polished surface next to the ship’s nameplate. Another was busy with a squeegee, cleaning glass.

The Flying Fox, the world’s biggest yacht available for charter, played host last year to Beyoncé and Jay-Z, who skipped the Met Gala in New York to cruise the Mediterranean and enjoy the vessel’s over-the-top amenities: a 4,300-square-foot wellness center with a Turkish bath and a fully equipped beauty spa, among many others.

Then Russia invaded Ukraine. Since then, the Flying Fox has been caught up in the dragnet of international sanctions designed to hobble the lifestyles of the oligarchs who help sustain Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rule.

Yet, while some superyachts owned by or linked to Russian oligarchs facing sanctions have been seized in ports around the world, the Flying Fox and others caught up in the broader Russia penalties have found safe haven in Turkey, the only NATO member not to impose sanctions on Russia.

The flotilla of Russian superyachts in Turkish waters is raising tensions with the United States, which sees Turkey’s welcoming of the vessels as a symptom of the much larger problem: Russia’s access to Turkey’s financial system, potentially undermining Western sanctions.

Turkey’s strongman leader, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has criticized Western sanctions against Russia, said in March that Turkey could not impose sanctions because of its energy needs and industry deals. “There is nothing to be done there,” he said.

In all, at least 32 yachts tied to oligarchs and sanctioned entities have sheltered in the country’s waters in recent months, able to move about or moor in its picturesque coves and bays without fear of seizure, according to a New York Times analysis. Ownership records of superyachts for the ultrawealthy are notorious for being hidden behind layers of shell companies. The Times analysis was constructed with news accounts linking Russian oligarchs to particular yachts that were then matched with vessel positions available on commercial sites such as MarineTraffic. In many instances, the yachts were spotted in Turkish waters by a Times reporter.

On Aug. 19, the Treasury Department issued a statement saying that the deputy treasury secretary, Wally Adeyemo, had told a Turkish official that the United States was concerned about Russians using Turkey to evade sanctions.

Three days later, Adeyemo sent a letter to Turkish business groups warning of penalties if they worked with Russian individuals or entities facing sanctions. Turkish banks, he added, risked losing vital correspondent relationships with global banks – and even access to the US dollar – if they did business with sanctioned Russian banks.

In September, several Turkish banks stopped accepting the Mir payment system – the Russian equivalent of Visa or Mastercard. Their actions came after the United States warned that financial institutions expanding the use of Mir or entering into new agreements risked running afoul of US sanctions against Russia.

Nevertheless, Turkish marinas continue to service sanctioned Russians and their superyachts.

The warm turquoise waters, secluded beaches and trendy establishments of Turkey’s Mediterranean coast have long made it a popular and convenient destination for Russian yacht owners and charterers during the summer. Local restaurant menus are printed in three languages: Turkish, English and Russian.

In June, the Flying Fox was singled out by the United States as “blocked property,” and its management company, Imperial Yachts, was also sanctioned. Nevertheless, the Flying Fox has been moored since at least May at Port Azure, a marina in the posh resort town of Göcek. Other superyachts there owned by or linked to sanctioned Russians have been cruising from one postcard-worthy cove to another in the area.

The town’s polluted waters are unsuitable for swimming, an attractive feature for superyacht owners because it keeps away crowds and unwanted publicity. And the vessels can easily steam to pristine waters nearby. If the pampered guests have any unfulfilled needs, small boats roam around the harbor, selling groceries, ice cream, Turkish crepes and even massages.

Port Azure, touted as the first “mega-yacht-only marina” in Turkey, was opened last year by STFA, one of Turkey’s biggest conglomerates. The marina, which prides itself on its website as being a “haven” that makes “problems big and small go away,” has hosted at least eight yachts linked to Russian oligarchs or sanctioned companies this past summer, the Times analysis found.

On June 1, a Turkish yacht broker posted on Instagram a video taken at Port Azure showing a lineup of five yachts collectively worth almost $1 billion, including the Flying Fox; the Lana, recently listed at $1.8 million a week for charter by Imperial; and the Galactica Super Nova, linked to Vagit Alekperov, a sanctioned Putin ally, according to news media reports.

As of Oct. 20 there were at least 13 yachts in Turkey linked to sanctions, the Times analysis found. Of those, four were owned by or linked to sanctioned individuals, and nine have recently been offered for charter by Imperial, the sanctioned Monaco-based company.

A spokesperson for Imperial Yachts said that after the firm was sanctioned in June, its clients terminated their contracts with the company and that it “no longer manages or charters” any of the yachts in Turkish waters.

But until late August, Imperial advertised yachts for charter and for sale on its website, including yachts in Turkish waters. After an inquiry by the Times, the listings were removed from Imperial’s website, which now displays only a notice announcing that the company had been sanctioned. The company spokesperson said that it had “kept its other pages alive as a reflection of its former brand.”

“During the time that the other website pages were visible, Imperial did not engage in any business engagements,” Imperial said in response to emailed questions.

Roman Abramovich, the most visible Russian oligarch recently seen in Turkey, does not use Imperial Yachts to manage the construction of his opulent yachts or staff them after they are put to sea. Four yachts owned by or linked to Abramovich, who has been sanctioned by Britain and the European Union, the Times analysis shows, were in Turkey in August.

Should the United States choose, it has tools at its disposal to enforce its sanctions on the Russian oligarchs, even if their vessels are in Turkish waters and even if the Turkish government is unwilling to cooperate, said Daniel Tannebaum, a former sanctions official who served at the US Treasury and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

One way, he said, would be to place sanctions on companies that service the oligarchs’ yachts in Turkey – the marinas, caterers and fueling companies. In that case, not just Russian yacht owners but also the many American yacht owners now in Turkish waters would have to take their business elsewhere, while the banks that do business with these companies might close their accounts so as to avoid becoming a target.

Superyachts are a significant source of income for the marinas, as well as other businesses in the area. In one example, Turkish news media outlets reported in April that Abramovich’s biggest yacht, the 533-foot-long Eclipse, ran up a fuel bill of $1.66 million in the port town of Marmaris. Its tanks took 22 hours to fill.

One of the four superyachts linked to Abramovich, the 460-foot Solaris, is moored in the Yalıkavak Marina in Bodrum, a trendy resort town in Turkey’s south. While lying idle, it still has 20 crew members who make trips every day to provision it, supply it with water and electricity, and dispose of its waste, according to a port employee with direct knowledge of the matter, who spoke anonymously because he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly.

Solaris also receives a truckload of food every week through a catering company, he said, adding: “Twenty cases of asparagus – what would you do with so much asparagus?”

Yalıkavak is Turkey’s most luxurious marina, with stores like Prada, Louis Vuitton and Valentino on a promenade lined with palm trees overlooking the harbor. At least three yachts recently offered for charter by Imperial, the sanctioned management company, and three other yachts owned by or linked to oligarchs moored at Yalıkavak Marina this summer, the Times analysis shows.

In an emailed statement, the marina said that even though Turkey has not adopted sanctions, because it recognizes “international concerns,” the Solaris has been kept outside the marina’s boundaries. As for the vessels associated with Imperial Yachts, the marina said that it did not know, as the summer is “quite a busy time” and that it didn’t have a system in place to check whether an individual yacht might fall under international sanctions.

In August, the Eclipse, one of the yachts linked to Abramovich, was anchored in the middle of the bay off Göcek, a 3 1/2-hour drive down the coast from Yalıkavak.

On an early morning in August, Ömer Kırpat, 56, was fishing on the shore in Göcek, sitting under a willow tree overlooking the yachts.

“The bells aren’t jingling,” he said, pointing to the bells attached to his rods to alert him when the fish bite. He showed his bucket with one lone fish inside, explaining that the fish avoid the shore because of pollution and noise from the boats.

Port Azure, the Göcek marina hosting the Flying Fox, was built over the port of a state-owned paper factory where Kırpat worked for 13 years as a security guard until it was privatized in 2001. He used to go there to swim, fish and have picnics every weekend with other factory workers and their families. “It was sparkly clean,” he said. “We caught the biggest fish there.”

He tried to go into Port Azure last year but was chased away. “We’re banned,” he said. “Soon they won’t even allow us to look inside. It’s heartbreaking.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times .

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Flying Fox: On board the world's most expensive charter yacht that will set you back €3M a week

Power couple Beyonce and Jay-Z have been spotted on board the world's largest yacht available for charter, Flying Fox after missing the Met Gala 2021. BOAT takes a tour of the largest and most expensive charter yacht in the world. 

The standout Lürssen superyacht takes the freshest superyacht trends – and then pushes them to the limit. On a canvas of this scale, that’s fantastically far: the 136-metre, six-deck Lürssen yacht towers 32 metres above the waterline – as tall as three London buses balanced end on end – and has seized the crown as the world’s largest charter yacht .

“If people tell you that we can create a brief for a 130-metre-plus project, I can tell you that’s totally wrong,” says Evgeniy Kochman, CEO of brokerage house Imperial, which acted as owner’s rep on the owner’s last superyacht project and shepherded Flying Fox from inception to completion. “Like every yacht, you start with a white sheet – but in this case you have many more spaces to fit and to adapt to a very demanding, meticulous owner.”

Flying Fox’s 7,000 square metres of curving exterior by Espen Øino certainly contain a spectacular array of spaces, designed with originality by Øino, Mark Berryman and the owner, and executed with precision by Lürssen. The owner himself was deeply involved in every detail, “from the engine room to the observation deck”, says Kochman, who personally attended more than 50 meetings with the client, poring over the GA for an average of 14 hours at a time. Key to shaping the design was the owner’s experience on his previous fleet of superyachts. “It looked obvious to combine the facilities of them in one fully functional superyacht,” says Kochman.

Looking at the finished arrangement, it is clear that the key takeaway from his other yachts has been a passion for watersports and wellness – which defines this boat. It’s a modern preference reflected on many new yachts, but never before on this scale. The whole aft end of the yacht is a two-deck temple to on-water fun and relaxation. The tone is set when guests step on to the 22.5-metre-wide bathing platform and into one of the best superyacht spas to date. With heated limestone floors and louvred oak panelling, the centrepiece of this 400-square-metre “sea lobby” is a vast spa pool , the waters of which can be changed from steaming to icy in about 10 minutes (thanks to dual hot and cold tanks) so it can be used as a plunge pool following the hammam or sauna.

There’s also the first cryosauna ever installed on a yacht. It comprises an antechamber at -60 ̊C, followed by a main chamber at -110 ̊C – you stay in for a maximum of three minutes and emerge with a post-sprint endorphin rush. It is popular with professional athletes to aid muscle regeneration and pain relief. “It is not so easy to come down to that temperature; normal air-conditioning cannot do this,” says Florian Preuss, project manager at Lürssen. “You need three compressors and three circuits – so you cool down three times; three independent systems, working in three steps.”

To starboard off the sea lobby lies a loungey relaxation room with a fold-down balcony. To port, the counterpart balcony sits between a kite surf store and a dive centre that will make enthusiasts swoon. There’s every bit of kit imaginable, from advanced nitrox mixing systems to full face masks and underwater scooters, plus a super-quiet compressor. “We can cater for anyone who has never dived before,” says the dive instructor. “We can start you up in the main swimming pool on the aft deck, all the way through to technical rebreather diving here – if we have certified clients on board, we can do expeditions down to 100 metres. We can do enriched air nitrox just for recreational diving or trimix as well.” In the boat’s hospital there’s also a “proper” decompression chamber.

The fun continues in the cavernous and innovative tender garage just forward, which holds five tenders and a treasure trove of toys, from flyboards and hoverboards to Seabobs and windsurfs. The space has also been specced to meet regulations for fuelling the tenders with petrol. “Quite a technical challenge to achieve that,” says the captain, “similar to what supertankers have.”

And there’s space for more. “We also investigated and prepared the tender garage to carry a personal submarine ,” says Preuss. “So we installed an extra hatch in the tender garage so that you can go from the deck above into the submarine.” Because it’s shorter than a tender, launching it via the two sliding cranes designed to hitch each end of a boat would not work, “so we designed a special rack to put the submarine on, which can be picked up by the crane”.

Aside from the tender garage, this spa and sports space is designed to feel cohesive – you can walk via side decks all the way round from the bathing platform to the fold-down terraces either side of the spa. Directly above the lower deck spa pool, meanwhile, a three-metre by three-metre section of deckhead slides into a forward pocket to create a two-deck atrium. Stainless-steel handrails are then erected around the gap on the main deck. When closed, as Preuss puts it, “you can walk over it as if it was not there”; open, it connects the lower and main decks in spectacular fashion.

The spa-like feeling is carried through this aft part of the main deck too. Just inside from the aft deck is a beauty centre, followed by a dry massage room – “We carry a lot of high-tech electrical equipment so we can do body-shaping and electrical facials, and we use high-quality products by Swiss Perfection and Elemis,” says the therapist. There’s a wet massage room too, where “we do massages with the rain showers on, so you’re laid on a nice warm water bed, in a full shower”.

For more active guests there’s a standout superyacht gym packed with the latest Technogym kit, a balcony for fresh-air yoga and a gym “menu” laying out what’s on offer. It is staffed by ex-British military instructors (of the supportive rather than the shouty kind) – in fact, all crew members are dual-trained in order to staff Flying Fox’s wellness and watersports components: for example, the medic is a dive instructor and some of the housekeepers are also hairdressers.

But the jewel in the crown of this whole two-deck space – at least technically – is the 12-metre aft deck pool. A 22.5-metre beam allowed the team to place this transversely. “It was the owner’s idea to do it in this direction and the rationale behind it was that it would take up less space,” says Øino. “If you were to orient it in the longitudinal direction it would overshoot big time into the deck house and the gym, so it was a very rational decision.”

“I don’t think there is another project with a pool arranged this way,” adds Preuss. “And this is, of course, difficult from an engineering side because of the movement of the water – if the ship is rolling it is difficult to keep it in the pool.” The yard ordered extensive model testing at the University of Duisburg-Essen with a 1:10 scale model mounted on a pedestal that moved according to seakeeping analysis of the ship – so simulating real conditions. The yard identified the solution as two retractable baffles that create a “gate” in the middle that breaks up the volume of water, so it can’t build up momentum. Crew can still empty the pool in three minutes, but there are fewer occasions when they will have to and therefore more times the pool can be used.

But all of this is nothing that guests would ordinarily see. What they will notice is the glass front that can be misted to opaque at the touch of a button, the swim jets at one end and the massage jets at the other, and the height-adjustable floor that means it can offer a deep swim, shallow paddle or even, at full height above the water, a bandstand for parties.

The 10 guest suites are ranged forward of the gym, so guests can pad straight from their beds for a workout or, further aft, a morning swim. These rooms are uniformly massive and each opens on to one of the long side decks, which can be separated into broad fixed balconies in different configurations via hidden sliding panels (there are 45 sliding doors on Flying Fox ). “We’ve carried families with the children in one suite and the parents in another, with this one big balcony for them. It works really well,” says the captain.

The decor here, as throughout the yacht, is, says Berryman, “clean-lined, contemporary”, functional and tactile, with Japanese influences. The aim is a feeling of calm that fits perfectly with both the spa and the wider boat, with a small palette of colours, materials and finishes for a cohesive look – golden oak, caramel bamboo, brushed limestone, travertine marble and cream leather, as well as rattans and coconut shell embellishment.

The upper deck master suite carries this pared-back look as well. There’s a 48-square-metre bathroom, centred with an oval bath and huge shower all ranged outboard, for the views through double-fronted sliding doors on to the broad private deck that wraps all the way around the front of the suite. Highlighting the decor is a delicate mosaic of corals and seaweeds at the back of the shower. “The owner has a love of mosaics,” says Berryman, noting that the 1,700-year-old Lod Mosaic found in Israel in 1996 was an influence on their designs. “We also have them on the floors running throughout the main deck and the lower deck areas.” Created for Berryman by a specialist near Venice, they take on a playful character on the guest suite doors, each marked with a different sea creature.

The owner’s suite also comprises a beauty room and his-and-hers dressing rooms, but the cabin itself is the showstopper. “I have to say it was a difficult area to do,” says Berryman. “At 105 square metres you think, well, it’s a bedroom and you’ve got an aft saloon and aft dining room, what does he need out of it?” The solution was to place the bed to port and to create a cosy sitting room to starboard, complete with an ethanol fireplace.

There are 180-degree windows and Øino replaced bulwarks with glass so that views could flow straight out to the seascape. Forward on the private terrace is a huge spa pool with sunpads and seating. Adjacent to the suite is a cluster of work-focused spaces – a meeting room and the owner’s office, accessed through a studio. “The owner said to me early on, ‘I’m here to work, so I don’t want to be looking at the beautiful sea out there; let me face a wall and then I can concentrate,’” says Berryman.

But things get more social with one of the most extraordinary spaces on board. To port on the upper deck lies a loungey sitting room, for flicking through magazines and, perhaps, waiting for a meeting in the office. To starboard, the space drops off, behind glass balustrades, into a double-height saloon.

“Originally the upper deck saloon and dining was laid out to the port and starboard sides. After a few months of looking at those areas, we all felt the boat needed a wow factor,” says Berryman, “and also there was the saloon on the bridge deck – how many saloons did you actually need? So the starboard side upper dining was removed and the double-height space created.” The space is certainly wow-inducing and to avoid the feeling of, as Berryman puts it, “standing in the middle of a field” the seating is grouped in the centre of the saloon, leaving a walkway of warm oak around the outside.

Also aiding a cosy feeling is the real-wood fireplace, one of five superyacht fireplaces on board. They work, as Preuss puts it, “like a normal fireplace at home” except with insulated ducts routing smoke up through the mast with the help of forced extraction, and measures to meet marine safety regulations. “The glass pane in front needs to be closed all the time and there is a shut-off mechanism,” says Preuss, adding that when you are dealing with unusual onboard technology, “regulations don’t exactly describe what is possible and what is not possible – you have to discuss a lot with the authorities to come to a good solution”.

Another unusual – and residential – feature of the saloon is the greenery. It borders the staircase down from the upper deck and sprouts from planters set into the balustrade, while two ficus trees tower in the outer corners of the space. “We have a full irrigation system on board that is then linked down to the engine control room so that you can keep a check on what is working and if there are any problems there,” says Berryman. The different watering schedules, nutrients and quantities for different plants are programmed in. There are also “specialised lighting systems to give them the correct amount of UV without bleaching the materials”, notes the captain.

Adjacent to the bridge deck saloon lies a dining saloon with a long table by Metrica (which made all the loose furniture on board). A central aquarium, filled with bright artificial corals, adds a splash of colour while delineating the spaces (which can be entirely sequestered using sliding screens).

But just as the spectacular spa acknowledges the trend towards wellness, the yacht’s primary dining areas reflect the modern preference for eating al fresco. “My own experience of cruising is that you always end up spending your time on the outside decks,” says Øino, “so actually moving the cooking outside is a very logical thing to do.” The outdoor kitchen on the bridge aft deck features a wok station, a Josper (coal-powered Spanish grill), a rotisserie capable of cooking a whole lamb, goat or suckling pig, a churrasco oven, pizza oven, teppanyaki and tandoori grill. Guests can sit at a counter and watch the chef work, or at an extendable dining table.

Aft, seating around a gas-fuelled firepit offers the perfect nook for a nightcap. “Everyone says it has completely changed the dynamics of the boat, the interaction between the chef and the guests,” says Øino. “The chef is at the forefront and has become the star on board.” On the upper aft deck is a more intimate version of this space, which Øino describes as “more like a juice bar with ice cream and yoghurts”, as well as an outdoor cinema area and another firepit.

There are other noteworthy outdoor spaces. Take the helipad on the sundeck aft – it has an 18-metre D-value, capable of accommodating the world’s largest helicopters, including an Airbus H175. There are also power points and a DJ alcove built into the mast for when the helipad is used as a dancefloor, and a neat waiting room for departing guests (there is also a foredeck helipad on the bridge deck, with a 14-metre D-value). Up top there’s a (relatively) petite roof deck, with the best views out to sea and also all the way down to the main deck, via the glass roof of the lift shaft. “Despite the very large size of the boat, it can sometimes be difficult finding intimate spaces away from everyone else,” says Øino. “But when you are on the top deck you know that you are on your own – it’s private there.”

The relaxed winter garden , meanwhile, is an indoor space that feels airy thanks to two huge openable, domed skylights made by Yachtglass. “They look light but the skylights are massive and actually very heavy so they were not easy to produce,” adds Preuss. “They needed a couple of tries.”

Perhaps the most surprising thing about this boat is that chartering was not among its primary aims. From the equally proportioned suites, to the neutral decor, massive spa, outdoor lifestyle and dynamic positioning, it seems as if she was built for it. There’s even a cinema with D-Box seating for the latest blockbusters with motion and vibrations (Lürssen had to box the room and add “many tonnes of steel”, says Preuss, to soundproof it). This really is a boat with the scope to offer something for everyone.

“Conceiving and building such yachts is not a quiet path for all parties involved,” notes Kochman with some understatement. “But seeing the pride in the eyes of our client at the delivery, of our build and operational team, and of the crew, reminds us why we do this job.” Now that the hard work is done, there’s nothing for the owner to do but sit back and enjoy the most relaxing boat afloat.

The Crew Cut

It takes a powerful “human engine” to run a boat like Flying Fox – and behind-the-scenes design to supercharge crew work. “We carry two galleys, one for guests and one for crew, and four chefs in total,” says the captain. “We have 55 crew to feed two, sometimes three hot meals.” With a full capacity of crew plus 25 guests, that’s 246 meals a day.

The guest galley is a cook’s fantasy. There’s a pasta machine and prep area with drying racks, a lobster tank for the freshest seafood, vacuum packing for tender steaks using a sous-vide water bath, Pacojet freezing blenders for silky purées and ice creams – and every other bit of kit you could imagine. The fridges and freezers on board measure a total of 137 cubic metres.

In terms of space to relax, “crew consideration was always in the middle of everything”, says Evgeniy Kochman. Aside from large cabins, lounge, mess and gym, crew have use of a comfortable outdoor lounge just behind the forward helipad – a request of the owner. The paperless wheelhouse is set up to handle anything the sea can throw at it. “The bridge splits into three key areas,” says the captain, “planning and communication, navigation and emergency response.” Recessed screens can completely isolate the emergency space.

“You allow the bridge officers to continue with the navigation. They don’t get overawed with all the other communication going on, which could create another incident.” It’s a system common on cruise ships, not on yachts.

All images courtesy of Guillaume Plisson for Imperial.

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Gagarin Cup Preview: Atlant vs. Salavat Yulaev

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Gagarin cup (khl) finals:  atlant moscow oblast vs. salavat yulaev ufa.

Much like the Elitserien Finals, we have a bit of an offense vs. defense match-up in this league Final.  While Ufa let their star top line of Alexander Radulov, Patrick Thoresen and Igor Grigorenko loose on the KHL's Western Conference, Mytischi played a more conservative style, relying on veterans such as former NHLers Jan Bulis, Oleg Petrov, and Jaroslav Obsut.  Just reaching the Finals is a testament to Atlant's disciplined style of play, as they had to knock off much more high profile teams from Yaroslavl and St. Petersburg to do so.  But while they did finish 8th in the league in points, they haven't seen the likes of Ufa, who finished 2nd. 

This series will be a challenge for the underdog, because unlike some of the other KHL teams, Ufa's top players are generally younger and in their prime.  Only Proshkin amongst regular blueliners is over 30, with the work being shared by Kirill Koltsov (28), Andrei Kuteikin (26), Miroslav Blatak (28), Maxim Kondratiev (28) and Dmitri Kalinin (30).  Oleg Tverdovsky hasn't played a lot in the playoffs to date.  Up front, while led by a fairly young top line (24-27), Ufa does have a lot of veterans in support roles:  Vyacheslav Kozlov , Viktor Kozlov , Vladimir Antipov, Sergei Zinovyev and Petr Schastlivy are all over 30.  In fact, the names of all their forwards are familiar to international and NHL fans:  Robert Nilsson , Alexander Svitov, Oleg Saprykin and Jakub Klepis round out the group, all former NHL players.

For Atlant, their veteran roster, with only one of their top six D under the age of 30 (and no top forwards under 30, either), this might be their one shot at a championship.  The team has never won either a Russian Superleague title or the Gagarin Cup, and for players like former NHLer Oleg Petrov, this is probably the last shot at the KHL's top prize.  The team got three extra days rest by winning their Conference Final in six games, and they probably needed to use it.  Atlant does have younger regulars on their roster, but they generally only play a few shifts per game, if that. 

The low event style of game for Atlant probably suits them well, but I don't know how they can manage to keep up against Ufa's speed, skill, and depth.  There is no advantage to be seen in goal, with Erik Ersberg and Konstantin Barulin posting almost identical numbers, and even in terms of recent playoff experience Ufa has them beat.  Luckily for Atlant, Ufa isn't that far away from the Moscow region, so travel shouldn't play a major role. 

I'm predicting that Ufa, winners of the last Superleague title back in 2008, will become the second team to win the Gagarin Cup, and will prevail in five games.  They have a seriously well built team that would honestly compete in the NHL.  They represent the potential of the league, while Atlant represents closer to the reality, as a team full of players who played themselves out of the NHL. 

• Atlant @ Ufa, Friday Apr 8 (3:00 PM CET/10:00 PM EST)
• Atlant @ Ufa, Sunday Apr 10 (1:00 PM CET/8:00 AM EST)
• Ufa @ Atlant, Tuesday Apr 12 (5:30 PM CET/12:30 PM EST)
• Ufa @ Atlant, Thursday Apr 14 (5:30 PM CET/12:30 PM EST)

Games 5-7 are as yet unscheduled, but every second day is the KHL standard, so expect Game 5 to be on Saturday, like an early start. 

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Elektrostal Localisation : Country Russia , Oblast Moscow Oblast . Available Information : Geographical coordinates , Population, Area, Altitude, Weather and Hotel . Nearby cities and villages : Noginsk , Pavlovsky Posad and Staraya Kupavna .

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Savvino-storozhevsky monastery and museum.

Zvenigorod's most famous sight is the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, which was founded in 1398 by the monk Savva from the Troitse-Sergieva Lavra, at the invitation and with the support of Prince Yury Dmitrievich of Zvenigorod. Savva was later canonised as St Sabbas (Savva) of Storozhev. The monastery late flourished under the reign of Tsar Alexis, who chose the monastery as his family church and often went on pilgrimage there and made lots of donations to it. Most of the monastery’s buildings date from this time. The monastery is heavily fortified with thick walls and six towers, the most impressive of which is the Krasny Tower which also serves as the eastern entrance. The monastery was closed in 1918 and only reopened in 1995. In 1998 Patriarch Alexius II took part in a service to return the relics of St Sabbas to the monastery. Today the monastery has the status of a stauropegic monastery, which is second in status to a lavra. In addition to being a working monastery, it also holds the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural and Art Museum.

Belfry and Neighbouring Churches

Located near the main entrance is the monastery's belfry which is perhaps the calling card of the monastery due to its uniqueness. It was built in the 1650s and the St Sergius of Radonezh’s Church was opened on the middle tier in the mid-17th century, although it was originally dedicated to the Trinity. The belfry's 35-tonne Great Bladgovestny Bell fell in 1941 and was only restored and returned in 2003. Attached to the belfry is a large refectory and the Transfiguration Church, both of which were built on the orders of Tsar Alexis in the 1650s.  

To the left of the belfry is another, smaller, refectory which is attached to the Trinity Gate-Church, which was also constructed in the 1650s on the orders of Tsar Alexis who made it his own family church. The church is elaborately decorated with colourful trims and underneath the archway is a beautiful 19th century fresco.

Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral

The Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral is the oldest building in the monastery and among the oldest buildings in the Moscow Region. It was built between 1404 and 1405 during the lifetime of St Sabbas and using the funds of Prince Yury of Zvenigorod. The white-stone cathedral is a standard four-pillar design with a single golden dome. After the death of St Sabbas he was interred in the cathedral and a new altar dedicated to him was added.

Under the reign of Tsar Alexis the cathedral was decorated with frescoes by Stepan Ryazanets, some of which remain today. Tsar Alexis also presented the cathedral with a five-tier iconostasis, the top row of icons have been preserved.

Tsaritsa's Chambers

The Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral is located between the Tsaritsa's Chambers of the left and the Palace of Tsar Alexis on the right. The Tsaritsa's Chambers were built in the mid-17th century for the wife of Tsar Alexey - Tsaritsa Maria Ilinichna Miloskavskaya. The design of the building is influenced by the ancient Russian architectural style. Is prettier than the Tsar's chambers opposite, being red in colour with elaborately decorated window frames and entrance.

At present the Tsaritsa's Chambers houses the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural and Art Museum. Among its displays is an accurate recreation of the interior of a noble lady's chambers including furniture, decorations and a decorated tiled oven, and an exhibition on the history of Zvenigorod and the monastery.

Palace of Tsar Alexis

The Palace of Tsar Alexis was built in the 1650s and is now one of the best surviving examples of non-religious architecture of that era. It was built especially for Tsar Alexis who often visited the monastery on religious pilgrimages. Its most striking feature is its pretty row of nine chimney spouts which resemble towers.

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Last update on May 29, 2024, 5:34 pm

Local April 23, 2022 | 8:02 am

Flying Fox Yacht departed port leaving behind a cloak of silence

The luxury yacht set sail after a month in Port Don Diego.

Santo Domingo, DR

The luxury yacht Flying Fox, which after a month in the Port Don Diego in Santo Domingo, sailed with an unknown destination, leaving in doubt who its occupants were/are and the reason for having anchored in the Dominican Republic, in addition to an investigation of the Public Ministry about three weeks ago for alleged illicit trafficking of weapons.

This Friday, around noon, part of the port personnel informed reporters of this media that the Flying Fox had left around 10:00 a.m. and that they did not know where to. The Public Prosecutor’s Office only confirmed the vessel’s departure.

As revealed by Forbes magazine, the boat is linked to Russian tycoon Dmitry Kamenshchik, who owns Moscow’s Domodedovo airport in his country. Flying Fox is one of the largest yachts globally and can accommodate 25 people.

On March 25, agents of the US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and other Dominican agencies, such as the Directorate General of Customs (DGA), paid a visit to the ship without any information about what happened inside. However, a week later, on April 1, the yacht was seized by several Public Prosecutor’s Office agents.

DR had no legal right in holding the ship…

Why? DR has the same rights to turn on sanctions as every other country. The problem is that Russians invested billions of dollars in DR and DR politics

Cause the US says so??…your reasoning makes no sense…

no. because Russian army attacked Ukraina and now are doing things you even can’t imagine. Try to think wider than your nose exist. So restrictions should be for every Russian people all over civilized world. Oh, wait… In DR only bribes are functioning perfectly.

Not informative enough, The ship left port, so what, maybe a Russian thing, so what again. Can someone do some real reporting?

Well, as of Sunday the 24th the vessel was north of Cape Haitian and south of the Turks & Caicos traveling in a NE direction. Mediterranean to fulfil charter obligations ?

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