LIHUE — One of the largest and most expensive yachts in the world — a $300 million monster owned by Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko — turned heads on Kauai Tuesday when it pulled into sleepy Hanalei Bay. The vessel, named “A” after its
LIHUE — One of the largest and most expensive yachts in the world — a $300 million monster owned by Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko — turned heads on Kauai Tuesday when it pulled into sleepy Hanalei Bay.
The vessel, named “A” after its 42-year-old owner and his supermodel wife Aleksandra Nikolic, has been cruising the islands over the past several weeks.
In late May, while the boat was in Honolulu Harbor, The Star Advertiser reported the 394-foot vessel featured a stairwell banister worth $60,000 and bath knobs costing $40,000 each. Designed by Philippe Starck of France, A was launched in 2008 from a shipyard in Kiel, Germany.
It has 24,000 square feet of interior space, including a 2,500-square-foot master suite surrounded by bombproof glass, according to The Wall Street Journal. Six guest staterooms have movable walls so they can be configured into four larger suites.
It can accommodate 14 guests and features a helipad and three swimming pools, one of which has a glass bottom that can be viewed from the below-deck entry hall. Maintenance on the submarine-looking super yacht costs a solid $20 million per year and filling the tank is tabbed at $500,000, according to WSJ.
Superyachts.com lists A as the 17th largest in the world.
Norman Cheu, owner of Norko Marine Agency, which is reportedly representing the boat while in Hawaii, said he could not comment about how long A would be anchored at Kauai.
