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The United States' Department of Justice moved earlier this week to seize $540m worth of assets bought with funds allegedly stolen from 1MDB, the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, amongst them the 91.5-meter Equanimity according to the Financial Times.This latest action from the US Government brings the total amount sought by the DoJ to almost $1.7 billion, with the total amount allegedly misappropriated from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad fund coming in at over $4.5 billion according to the DoJ.In this move, over $400 million are being sought from Jho Low, a Malaysian businessman with supposed ties to the Malaysian Prime Minister. Amongst these assets is the Equanimity, delivered by Oceanco in June 2014 to Mr Low.According to the report published by the DoJ, over $250 million were allegedly diverted from the 1MDB fund to acquire and subsequently maintain the 91-meter Equanimity to World View Ltd, a company in the Cayman Islands.Delivered in 2014 by Dutch-based Oceanco, Equanimity's key features include an extensive spa area on he lower deck with a sauna, steam room and beauty salon as well as a swimming pool and a helipad to her aft.

FLOAT, a brand new startup that launched earlier today, aims to revolutionise the world of yachting by allowing its users to book luxury yacht charters by the seat with prices starting as low as €99 per person.Operating its own fleet, FLOAT runs its yachts on several pre-determined routes as shuttles, each cruise including time to lounge and swim from the yacht, lunch at some of the world's most prestigious beach restaurants and champagne on board.More than transportation, FLOAT wants to bring its users a true yachting experience at a price over 20 times lower than renting out a boat for a day charter. Driven by tech and data, FLOAT achieves these lower costs by letting users purchase individual tickets through its app or website as opposed to chartering the whole boat.Founded by Gualtiero Giori, CEO of 21st Luxury and former owner of Camper & Nicholsons, and Dimitri Semenikhin, CEO of Yacht Harbour, FLOAT will start the season by operating a series of routes around Monaco and St Tropez ahead of a planned expansion to Miami and the Bahamas this winter.The startup's first St Tropez - Pampelonne Beach route will be serviced by FLOAT Open class yachts, such as the $1 million Maori 50, whereas cruise out of Monaco will take place on FLOAT Fly class yachts, enhanced with a flybridge. FLOAT's star St Tropez - Pampelonne route is at the moment set at €499/person however the startup's management intends to introduce options as low €99/person as soon as next month.After working with billionaires and celebrities, amongst others, for their superyacht needs as owner of Camper & Nicholsons, I wanted everyone to be able to enjoy yachting, which meant making it more accessible and simpler to enjoy, hence the creation of FLOAT.Gualtiero Giori, Co-Founder, FLOATFLOAT brings a level of efficiency and innovation to yachting that the sector was previously lacking. In addition to exposing a whole new demographic to yachts, FLOAT's tech platform drastically reduces the complexity of chartering a yacht with its instant booking function and removes price as a barrier of entry.Dimitri Semenikhin, Co-Founder, FLOATJean-Jacques Boude, a former executive at Camper & Nicholsons International, was appointed by the shareholders of FLOAT to run its operations as CEO. With its first shuttles starting navigation as soon as this weekend, FLOAT plans to actively expand its number of routes and fleet over the next quarters. The startup is also looking to soon introduce, amongst other planned functionalities, a membership program where members would gain unlimited access to its for a yearly fee.FLOAT is now available on the App Store.

On Monday April 3rd Lürssen launched project Thunder at its facility in Bremen. She represents a 120m+ yacht, designed by Espen Oeino. Project Thunder launched from the floating dock 24 months after her keel was laid in 2015. Thunder, project name derived from Leigong, a mythical god in Asian culture, will be delivered towards the end of 2018 and is expected to cruise mostly in Asian waters. The traditionally styled interior will be installed in the coming months and the yacht will undergo extensive sea trials thereafter. Lurssen is currently working on a couple of megayachts over 100 meters in length, the largest of which is set to become Project Redwood at 139 meters in length. In March the German shipyard has delivered Amadea (Project Mistral), which has been spotted in Norway a week after. Photos by @drduu

Recently delivered CRN Yachts vessel Cloud 9 has been spotted in Portofino, Italy, two days ago. Launched in January 2017, the 74-meter Cloud 9 becomes the shipyard's second largest yacht to date, outranked only by the 80-meter Chopi Chopi. Burgess acted as Owner’s Representatives throughout the project.Photo by @the_boat_showWith an exterior by Zuccon and an interior by Winch Design, Cloud 9 is able to accommodate up to 16 guests (12 when chartering) in a master suite, a VIP suite and 6 guest cabins catered to by a crew of 22. Focused on a free interior-exterior flow, Cloud 9 boasts over 1,000 square meters of liveable space. Amongst the yacht's key amenities are a private deck, complete with an intimate lounging area, forward of the master cabin, an extensive beach club with an extended platform. Photo by Josip BaresicFrom a technical standpoint, the yacht is featured by twin Caterpillar 3516C engines of 2,680 hp each, giving Cloud 9 a maximum speed of 16.5 knots and a cruising speed of 15 knots.Photo by @runworldThe owner's previous Cloud 9 was a 60-meter CMN built in 2009 and sold in June 2015 at an asking price of €34,900,000. She has since been renamed to Ice Angel, a name previously held by a 50-meter Heesen, which is currently on the market asking €22,500,000.

Dutch shipyard Amels has revealed some details about its in-build superyacht 188. Available for delivery in summer 2018, she has been styled by British designer Tim Heywood responsible for the yacht's sweeping exterior lines. She’s a large yacht for her length, the optimum form of elegance and enjoyment. You always feel close to the sea thanks to generous outdoor spacesThe four high-volume decks are spacious and airy with 6 staterooms for 12 guests and a smart layout that flows naturally. The yard's design team applied all their experience from almost 30 Limited Editions yachts to create the highest level of crew efficiency without sacrificing luxury spaces.Amels 188 alluring amenities include a large beach club and swim platform, sauna, steam shower, gym, dive gear, central staircase and elevator right down to lower deck guest suites, touch and go helipad for Airbus H135 or similar up to 3,000 kg take-off weight and an open sun deck with jacuzzi.The largest Amels superyacht to date is Here Comes The Sun, which emerged at its facility in Vlissingen at the end of June 2016. Since then she completed her sea trials and left the Netherlands for international waters in January 2017.