Spotted

Heesen' second largest yacht Galactica Star is being offered for sale in a sealed bid arrangement starting on April 4, 2019 with the close of bidding on May 19th. The sale process was proposed by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Republic of Nigeria and approved by U.S. federal court, as a part of ongoing corruption case against two Nigerian nationals, according to The Marine News.The sale follows a court-ordered seizure of the yacht's owner's assets due to possible connections to an ongoing Nigerian oil corruption scandal, triggered by the Panama Papers investigation.The superyacht was allegedly bought by Nigerian oil magnate Kolawole Aluko, who is one of four defendants accused of cheating Nigeria out of almost $1.8 billion in siphoned crude oil sales, reports The Marine News. The U.S. government also accused Aluko and another oil executive, Olajide Omokore, of laundering money in the United States and using it to acquire the yacht, among other assets.The US and Nigerian governments received Federal Court approval to sell the superyacht last month in Texas. According to Law360, a legal news source, U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison approved it due to high maintenance and dockage fees, estimating the combined cost at around $170,000 per month.The sealed bid will be managed by Fraser, with the MRP set at $42,000,000. Following the close of bidding, the winning bidder will have five days to deposit five percent of the accepted total into an escrow account.Custom motor yacht Galactica Star was built by Heesen in Netherlands at their Oss shipyard and delivered to her owner in 2013. She features exterior styling by Omega Architects, and engineering by Van Oossanen & Associates. Meanwhile, the yacht's interior has been designed by Bannenberg & Rowell. Galactica Star accommodates up to 12 guests overnight in 6 cabins, comprising a master suite, 1 VIP stateroom, and 4 double cabins. She is also capable of carrying up to 13 crew onboard to ensure a relaxed luxury yacht experience. The most alluring feature about the vessel is what goes on below the waterline. Van Ossaanen Naval Architects successfully created a yacht that cruises 30% more efficiently than a conventional round-bilged motor yacht in this size range. Powered by 2 MTU 5,592 HP diesel engines and propelled by twin screw propellers, Galactica Star is capable of a top speed of 27 knots, and comfortably cruises at 24 knots. With her 90,000 fuel tanks she has a maximum range of 4,200 nautical miles at 14 knots. Her water tanks store around 30,000 litres of fresh water. The yacht used to be popular for charter among celebrities, for instance, once rented by American music industry power couple, Jay Z and Beyonce for a holiday cruise, according to WithinNigeria.

Dutch builder Hakvoort has announced delivery of the 63.72-metre superyacht Scout, that departed from Amsterdam facility on April 16th. The vessel is trademarked with interiors and exteriors by H2 Yacht Design, representing the builder’s largest project so far seconded by 61-metre Just J's.Scout during her sea trials.Scout was launched at Hakvoort’s facilities in Monnickendam in December 2018 and then towed to Amsterdam for final completion. First known as Project Brio, the yacht started construction under a different ownership, changing owners early on and shifting the project to the steel and aluminium explorer that it is today. The owner’s brief called for a rugged explorer style yacht intended to look like a conversion from a commercial vessel,commented H2's Jonny Horsfield, who was responsible for the vessel’s naval architecture. We placed the tenders on the bow, leaving them exposed to add to the utilitarian aesthetic. There is a helideck and a forward observation lounge in addition to an expansive sun deck.Scout features four guest cabins each designed with a specific nautical theme on the main deck, in addition to the owner's deck. Furthermore, eleven staff cabins can be found on the lower deck. Exterior design details such as Scout’s high bow, exposed tenders in the bow with cut-down bulwarks and integrated forward-sloping windows embody the trawler-aesthetic of her design. Other Scout’s notable features include a helideck as well as an expansive sun deck complete with large Jacuzzi and unobstructed views fore and aft.Powered by twin CAT engines, Scout will cruise at 12.5 knots and reach a top speed of 14.8 knots. Her maximum range will be at 4,800 nautical miles once delivered, coupled with an ice-class hull.The yacht will now embark her maiden voyage to the USA. The delivery takes place in the time when explorer yachts are becoming a new trend of the yachting world, with the world’s largest 182.9 -metre explorer project REV under construction at the VARS shipyard.Photos via Hakvoort

Russian billionaire banker, Oleg Tinkov, whose net worth is estimated at $2.3 billion by Forbes, has ordered the first private 77-metre icebreaker yacht dubbed La Datcha. She is set to become the first private luxurious ice breaker, capable of exploring the furthest destinations possible. Planned for delivery in autumn 2020, the yacht is being built as a part of Damen’s SeaXplorer series in the Netherlands.The explorer is being built as a part of the businessman’s luxury recreational project La Datcha, consisting of several holiday hikes in ultra high-end destinations. La Datcha will be available for charter according to Tinkov’s interview with Forbes, at a price starting from € 690,000,000 per week. Meanwhile, the owner himself is planning to spend up to 20 weeks a year on the yacht. The six-deck expedition yacht will feature a 14-metre beam, along with a draft of 6.5 metres, adding up to interior volume of 2,560 GT. She will also boast a speed of 14.5 knots. In fact, it is an expedition yacht, able to break ice up to 40 centimetres thick and maintain autonomy at sea for up to 40 days.Thanks to generous storage spaces, a wide range of equipment and tenders can be housed on-board, including 2 helicopters, 1 submarine, 1 VIP tender / rescue boat, 1 beach lander tender, 1 dive support tender, 4 waverunners, 2 expedition ribs and 2 snowscooters.The yacht’s custom interior design by Amels and Damen will be trademarked with full height windows of the observation lounge, main saloon and the owner’s suite and an observation deck upstairs. Expedition Yacht 77 will come with hot water Jacuzzis — 1 indoor and 1 outdoor, a sauna and steam bath, massage room and a fully equipped gym.La Datcha Expedition Yacht 77’ six guest cabins, including 2 master suites and 2 VIPs, offer accommodation to 12 guests, along with a crew of 25. Each suite comes with a bathroom and a walk-in wardrobe.Tinkov plans to premiere the vessel at Monaco Yacht Show 2020. After that, he is going to tour the 77-metre across Mediterranean, Seychelles, Madagascar and then Kamchatka and Kuril Islands, with the yacht to be seen in the Antarctic in January 2021. Tinkov also ensures, according to Forbes, that a Russian businessmen from the Forbes list has already expressed interest in renting the boat for six months, while Microsoft founder Bill Gates wants to sign up for a three-week charter.Photos via La Datcha

Italian builder Overmarine Group has presented a new model in its Mangusta Oceanco line, a 49.9-metre Mangusta Oceano 50 designed by Alberto Mancini.Mangusta Oceanco 50 features impressive exterior areas within her 500 GT interior volume, starting from the aft cockpit. There, sofas are built-in inside a teak shell, forming a square ring slightly lower than the side walkways, making an exclusive private area. Meanwhile, its floor lets through natural light, brightening the beach club below.The yacht is also trademarked with a spacious beach club, as the garage has been moved to the bow area. The transom door and the two side hatches open up to 180 degrees, creating a wide, fully-equipped platform on the sea, with the possibility to have a convenient walk-around passage.The bow area features a spacious cockpit, that can be furnished to th owner’s taste. The garage beneath can fit a tender of over 6 metres and two jet skis. As soon as a tender is launched, the inside basin can be filled with water, creating a counter-current swimming pool. Still, a Jacuzzi pool can be found on the sun deck that also features a dining table for 12 guests. The interiors have been designed to achieve flawless continuity with the exteriors. They will be filled with natural lights via ceiling-high windows in the main deck salon and on the upper deck, along with hidden illumination points highlighting the details.Alberto Mancini’s décor style proposal bases on a blend of soft light colours and fine materials, like linen and silk in the shades of light blue and turquoise, white marbles, and sand-colour oak wood parquet.The designer comments on the project:I balance the hard and soft sinews and then create a line to highlight the windows and extend them as a single section that unites the interior and exterior … and in my thoughts I can already admire the yacht as its reflections illuminate a beautiful bay in the Caribbean night.As to the yacht’s technical characteristics, she features a maximum speed of 16 knots, equipped with two MTU 12V 2000 M86 engines. Her cruising speed meanwhile makes 11 knots at a range of 4,000 nautical miles. The builders promise the yacht’s stability both at anchor and when cruising, and very limited noise and vibrations.Construction of the first unit has already begun, with completion planned for 2020. As to recent activities of the yard, it has launched Mangusta 110 and delivered the third Mangusta Oceano 43 since the beginning of the year.

A new-build 27.02-meter hull by Italian shipyard Canados Yachts has been sold by Northrop & Johnson is set for delivery in 2020 as a Canados 888 Evo model. In 2018 Canados 888 was awarded as Most Functional Yacht. Also in May 2019, the first Canados 120' Caesar should be delivered.Canados is one of a few Italian builders capable of producing one-off versions of its models that are fully customized with tailormade interiors. One of the yacht’s most exceptional features is her four-meter tender garage accommodating a Williams 3.85 meter jet tender, and a Seakeeper gyroscopic stabilizer system. She comes with a hard top that provides guests with ample shade when enjoying her gigantic flybridge.The Canados 88’ is the direct evolution of the Classic 86’ of which 46 have been delivered. One of the Canados clients had four 86’s built over the course of 13 years! The interior of the Canados 888 Evo is being conceptualized by Rome-based designer Michela Reverberi. All in-house built furniture has been designed with rounded edges equipped with indirect strip LED lights which, when lit in the dark, give the impression that the furniture is floating.Built with an Aramat/Kevlar hull and superstructure, the 88’ Evolution comes with a reversed deck saloon overlooking the water and gigantic saloon floor to ceiling windows. The main deck layout remains an example of practicality with its oversize saloon with direct sea view, thanks to the cut-down bulwarks, dining room, Boffi galley, day head and crew dinette in the wheelhouse. On the flybridge, guests will find two corner sofas with drinks tables looking out over the stern. Another L-shaped sofa is placed on the port side and looks forward to the central alfresco dining area, where eight guests can savour a meal beneath the hardtop that folds back to let in the sunshine. The accommodation total is for eight guests across four cabins. The lower deck still offers its reputed four cabin layout with a VIP to the bow, two twin guest cabins to the sides and the full beam owner’s suite in the centre. Bathrooms are equipped with custom-made wash basins in Striato Olimpico marble.She capable of cruising at 27 knots and can reach a top speed of 32 knots, the Canados 888 Evolution 48 is powered by two Caterpillar C32 Acert 1,925hp diesel engines. The asking price was €5,240,000@Photos by Canados Yachts