In June 2015 it was announced that yet another superyacht with a name inspired by a James Bond movie would be built, the 66-meter Spectre. Commissioned by American businessman, John Staluppi, the superyacht is set to become his 7th yacht.
Active in the automobile industry since the 1950s, Staluppi is best known for building the fastest yacht on Earth, the 40-meter The World is Not Enough along with the rest of his Bond fleet that keeps growing in length.
Moving up from an 18-meter Viking boat, Staluppi commissioned the 36-meter For Your Eyes Only from Denison as his first yacht. The semi-displacement yacht was eventually launched in 1985 and became the first motor yacht to have a combination of MTU engines with water-jets in the US, which allowed it to reach a top speed of 30 knots.
In the late eighties, For Your Eyes Only hit a sandbar which led to her taking in water from a crack in the engine room. The yacht was eventually salvaged, refitted and renamed with some speculating that the following alleged legal actions, combined with the sinking of two other Denisons within a short amount of time, led to the bankruptcy of the US shipyard.
In 1988, Octopussy was launched as Staluppi's second yacht in a successful attempt to build the fastest yacht in the world. A defining moment for Heesen Yachts, Octopussy had to reach 50 knots in order for Staluppi to take ownership of the boat, which it ultimately did, reaching a top speed of 53 knots. Staluppi eventually sold the 44-meter yacht after having used her for close to a year in and a half, which allowed him to start working on his next project, Moonraker.
A fast cruising trideck, Octopussy now features an interior by Art Line. Fully refitted by her current owners in 2015, the 44-meter now has a sundeck with a Jacuzzi and raised sun pads. On the upper deck, she features a sky lounge and her sporty bridge along with two dinning tables to her aft.
Down on her main deck is the yacht's main lounge with a myriad of seating areas, tall windows, a bar area and a TV screen that slides out amidst ship. Towards the yacht's aft is a dinning table for 12 guests that can be either opened up in good weather or closed down with glass panels. Forward of the deck is the main cabin with four additional guest cabins on the lower deck. The yacht's current owner's are selling it at $4,995,000.
By the time Octopussy was sold, HH the Aga Khan, was building a yacht to overtake the crown of the world's fastest yacht. Staluppi therefore set out to build an even faster one and the 36-meter Moonraker was eventually delivered in 1992 by Norship with a design done by Dutch-based Mulder.
In 1998, Staluppi set up his own business in yachting, Millenium Superyachts that was to handle his project in the superyacht industry. In 2004, the newly created label delivered The World Is Not Enough, a 40-meter yacht with 20,600hp that could reach a top speed of 70 knots but couldn't steer past 66 knots according to the owner.
In October 2007, Staluppi acquired a project in-build from Henry Luken, co-owner of Christensen Shipyards. In 2008, the 49.6-meter Casino Royale which can cruise at a more regular speed of 12 knots, was delivered to her new owner. Built out of composite, the full displacement yacht came in at just under 500GT. It was later listed for sale in December 2008 and sold in April 2009 to Californian businessman, David McDonald.
Built with a more traditional, American audience in mind, Casino Royale features a straightforward layout with a full-beam master cabin forward of the main deck, 2 guest, 2 twin and one VIP cabin on the lower deck. With two tenders and three jet skis carried onboard, Casino Royale features a lounge on the main deck and a sky lounge as well.
In July 2009, Staluppi acquired Midlandia, a 52-meter Benetti with an asking price of €19,950,000, which he renamed to Quantum of Solace and extensively refitted. In August 2009, he listed the boat for sale again at an asking price of $24,995,000 and eventually sold it, two years later, in July 2011.
Designed with Italian roots at its heart, Quantum of Solace has a layout more typical of yachts found in the Mediterranean. Its main tender is brought into a tender garage aft of the lower deck, with a foldable platform for swimming. This clears out the sundeck for lounging, sunbathing, casual dinning and leaves enough space up there for a Jacuzzi.
In a configuration that has proven popular for charters, Quantum of Solace's main deck features a main salon and dinning room with an outdoor lounging area towards the aft. Up on the second deck is a large sky lounge with a playing table, bar area, lounging area and large outdoor dinning table.
In November 2011, Diamonds are Forever was launched for Staluppi who had acquired the yacht whilst in-built, 18 months prior to its delivery. Throughout the construction project, Staluppi made several substantial improvements including the addition of an extra top deck.
Originally intended to be chartered out by its owners, Diamonds are Forever was listed for sale in August 2012, asking $63 million. In October 2012, her asking price was reduced to $59.5 million and she was eventually sold in December 2013.
With a number of features mirroring the Quantum of Solace, such as the large bar area in the sky lounge, Diamonds are Forever became a refined version of Staluppi's previous builds. The main attribute that set the yacht apart from other Benetti's of her size is the addition of a fifth deck to act as a sunbathing area, creating a second master cabin on the upper deck and pushing the bridge up to the third deck.
Born in Brooklyn in 1947, Staluppi started as a mechanic at 16 years old with a life long passion for cars during the golden era of automobiles. His first business became a Sunoco station, which he established thanks to a loan that his father took on.
After establishing a chain of gas stations, Staluppi risked bringing on an unknown car manufacturer at the time to the American market, which is now known as Honda. After 10 years, Staluppi established 20 dealerships of Honda cars in the United States. After Honda, Staluppi established a network of dealerships of Hyundai cars.
An avid collector of cars, Staluppi had established a museum around cars from all eras and an extensive personal collection. In 2012, these cars were put up for auction by RM Sotheby's in Palm Beach and generated over $11,5 million in sales revenue.
"John Staluppi is larger than life and well known in the collector-car hobby. His collection reflects a very precise collecting philosophy, focused on securing only the very best." said Donnie Gould of RM Auctions at the time of the auction.
Commissioned in July 2015, Spectre will become Staluppi's seventh superyacht named after a James Bond film and will also be designed by Mulder.
The 70m ice explorer Polaris has been launched at the Rossinavi facility in Viareggio. The yacht, previously known as Project King Shark, is the largest yacht built by this Italian shipyard. The exterior and interior designs were made by Enrico Gobbi’s Team for Design. She has elegant lines and curved details, and some features have been added at the request of the owners: a private terrace on the owner's deck and a 6m infinity pool on the main aft deck. The 70m explorer can accommodate twelve guests and seventeen crew members. Polaris is able to navigate in extreme ice conditions, including in the Arctic. She’s able to move from the warm waters of the Caribbean to the sub-zero conditions of Antarctica. The harmonious design features of the yacht show the same emphasis on aesthetics and amenities as the technical abilities of the boat. Rossinavi is an Italian manufacturer of custom steel and aluminium superyachts 28m in size and larger. The Rossi shipyard was founded in the 1970s and is located in Viareggio.Credits: Rossinavi
January 20, 2021
Work forges ahead on the first UP40 unit from Antonini Navi after construction started on spec early last December. The Crossover version has an improved open solution in the stern area, reflecting market demand.Antonini Navi’s Utility Platform 40, a yacht with the modular hull that can be adapted for three different types of displacement boats (Motoryacht, Explorer or Crossover), features a major modification in this version that improves the liveability of the stern area. This area has been redesigned to turn into a private beach at the water’s edge, making it possible to enjoy sea even more.The entire UP40 project, including all three types of yachts, is the work of Fulvio De Simoni, one of the driving forces behind the project, together with the Antonini family and concept creator and partner Aldo Manna.UP40 is a crossover available in both Open Deck and Enclosed Bridge versions.One of the main features of UP40 crossover unit, with an overall length of 43 metres, a steel hull and an aluminium superstructure, is that it “establishes a direct link between the stern platform and both a beach area and the cockpit, eliminating the changes of level that have an impact on everyday life on board,” stressed the Architect De Simoni. Another interesting feature is the fact that the two sides of the yacht are asymmetrical: the Forward Deck can be reached from the starboard side of the Main Deck, while the Forward Deck has direct access to the Upper Deck from the port side.Static and dynamic tank testing of the hull, hull lines and appendages were performed at the Marin Maritime Research Institute in the Netherlands, simulating sea-keeping in even extreme navigating conditions. The modern design of the hull’s bulbous bow ensures clean wave penetration and thrust reserve optimisation when facing high waves.The Pertusola shipyard in the Gulf of La Spezia was bought by Walter Antonini in 1977. Since then, Antonini Navi has been a family-heldleader in superyacht custom build and refitting. Credits: Antonini Navi
January 20, 2021
A fire broke out in Fort Lauderdale's Bahia Mar Marina after an 8.5m boat caught fire after refuelling, with the flames spreading over the superyacht W (ex Larisa), built by Feadship in 2013. The 57.6m yacht had gone through a major refit in the Feadship home base of the Netherlands and was delivered to her new owner July 2020. The W hull was damaged by the fire, but it was successfully extinguished by twenty Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue firefighters. No injuries were reported.Video: Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue
January 19, 2021
Fraser and Burgess have announced the sale of the 67.15m Damen Garçon support yacht. Garçon was used as a support vessel for the 87m yacht Ace during her exploring and environmental missions. Garçon has a lot of space for tenders, Jet Skis, and other water toys, as well as a room for a helipad. The vessel can reach a top speed of 25 knots. The last known asking price was 24 million euros.Credits: Damen Yachts
January 19, 2021
Ferretti Group has released its first sustainability report on corporate operations. The document formally testifies to the Group’s introduction of a virtuous pathway to minimise the environmental impact of its production processes and yachts, promoting better and wider ranging corporate social-responsibility measures. A materiality analysis has identified the topics with the greatest impact on business activities and the indicators to evaluate them, grouping them in four areas that will be examined each year in ever greater detail and used to measure the environmental and social performance of Ferretti Group: – Innovation and luxury: yachts– Environmental impact of the production process– Value for the local area– Human capitalFor Ferretti Group, sustainability starts with the quality and excellence that characterise the yachts it builds. Which is why research and development focus on the use of high-performance, sustainable materials and reducing energy consumption. The wood used in interior design is sourced from certified forests managed according to strict environmental, social and economic standards. The use of carbon fibre significantly reduces hull weight, resulting in yachts that are more efficient and consume less fuel. The research into hybrid engines and new technologies that reduce hull weight, as well as into improving the efficiency of shipyard activities is an important part of Group activity. In this sense, the ISO 14001 certification of the environmental management systems in place at the La Spezia site is the starting point for integrated management of the environmental impact of all production processes, as is the IMO Tier III certification obtained by CRN, the first shipyard in Italy to achieve this milestone, for a 62m megayacht. Also worthy of mention is the installation of the Ancona trigeneration plant to produce clean electric power, heating and cooling.Fundamental aspects are in the social sphere and include the impact on the local area, the entire supply chain and the central importance of human capital. Over 85% of Ferretti Group’s supply chain, which employs a total of more than 2,500 workers, is based in Italy and over 75% of the total economic value generated is distributed in the country. This contributes to job creation and the growth of the ecosystem of small and medium enterprises, including craft businesses, with which the Group has for years had a history of virtuous collaboration. This collaboration allows Group suppliers to develop specific processes and know-how and operate on global markets, generating development and innovation.As a result of all the measures that have been introduced, including the complete sanitisation of the production process right through to delivery, Ferretti Group has obtained RINA Biosafety Trust Certification, the first voluntary certification to prevent and control COVID infections, protecting over 1,500 workers, as well as customers. Finally, the Group has taken out an insurance policy covering all employees and providing protection in the event they test positive for the virus. This policy, which has been renewed for 2021, will be completed by another initiative to distribute 1,500 pulse oximeters to employees. “If we want to continue to grow steadily as a market leader, it is essential to address the economic, environmental and social impacts produced by our activities on the local areas where we operate. Successful sales efforts must go hand in hand with corporate responsibility,” commented Ferretti Group CEO Alberto Galassi. “In recent years, Ferretti Group has reported rapid growth and development, bringing beauty and innovation to the marine industry. We work with many different stakeholders and their sustainability needs and expectations are important in defining the measures we introduce from day to day to manage and mitigate the impact of our growth strategies. For this reason, and to testify to our corporate responsibility, we have decided to embark on a formal process that has led to the preparation of our first Sustainability Report. A first for Ferretti Group and a first for the Italian marine industry.”The Ferretti Group, led by Chief Executive Officer Alberto Galassi, is now one of the world’s leaders in the construction and sale of luxury yachts and pleasure vessels, with a unique portfolio of brands: Ferretti Yachts, Riva, Pershing, Itama, Mochi Craft, CRN, Custom Line and Wally.Credits: Ferretti Group
January 19, 2021