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.
UK superyacht yards Princess Yachts and Sunseeker International have donated Personal Protective Equipment to workers fighting coronavirus.Princess Yachts has donated its stock of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to frontline workers fighting coronavirus.By words of Princess Yachts chief executive, Antony Sheriff “We hope this donation of our PPE goes some way to helping NHS staff and other such services in these incredibly difficult times.”Also, Sunseeker has donated around 400 face masks and 4000 gloves to local Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.By words of Sunseeker chief operating officer, Michael Straughan this help was “to support our hardworking NHS workers as they continue their exceptional frontline work against coronavirus.”
March 31, 2020
DLBA Naval Architects created a new artificial intelligence concept, that makes it possible for some systems to be operated without any human interference.A new artificial intelligence concept which DLBA Naval Architects has been working on for some months not only means smarter operation onboard yachts, it means some systems can be operated with the human element removed when need be.DLBA has selected a 58m superyacht concept to develop internally as an autonomous yacht. The result, TEMPO, will be a study in all vessel systems where artificial intelligence can be used to enhance an owner’s experience onboard.There are three main areas where autonomous technology can be used in the maritime world - navigational autonomy, equipment health monitoring, and mechanical and electrical systems automation. All reduce the need for human input while increasing efficiency.Navigation autonomy relieves the workload on the vessel operator, and unmanned vessels have been operating in the commercial and military space for years. Hull, mechanical and electrical automation is like having an onboard engineering team at your fingertips. By ensuring elements at the sub-system level are AI-ready, the vessel can be kept operating at peak performance, efficiently. The number and complexity of auxiliary systems and equipment onboard yachts is increasing year-on-year, and with that comes the increasing demand on crews’ time to interpret feedback from the systems - equipment health monitoring lessens this demand on crew time.
March 31, 2020
The New Otam 70 HT has sporty but elegant and time fearless exterior lines, inspired by hypercars and aeronautic design. The yacht was designed by the Italian BG Design Firm studio with respecting and enhancing the Otam Brand style and Identity and new hull lines by Umberto Tagliavini Marine Design.Otam 70 HT has a deep V hull with a 21° deadrise angle together with the remarkable engine room volume. The yacht has incomparable fuel efficiency and unmatchable performances even with high seas. “Built-In” interiors is characterized by assembled but entirely built wood onboard space, reaching unconventional quality and solidity, a unique approach that ensure time fearless results and limitless aesthetic or layout choice.The yacht will include a sunbed on top of the transom tender garage and a sunbed at the bow. The first hull will also feature a three-cabin layout, including a full 5.4-metre beam owner’s suite forward with a separate crew cabin at the bow. With an overall length of 22 meters and a beam of 5.40 meters, the yacht offers a transom tender garage, the stabilization system and large volume engine room. Power will come from a pair of 2000hp MAN or MTU engines for a top speed of 50 knots.The yacht will make its international debut at the 2021 Cannes Yachting Festival.
March 31, 2020
Rome architects Borzelli & Berta have introduced details of new collection additions to the Thunderbird line of yachts, developed for South Korean shipyard GHI Yachts.New concepts will include a 40-metre, a 45-metre and a 50-metre yacht models with a sporty, sleek contemporary style and military lines by Francesco Rogantin.Key features of the yacht line include the optimised external areas and the inclusion of swimming pools and a touch-and-go helicopter platform.“Our goal was to give to clients the feeling of dealing with a bigger boat, something that almost feels in another league, and this is probably something that reached its peak with the 130’ carrier” - says Andrea Borzelli.
March 30, 2020
Supernova by Cosmo has an Ice-Class hull and an impressive range of more than 5000nm with a helipad for easy fly-in-fly-out for guests. She is powered by twin MTU 16V 2000M70 engines and carries stabilisers for comfort in all conditions.Cosmo Explorer features exterior lines by Italian designer Cristiano Gatto. Yacht has plenty of space to enjoy when spending extended time onboard. The yacht has six guest suites for up to 14 guests, including the large master cabin and saloon accessed by a private staircase, and large interior spaces include an expansive main saloon.A variety of exterior spaces across all decks are large and designed for outdoor living, including several options for al fresco dining, sunbathing and relaxing, a large observation deck with gym and Jacuzzi and an on-water beach club and extendable swimming platform.The yacht will be ready for delivery in 2021.
March 30, 2020