Luna is the world's second-largest expedition yacht.[4] In 2022 it was seized by authorities in Germany.

History
Marshall Islands
NameLuna
OwnerBlue Sea Trust
BuilderLloyd Werft, Germany
Cost€250m (April 2010)
LaunchedOctober 2009
ChristenedApril 2010
In serviceApril 2010[1]
Identification
General characteristics
Class and typeIce Class
TypeMotor Yacht
Tonnage5,750 GT[2]
Length115 m (377 ft)[3]
Beam22.5m
Height47.46m
Draft6.49m
Decks10
Installed power15,000hp
Speed22.5 knots max speed, 18 knots cruising speed
Range9,000 nm at 16-18 knots
Boats & landing
craft carried
8
Crew52 Crew
Aviation facilities2 MCA Helicopter pads with fire suppression system and full night time landing certification with on board helicopter landing/maintenance/fire team

Ownership history

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Luna was delivered to Russian businessman Roman Abramovich on 10 April 2010.[1] Its exterior was designed by NewCruise of Germany and its interior by Donald Starkey.[2] The yacht's cost has been estimated at over €250m.

Luna was sold to Azerbaijani Farkhad Akhmedov, for €200m in April 2014.[5] In October 2014 the yacht was sent to Bremerhaven, Germany, for an extensive refit costing €50m. The yacht was delivered in March 2016 after a 16-month extensive refit.[6] She featured at the centre of a dispute between Akhmedov and his ex-wife, Tatyana Akhmedova, after an English High Court judgement[4] awarded Tatiana a disputed £453 million matrimonial settlement. Following the Luna ruling, Farkhad and Tatiana settled their dispute.[7] Luna became property of the Blue Sea Trust, reported to be the owning entity of the Akhmedov family.[8] In October 2021, having undergone a refurbishment following her stay in Dubai, Luna set sail once again heading through the Suez Canal and into the Mediterranean and arriving at Lloyd Werft shipyard to undergo maintenance.[9]

In March 2022, Forbes reported that Luna was still owned by Farkhad Akhmedov. At the time, she had been sanctioned by the EU, UK, Canada, and Switzerland, and was still registered in the Marshall Islands with a value of $196 million. She was frozen by German authorities on May 12, 2022, and on May 23, 2022, was recorded in Hamburg, Germany.[10]

Public prosecutors searched the ship in early May 2023, citing that the 67-year old owner has been hiding substantial assets he is suspected to hold in Germany from the authorities.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "MY Luna 115m Delivered". SuperYachts.com. April 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
  2. ^ a b "M/Y Luna". superyachts.com. 12 June 2009. Retrieved 2010-12-16.
  3. ^ "Top 100 Largest Yachts". boatinternational.com. 16 December 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-16.
  4. ^ a b "Dubai court rules 115m Luna belongs to owner's ex-wife". Boat International. Retrieved 2018-08-31.
  5. ^ "Superyacht Luna - Farkhad Akhmedov".
  6. ^ "The Luna story: a refit redefined". www.superyachttimes.com. SuperYacht Times. Retrieved 2017-02-01.
  7. ^ "Dubai's highest court rejects superyacht seizure appeal in mammoth divorce battle". Reuters. 2020-08-20. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  8. ^ "LUNA Yacht -- Lloyd Werft". Yacht Charter Fleet.
  9. ^ "Araber sorgen für Hoffnung auf der Lloyd Werft". Norderlesen (in German). Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  10. ^ "Biden And Allies Are Coming For Russian Billionaires’ Yachts: Forbes Tracked Down 51. Here’s Where To Find Them", Giacomo Tognini, March 1, 2022; Forbes
  11. ^ "Mutmaßliche Oligarchen-Jacht «Luna» in Hamburg durchsucht", dpa, 3 May 2023; Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung