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SAMAR Yacht – Luminous $100M Superyacht

SAMAR yacht was a marvel at the time of her build. The 77m luxury yacht has many amenities that make her the ultimate experience of luxury and opulence on the sea.

She had renowned designers work on her to bring her to completion, and she continues to be a luxurious yachting experience.

SAMAR yacht interior

The interior of the SAMAR yacht is the definition of luxurious with its spacious internal layout. Joe Thome designed the interior. There is accommodation for 12 guests in 7 staterooms and 26 crew members.

The owner’s stateroom is on the main deck, with 2 VIP cabins on the lower deck, two double cabins on the lower deck, and one small one on the bridge deck.

The interior features a spacious saloon and dining room with 3m high windows. There is a covered deck bar and dining area, a helipad, a side garage, a movie theatre, a fill-fitted gym, a steam room, and both hot and cold pools on the upper deck.

The helipad is designed to hold a Bell 407 helicopter and has refueling facilities. The garage is filled with toys like jet skis, wave runners, diving equipment, water skis, snorkeling gear, fishing equipment, and a MINI Cooper Cabriolet.

The wet dock on the aft is designed for a 33’ CrisCraft ridged gulled tender and the four tenders on board.

The exterior of the SAMAR yacht is designed by H2 Yacht Design and Nick Meyers, two hugely respected names in the yacht building industry.

Laurent Giles designed the naval architecture, and the build was executed by Devonport Yachts of England in 2006.

At the time of her build, the SAMAR was the largest ship to ever be built in England. The hull is steel, and the superstructure is aluminum.

Specifications

The 77m has a gross tonnage of 2150 GT, which is the largest to ever be built in the UK to date.

The SAMAR yacht has a beam of 13.11m and a draft of 4m. She has a range of 6,000 nautical miles with cold storage provisions for 44 people.

Her 3 Wärtsilä diesel engines provide a cruising speed of 12kn and a top speed of 16.5kn. She is in the top 5% LOA of all boats in the world, with a running cost of $5-$10 million and a value of $100 million.

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$100 million superyacht owned by Kuwaiti billionaire makes a stop in Maltese waters

The impressive vessel, called Samar, is owned by Kutayba Alghanim

8th July 2020

A stunning 77-metre long superyacht has been spotted gliding along Malta’s shores. Hard to miss with its imposing appearance, the superyacht is owned by Kuwaiti billionaire, Kutayba Alghanim.

According to Forbes, Kutayba Alghanim is the chairman of Alghanim Industries, which was founded by his late father, Yusuf, in 1932.

The superyacht, which was built in 2006, is one of the largest to have ever been built in the UK, with a gross tonnage of 2159 tonnes and powered by engines that give it a maximum speed of 17 knots and a cruising speed of 14 knots.

Samar reportedly costs around $100 million (€88 million) and includes an impressive pool, a gym, a cinema, several bar areas and 7 cabins that can accommodate 12 guests.

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SAMAR is a 76.88 m Motor Yacht, built in the United Kingdom by Devonport and delivered in 2006.

Her top speed is 16.5 kn and her cruising speed is 14.0 kn and her power comes from three Wartsila diesel electric engines. She can accommodate up to 12 guests in 7 staterooms, with 25 crew members. She has a gross tonnage of 2159.0 GT and a 13.11 m beam.

She was designed by H2 Yacht Design (26 other superyachts designed) and Laurent Giles (15 other superyachts designed).

The naval architecture was developed by Nick Myers and Devonport , and the interior of the yacht was designed by Joe Tohme - she is built with a Teak deck, a Steel hull, and Aluminium superstructure.

SAMAR is in the top 5% by LOA in the world. She is one of 120 motor yachts in the 70-80m size range, and, compared to similarly sized motor yachts, her volume is 372.32 GT above the average.

SAMAR is currently sailing under the Cayman Islands flag, the 2nd most popular flag state for superyachts with a total of 1408 yachts registered. She is currently located at the superyacht marina Port Forum, in Spain, where she has been located for 2 weeks. For more information regarding SAMAR's movements, find out more about BOATPro AIS .

Specifications

• Name: SAMAR
• Yacht Type: Motor Yacht
• Builder: Devonport
• Naval Architect: Devonport , Nick Myers
• Exterior Designer: Laurent Giles , H2 Yacht Design
• Interior Designer: Joe Tohme
• Refits: 2019,2019,2021,2022,2023

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Owner of 77m charter yacht SAMAR upgrades to 100m berth at CNM’s Grand Harbour Marina in Malta

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Written by Zuzana Bednarova

In order to meet the needs of his new, larger yacht, the owner of a 90m berth at Grand Harbour Marina in Malta has upgraded, by purchasing a 100m berth at the same marina. Camper & Nicholsons Marinas confirmed that the owner of the 77m luxury charter yacht Samar purchased the berth in December 2012, in order to accommodate a larger yacht that is presently in new-build planning.

CNM's Grand Harbour Marina situated in a popular Mediterranean yacht charter location - Malta

The decision to stay at the historic but modern marina came down to positive experiences both on the island and at the marina itself. The Captain of superyacht Samar, said : “the location at the gateway to either the East or West makes Malta an ideal place to position. And our experience with the Grand Harbour Marina staff has been excellent. The overall service and work ethic is one of the finest experienced in my career.”

Kurt Fraser, Sales & Marketing Director at CNM, completed the sale with support from Anna Tabone of AG Yacht Marina Consultants and Michael Payne of Camper & Nicholsons International. Fraser added : “We take pride in the owner’s decision to re-invest in Grand Harbour Marina and in Malta, as it is proof positive of what we have always believed about Malta’s strategic location, its desirability for captains and crew, and the operational advantages for owners and their yachts.”

Normal 0 14 false false false IT X-NONE X-NONE

Regarded by many as the Mediterranean’s most stable and yacht-friendly jurisdiction, Malta also enjoys a temperate climate and a low cost of living, which help the island to compete with more fashionable Mediterranean homeports.

As Fraser observed : “ Monaco and Montenegro may make headlines, but Malta makes sense. It’s natural that some owners prefer to base their yachts in the fashionable and costly destinations frequented by other superyacht owners. Malta is different – the destination is authentic, understated and practical. Our berth owners realize its operational and fiscal advantages, and enjoy tangible benefits – both financial savings and easy access to any part of the Mediterranean.”

Please contact CharterWorld - the luxury yacht charter specialist - for more on superyacht news item "Owner of 77m charter yacht SAMAR upgrades to 100m berth at CNM's Grand Harbour Marina in Malta".

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SAMAR Yacht Layout & GA Plans

77m  /  252'7 | devonport yachts | 2006.

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By SuperyachtNews 27 May 2015

Small but mighty Malta

Beautiful scenery and clear-blue waters, famous heritage, notoriously welcoming people and a well-placed superyacht marina makes malta an attractive superyacht destination in the mediterranean. the superyacht owner talks to captain bob corcoran of m/y samar about what makes malta and grand harbour marina so special.  ….

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Putin moved £75million superyacht weeks before Ukraine invasion to avoid having it seized

Graceful has its own library, spa and plunge pools and a cocktail bar, article bookmarked.

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President Putin moved his £75million superyacht three weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine to avoid having it seized as part of war sanctions, a new investigation has claimed.

Secret documents released by Russian investigative journalist Maria Pevchikh, who heads the anti-corruption foundation set up by Alexei Navalny, show the Russian president had his yacht ‘Graceful’ sail from from Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany to the Russian semi-exclave of Kaliningrad two weeks before the invasion.

The documents show an email was sent by an employee of Russia’s largest shipping company, the SCF Group, to Blohm & Voss saying the owner of Graceful is unhappy with an on-going “refit” and wants the ship to sail out of the Hamburg port on February 1, 2022.

The email does not provide any reason why the owner of the yacht was unhappy with the on-going “refit”, which added two new balconies to the vessel and extended the pool.

“The owner is not happy with the retrofit. He is dissatisfied with the delays in the construction process,” the email says.

“The owner wants the Graceful to be brought to the Russian Federation on February 1st (...). Please mobilise an uninterrupted crew – 2 shifts.’

The email, sent on January 19, 2022, adds: “Please accelerate all works which may interfere with Graceful sailing out on 01 February.

“Please calculate the amount to be paid by Owners due to early departure. Crew and myself will provide full assistance to prepare Graceful for Towing.”

According to investigators, Blohm & Voss was set to work on Graceful for another year to fix open holes in its surface. But the company was forced to cancel its work and get the ship ready to set sail in just 12 days.

The yacht’s crew, based in Hamburg, were also forced to move out of their homes so they could move the vessel.

Reports suggest the company did not meet the deadline of February 1, with pictures showing Graceful being towed out of Hamburg on February 7.

Sanctions imposed by the UK, US, European Union and other allied nations since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have seen Putin and his allied Oligarchs have their assets seized across the world, including numerous superyachts and houses.

But president Putin was preparing for this eventuality by ordering Graceful - which has since been renamed Kosatka (Russian for ‘killer whale’) - to return to a friendly port well in advance, according to investigators.

Graceful is alleged to have cost the Russian president 87 million euros (£75 million) and has a 50-foot indoor swimming pool that turns into a theatre and dance floor with the press of a button, a helipad, a gym, and a wine cave that can store 400 bottles.

It also features a large library, spa and plunge pools and a cocktail bar.

President Putin allegedly owns three yachts, however, his officials deny this.

As well as Graceful, Mr Putin is alleged to own the Olympia, gifted to him by a top oligarch almost two decades ago, and the £550 million ‘floating palace’ Scheherazade - seized by the West.

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Vladimir Putin’s Superyacht Graceful Has A New Name: “Killer Whale”

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Vladimir Putin's yacht Kosatka, formerly named Graceful, off the coast of Estonia on September 25.

The Russian president’s superyacht was spotted off the coast of Estonia, escorted by a Russian Coast Guard vessel.

Vladimir Putin’s second-largest superyacht is on the move. More than seven months after hastily departing Germany for the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, the Russian president’s $119 million, 267-foot Graceful was spotted off the coast of Estonia—with a new name.

Photos seen by Forbes that were taken on September 25 by Carl Groll, a contributing photographer for TheYachtPhoto.com, reveal that Graceful has a new name: Kosatka , Russian for “killer whale.” Forbes, which was tipped off by TheYachtPhoto.com’s managing director and longtime yacht watcher Peter Seyfferth, compared photos of Graceful available on yacht industry websites with the photo of Kosatka that appear to confirm the match.

The yacht was traveling northbound in the Baltic sea to the west of the Estonian island of Saaremaa; the pictures show it being escorted by an armed Russian Coast Guard vessel, possibly en route to St. Petersburg. It’s unclear when Graceful changed its name to Kosatka or when it departed Kaliningrad, a Russian territory sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland: the yacht’s transponder has been turned off since at least August 30, according to ship tracking service MarineTraffic, when it was still in Kaliningrad. A spokesperson for the Russian government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Kosatka —then named Graceful —departed the German port of Hamburg on February 7, seventeen days before Russian troops invaded Ukraine. It left for Russia after a five-month refit at the shipyards of Blohm+Voss, the company that built the yacht in 2014. The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Graceful —along with three other yachts linked to Putin—on June 2.

Kosatka moored at the port of Sochi, Russia in July 2015, when it was still named Graceful and before its refit in 2022.

Registered in Russia, Kosatka features an indoor swimming pool that turns into a theater and a dance floor, a helipad and suites for up to 12 guests. The ship also boasts pool towel storage cabinets that double as vodka bars and an owner's suite with a wine cave that can store up to 400 bottles; the yacht was delivered to "her closely-collaborating owner" in 2014, according to Lürssen, which owns Blohm+Voss.

According to a BBC News investigation published in March, the yacht is currently owned by Moscow-based JSC Argument, which the U.S. Treasury sanctioned along with its sole shareholder, Andrei Gasilov, on June 2. The BBC investigation found that JSC Argument had in the past agreed to a loan from one of the management companies involved in the construction of "Putin's Palace,” an opulent, 190,000-square-foot estate near the resort town of Gelendzhik on the Black Sea coast. JSC Argument did not respond to phone calls for comment from the BBC.

According to yacht valuation experts VesselsValue and reporting from the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), Graceful was previously owned by British Virgin Islands-based Olneil Assets Corp. The U.S. Treasury sanctioned a company in the Cayman Islands with a similar name—O’Neill Assets Corporation—on June 2, for "having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Vladimir Putin."

Besides Kosatka , Putin has been linked to at least five more yachts: the $507 million, 459-foot Scheherazade , which is technically owned by oil & gas billionaire Eduard Khudainatov but is believed to be held on behalf of Putin ; the $22 million, 187-foot Olympia ; the $18 million, 177-foot Chayka , which means “seagull” in Russian; the $17 million, 151-foot Shellest; and the 105-foot Nega. Olympia and Kosatka , then named Graceful , were sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury on June 2 as “blocked property in which President Vladimir Putin has an interest” while Shellest and Nega were targeted as “two additional yachts linked to Putin.” Altogether, Putin’s fleet of yachts is worth at least $680 million, according to VesselsValue.

Except for Scheherazade , which was frozen by Italian authorities in the port of Marina di Carrara on May 6 and recently re-registered to Malaysia, and Olympia , which is registered in the Cayman Islands, the other yachts are all registered in Russia. All of the other yachts, except for Scheherazade , also appear to be in Russia now: Olympia was last tracked in Lake Ladoga, near St. Petersburg, on July 31, 2021; Chayka was last tracked in the Black Sea port of Sochi on March 29, 2021; Shellest was last tracked off the coast of Gelendzhik on September 13; and Nega was last tracked in Lake Ladoga on August 14.

The links between the six yachts and the leader of the Kremlin are complex. According to the U.S. Justice Department, Eduard Khudainatov— a former CEO of Russia’s state-owned oil company Rosneft and a longtime associate of Igor Sechin, Rosneft’s current boss and Putin’s right-hand man —acted as a “clean, unsanctioned straw owner” for Scheherazade , owning it through Marshall Islands-based Bielor Assets Ltd. A spokesperson for Khudainatov did not respond to a request for comment regarding Scheherazade when Forbes reached out in June.

Olympia is owned by Cayman Islands-based Ironstone Marine Investments, which was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury on June 2. According to the U.S. Treasury, Shellest and Nega are owned by the Russia-based Non-Profit Partnership Revival of Maritime Traditions and its subsidiary LLC Gelios; both entities were sanctioned on June 2. Putin’s ties to Chayka are clearer: the yacht is owned directly by the Russian government, according to VesselsValue.

An investigation by OCCRP published in June shed light on the murky relationship between Putin and his yachts. The firms that own Shellest and Nega are tied to "LLCInvest," a network of interconnected companies and nonprofits that holds a collective $4.5 billion in assets, including Putin's palatial complex on the Black Sea. The group is also linked to another yacht, the $9 million, 121-foot Aldoga , owned by a firm held by Svetlana Krivonogikh, rumored to be the mother of one of Putin's daughters.

The investigation also revealed how Putin appears to use the yachts: Shellest makes frequent trips between Gelendzhik—the site of “Putin’s Palace”—and Sochi, while Nega travels between several homes owned by LLCInvest companies, including a villa known as the “Fisherman’s Hut” on Lake Ladoga and Villa Sellgren, a mansion on the shores of the Gulf of Finland. OCCRP reached out to more than 100 LLC Invest email addresses and made phone calls to five representatives of LLC Invest companies for comment; none of the emails received replies to the questions and four of the people called did not respond, while a fifth claimed he did not know who owned the companies.

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• Kruzenshtern Ship Arrives In The Vicinity Of Kaliningrad For Bowsprit Repairs
• VesselFinder
• Maritime News

On July 12th, the Kruzenshtern  barque and tall ship moored at Svetly, in the vicinity of Kaliningrad  in order to be repaired for some minor damages that she sustained in a collision accident with two Iceland Coast Guard ships in the Reykjavik  port, as commented by the vessel’s owner, Kaliningrad State Technical University.

Ship Repair-Zapad LLC is going to carry out the necessary repairs regarding the STS Kruzenshtern’s damaged bowsprit. Given that the damages are not significant the barque has no need for an overhaul over at a yard.

On June 11th, the Kruzenshtern, the world’s 2nd biggest sailing ship, collided with two Iceland Coast Guard vessels at the Reykjavik port, while departing from the Reykjavik harbor. The collision resulted in the Thor Coast Guard vessel sustaining a hole in the deck which led to her being put out of commission. The other CG boat sustained minor damage to its signal mast.

Photo: Wolfgang Berthel

Related Video:  Russian tall ship collided with 2 Coast Guard vessels in Reykjavik