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Bilgin’s New Yacht Elada Has Vastly Different Interior and Exterior Styling, and Both Are Stunning

Beautiful, hand-finished wood detailing is found throughout the 147-foot megayacht…, michael verdon, michael verdon's most recent stories.

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Bilgin’s Elada , a 147-foot triple-deck motor yacht with a reverse bow and blue accents, is another one-of-a-kind design from the Turkish custom shipyard. The London-based H2 Yacht Design created both the exterior and interior, giving them radically different styling. The sleek, futuristic exterior would make a great backdrop for a sci-fi movie, while the rich wood and marble of the interior contribute to a more classic—indeed, a fairly conservative—design.

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The reverse bow is shaped like an eagle’s beak, turned down at the point. Moving aft, the hull has very clean lines. Raised bulwarks along the side decks and a long superstructure give the profile an integrated, lean look, especially considering that the boat has three decks.

H2 designed Elada to be more than just a pretty face, however. A folding door at the transom turns the swim platform into a beach club, while expansive glass doors between the bridge deck and the sky lounge—which has an outdoor dining table for 12—transform the area into an open terrace. Matching hot tubs—one on the bridge deck and the other on the sundeck—are perfect hubs for socializing with guests or for more intimate interactions. To give the yacht a signature touch, the owner requested large swaths of blue painted across the stern and foredeck and on the bridge.

The boat’s interior is dark and rich, with high-gloss veneers and woods—including wenge , burl walnut, zebrano, and palisander—as well as warm leathers and fabrics and cool marble floors. The full-beam owner’s suite on the bridge deck includes a large bedroom, a palatial bathroom with onyx detailing, and an office with its own skylight. A VIP cabin is located on the main deck, while the lower deck houses four double guest suites equipped with en suite bathrooms. The hand-finished wood detailing, often ribbed and scalloped, makes the interior an exceptional piece of artisanship.

Besides its striking looks, Elada is also a performer, able to reach a top speed of 19 knots; its cruising speed is 15 knots. When traveling at the eco-cruise speed of 12 knots, it has a range of 2,600 miles. ( bilginyacht.com )

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Motor Yacht

Elada is a custom motor yacht launched in 2007 by Bilgin Yachts, in Turkey and most recently refitted in 2010.

Elada measures 31.50 feet in length, with a max draft of 1.40 feet and a beam of 6.80 feet. She has a gross tonnage of 135 tonnes. She has a deck material of teak.

Elada has a wood/GRP hull with a wood/GRP superstructure.

Her interior design is by Eric Breda.

Elada also features naval architecture by Cizgi Yat.

Performance and Capabilities

Elada has a fuel capacity of 11,000 litres, and a water capacity of 2,500 litres.

Accommodation

Elada accommodates up to 10 guests in 5 cabins. She also houses room for up to 5 crew members.

Other Specifications

Elada is a RINA 100-A-1.1 “Y” class yacht. She flies the flag of Panama.

• Yacht Builder Bilgin Yachts No profile available
• Naval Architect Cizgi Yat No profile available
• Interior Designer Eric Breda No profile available

Yacht Specs

Other bilgin yachts, related news.

More About ELADA

ELADA Yacht

Motoryacht elada.

The ELADA yacht is a 147.6ft / 45m luxury yacht built and launched by yacht builder Bilgin Yachts . Delivered to a proud yacht owner in 2014, this luxury yacht sleeps up to 12 guests in 6 staterooms and has accommodations for 10 crew. She has a beam of 27.9ft / 8.5m, a draft of 6.1ft / 1.9m, and she measures in at 388 gross tons. Her hull is cold molded and her decks are teak. Her max speed is 18 knots and cruising speed is 15 knots.

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When it comes to purchasing a luxury yacht, like the yachts themselves, pricing may vary greatly. In the event there is no ELADA yacht price , the industry knowledge of Merle Wood & Associates will help you with everything you need to know in order to make the right decisions when buying a luxury yacht. If you’d like to know the availability of the ELADA yacht for charter and the weekly rate, view the ELADA yacht charter price and summary .

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For a complete list of amenities available or for a first-hand review of the ELADA yacht, simply request assistance from our qualified luxury yacht brokers. Our team of yacht specialists travel the world visiting and experiencing yachts for sale and not for sale. Because of this, they have expert knowledge about every yacht, and can provide further details about the features, amenities and condition of the most notable yachts on the water.

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In Southern Europe

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For more information or to enquire about the ELADA luxury yacht, simply contact a qualified yacht broker at Merle Wood & Associates for assistance.

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Elada is an Eye-Catching 45-Meter Superyacht by Bilgin Yachts

By Brody Patterson

Updated on August 31, 2017

Elada is a 45-meter semi-displacement yacht built by Turkish shipyard Bilgin Yachts, with interior and exterior design by H2 Yacht Design. Ordered back in 2012 and launched earlier this year, her distinguishing feature is the unusual reserve bow.

The eye-catching vessel is not only remarkable due to her exterior lines, but also thanks to her light blue elements, which give her a very cool and elegant look. Other prominent features include the folding transom door with access to a large beach club and the ample amount of space offered, making the exterior a perfect spot for sunbathing and relaxation.

Elada ’s interiors are just as welcoming: a blend of classic and modern, with more of an emphasis of the traditional. Luxurious details and high-end materials (pelisandro, beli, madrano burl, imbuya pomela, ebony macassar, wenge, backlit honey onyx, and backlit wild agate) create a warm and comfortable space guests will feel right at home in. Speaking of guests, six well-appointed cabins serve as accommodations for up to 12 people.

Delivered, as we’ve mentioned above, earlier this year, Elada is currently used privately, with no current plans to make here available for charter. She is currently cruising around Europe and the Mediterranean.

[SuperYacht Times]

About Brody Patterson

Brody has worked as a full time staff writer for Luxatic for over five years, covering luxury news, product releases and in-depth reviews, and specializing in verticals on the website alongside the tech & leisure section, as well as men's fashion, watches and travel. Learn more about Luxatic's Editorial Process .

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Bilgin Yachts launches 45m 'Elada'

On 7 june bilgin yachts launched the 45m bilgin 147 'elada'. the semi-displacement motoryacht features interior design by h2 design.….

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ELADA (BILGIN 147)

In 2014, another H2-designed yacht 45 meter Elada took the stage with masculine design and the blue color. The tri-deck yacht features a beach club at the transom and an expansive bridge-deck terrace.

The yacht’s most striking element, however, is the contrast between its modern, almost futuristic-looking exterior and its classic interior, which is filled with ribbed and scalloped woodwork.

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Bilgin 147 motor yacht ELADA now enjoying the sea

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Written by Zuzana Bednarova

The all-new Bilgin 147 motor yacht ELADA was launched by the well known Turkish shipyard Bilgin Yachts in June 2014. Superbly designed by H2 Yacht Design , the beautiful 45-metre superyacht ELADA is now enjoying the sea.

Bilgin 147 super yacht ELADA in the sea

Bilgin 147 luxury yacht ELADA provides deluxe accommodation divided into 6 magnificent cabins. These include one master cabin, one VIP cabin and four guest cabins. There is also space for a crew of 6 members.

CAT C 32 1915 diesel engines give super yacht ELADA a maximum speed of 22 knots and a cruising speed of 17 knots. She has a beam of 8,90 meters.

Below is a gallery for the beautiful charter yachts built by Bilgin Yachts .

Bilgin Yachts Charter Yacht Images

Motor yacht lilium at launch - bow.

LILIUM During Launch

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Bilgin 156 Hull 2

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Please contact CharterWorld - the luxury yacht charter specialist - for more on superyacht news item "Bilgin 147 motor yacht ELADA now enjoying the sea ".

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ELADA yacht NOT for charter*

45m  /  147'8 | bilgin yachts | 2014.

• Amenities & Toys

Special Features:

• Impressive 2,900nm range
• RINA (Registro Italiano Navale) C ✠ HULL ● MACH classification
• Interior design from H2 Yacht Design
• Sleeps 12 overnight
• Shallow draft and fast speeds for reef exploration

The 45m/147'8" motor yacht 'Elada' was built by Bilgin Yachts in Turkey at their Istanbul shipyard. Her interior is styled by English designer design house H2 Yacht Design and she was delivered to her owner in August 2014. This luxury vessel's exterior design is the work of H2 Yacht Design.

Guest Accommodation

Elada has been designed to comfortably accommodate up to 12 guests in 6 suites comprising one VIP cabin. She is also capable of carrying up to 11 crew onboard to ensure a relaxed luxury yacht experience.

Range & Performance

Built with a wood hull and wood superstructure, with teak decks, she benefits from a semi-displacement hull to provide exceptional seakeeping and impressive speeds. Powered by twin diesel Caterpillar (C32) 1,915hp engines, she comfortably cruises at 11 knots, reaches a maximum speed of 19 knots with a range of up to 2,900 nautical miles from her 25,000 litre fuel tanks at 11 knots. Her low draft of 1.86m/6'1" makes her primed for accessing shallow areas and cruising close to the shorelines. Elada features at-anchor stabilizers providing exceptional comfort levels. Her water tanks store around 6,720 Litres of fresh water. She was built to RINA (Registro Italiano Navale) C ✠ HULL ● MACH classification society rules.

*Charter Elada Motor Yacht

Motor yacht Elada is currently not believed to be available for private Charter. To view similar yachts for charter , or contact your Yacht Charter Broker for information about renting a luxury charter yacht.

Elada Yacht Owner, Captain or marketing company

'Yacht Charter Fleet' is a free information service, if your yacht is available for charter please contact us with details and photos and we will update our records.

Elada Photos

NOTE to U.S. Customs & Border Protection

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Here are a selection of superyachts which are similar to Elada yacht which are believed to be available for charter. To view all similar luxury charter yachts click on the button below.

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Introducing Elada Yachts by Lazzara Yachts Group and other yacht news

Introducing Elada Yachts by Lazzara Yachts Group

Elada Yachts is the newest brand in the Lazzara Yachts Group corporate family. The product development team which leads all design and engineering is located at our headquarters in Tampa, Florida, USA. Elada represents a new generation of ultra-high-volume (UHV) motor yachts with industry disruptive design features, state of the art manufacturing practices, and custom client personalization.

Elada Yachts is proud to offer the industry disrupting Elada EX 87 and Elada EX 118 luxury yachts. By bringing the expectations of a super yacht client to a different market segment Elada Yachts is creating a new industry standard. Constructed upon an entirely new platform that integrates the most advanced principles of performance and engineering, these exquisite yachts offer longer voyages, superior comfort and stability with unrivaled customization to ensure each yacht is custom tailored to the client’s needs. You will enjoy superior and unrivaled amenities not found on this size of yacht, unheard of interior space, head turning design, premium behind the scenes systems, and build quality until now only found on super yachts when you purchase an Elada Yacht.

Our heritage is a product of 3 generations of yacht building excellence. In 2020, we are proud to debut the first of many new exciting projects. Hull #1 of the Elada EX 87 is sold and nearing completion for a summer of 2020 launch and will be delivered to a European client while the Elada EX 118 is under development.

CCN M/Y VANADIS: the perfect blend of timeless style and a hi-tech soul

Pencilled by Guido De Groot, M/Y Vanadis is the fourth yacht in CCN’s Fuoriserie family. This 31 m fully-custom aluminium craft stands out in the luxury yachts arena for being the first Italian-built yacht to obtain the Lloyd’s Register’s “Hybrid Power” certification.

The Vanadis reveals two harmoniously entwined souls: on the one hand, she can boast a cutting-edge technological concept, reflecting the latest achievements in environmental friendliness and efficiency; on the other, her timeless, classical and elegant style goes beyond current design trends.

“Both the exterior and the interior layouts – explains designer Guido De Groot – have been fully customised to the Owner’s needs and wishes, resulting in a highly functional, comfortable, stylish and sophisticated design”.

The interior layout features the master stateroom and 2 guest cabins on the lower deck and a spacious salon with an L-shaped sofa, the dining area and the open galley in the indoor areas of the main deck, behind the wheelhouse. The atmosphere is that of a modern interpretation of “Jugendstil Interior”, the German branch of Art Nouveau, with an extensive use of bleached ash and walnut.

The interiors are very bright, thanks to the large glazed surfaces letting in plenty of natural light, a well-balanced arrangement of space, and light colour shades and furniture that make every area airy and cosy. The sober style of interiors goes hand in hand with custom-made furniture and furnishings, selected together with the Owner, by Wittmann, Poltrona Frau, Giorgetti, Knoll and JAB.

Outside, on the main deck, two comfy lounge areas can be found both astern and at the bow. A second steering station is located on the flybridge, which is entirely devoted to outdoor life, with sun loungers, a bar area, and a dining area, while the aft swimming platform hosts a 5.5 m tender.

An interesting challenge faced during the construction stage was defining the layout of the engine room. Thanks to the hybrid configuration and to the compact shape of the vessel (31 m -102’), the main engine compartment has been installed at the stern, the genset compartment at the bow. Taking advantage of the slender bow and of the shallow stern to accommodate machinery, space allocation below deck has been optimised, leaving more space and volumes available for the yacht’s guests and crew.

Statement Sinot: Incorrect media coverage concept Aqua / Bill Gates

In recent days, various articles have appeared in international media, stating that Sinot Yacht Architecture & Design sold its concept   Aqua  (presented at the Monaco Yacht Show 2019) to Bill Gates. These articles are factually incorrect. 

Sinot Yacht Architecture & Design wants therefore to make the following clear:

• The hydrogen concept   Aqua  is not linked to Mr. Gates (or his representatives) in any form or matter.
• Sinot Yacht Architecture & Design has no business relationship with Mr. Gates.
• Aqua  is a concept under development and has not been sold to Mr. Gates.
• Unfortunately, all ‘information’ in these recent articles is factual incorrect.

Aqua is a concept showed in Monaco meant to build a better future and inspire clients and the industry.

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U.S. Eyes $156 Million Yacht in Dubai Linked to a Russian Oligarch

The U.S. Justice Department is taking steps to seize the Madame Gu, a 324-foot luxury yacht, but it will be diplomatically thorny.

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By Kate Kelly ,  Michael Forsythe and Julian E. Barnes

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — On a clear morning in late October, the jewel-blue hull of the Madame Gu, one of the world’s most luxurious superyachts, gleamed, its aluminum rails shimmering in the sun. Workers on the pier said they had recently seen people painting, cleaning and generally keeping the ship with its helipad and six guest staterooms in pristine condition.

In past years, such a scene would not have been noteworthy. Many superyachts come and go from Dubai’s Mina Rashid Marina, best known as the home of the Queen Elizabeth 2, the trans-Atlantic ocean liner-turned-hotel that dominates the waterfront here.

But Russia’s war in Ukraine has turned an otherwise routine tableau into a diplomatic battleground between the United States and the United Arab Emirates, an important American ally that has established itself as a safe haven for Russian money and assets out of the reach of U.S. sanctions.

The $156 million Madame Gu epitomizes the problem. In June, the United States designated the vessel, which is linked to Andrei Skoch, a Russian steel magnate and lawmaker under sanctions, as blocked property. That means the yacht cannot use American companies for its upkeep, employ U.S. citizens or even use the dollar. The Justice Department is now taking steps to seize the Madame Gu, according to people with knowledge of the plan.

But the United States can’t seize property in a sovereign nation without permission from its government. The Emirates, which has taken a friendlier position toward Moscow, is balking at cooperating with the United States to pursue oligarchs, American officials said. The Kremlin is also using oligarch-controlled companies in the Emirates to acquire war supplies that the West is trying to keep out of Russia’s reach, according to a Western official involved in the sanctions effort against Russia.

Emirati officials did not comment specifically on the Madame Gu but said in a statement that they took their role “protecting the integrity of the global financial system extremely seriously.”

A closer examination of Russian assets in the Emirates shows that even before the war in Ukraine, Dubai had become a playground for Russians with links to President Vladimir V. Putin. At least 38 businessmen or officials with ties to the Russian president own homes in Dubai that are collectively valued at more than $314 million, according to the Center for Advanced Defense Studies. Five of those owners are under U.S. sanctions.

Since the Russian invasion, Dubai has established itself as a safe haven for Russian yachts and aircraft unable to sail or fly elsewhere. After Russian jets were barred from the European Union in late February, the Emirates became the destination for 14 percent of all private flights leaving Russia, up from 3 percent before the invasion.

“It’s frustrating when you see huge assets that are sitting out there and it appears that the country is not cooperating,” said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Democrat of Rhode Island, referring to the Emirates. “It would be nice if there were more common cause against Putin while he’s busy shelling hospitals and schools.”

Mr. Whitehouse is sponsoring legislation that would use proceeds of the sales of seized Russian assets to help rebuild Ukraine. Senior officials at the Treasury and State Departments have also complained publicly about the situation.

U.S. officials view the presence of superyachts in places like Dubai and Bodrum, Turkey , as a symptom of wider Russian circumvention of sanctions and continued access to financial markets. Yachts have also come to symbolize the decadence of Russia’s oligarchs, especially at a time when Russian soldiers are scrounging for body armor and sleeping bags on the front lines.

Pursuing the Madame Gu

Built by the Dutch firm Feadship and put into service in 2013, the Madame Gu has a large helicopter pad on its forecastle with a hangar underneath that can double as a squash court when the chopper isn’t on board. The vessel has berthing for 36 crew members, according to one trade magazine.

Mr. Skoch, a member of Russia’s Parliament who is linked to assets worth billions of dollars, according to U.S. court filings, has had sanctions imposed on him twice by the United States, first in 2018 and then after Russia’s invasion this year. The Treasury Department has cited his “longstanding ties to Russian organized criminal groups.”

Mr. Skoch could not be reached and did not respond to messages left at his office at Parliament.

In an interview in October about the government’s broader efforts to go after the assets of oligarchs, Andrew Adams, a federal prosecutor leading the Department of Justice’s KleptoCapture task force, declined to discuss the Madame Gu. But the United States, he said, is warning companies they must not do business with individuals and assets under sanctions. The government, he said, will pursue oligarch-owned assets whose sale could be used to aid Ukraine.

“Where we know there is an asset that can potentially provide significant remuneration for Ukraine, that obviously is an attractive case to pursue,” he said.

U.S. officials are likely to use the case they made for impounding a $90 million Airbus business jet linked to Mr. Skoch in August as a blueprint for seizing the Madame Gu, said people familiar with the plan.

That means investigators will aim to show that the owner of the vessel, or the companies that have been providing services to it, have intersected with the U.S. financial system.

“If there are U.S. dollars or a U.S. nexus associated with supporting this vessel, massive enforcement actions could take place,” said Adam M. Smith, a former official overseeing sanctions at the Treasury Department. Companies that provide support to entities under sanctions could potentially face their own sanctions, said Mr. Smith, who is now a lawyer at Gibson Dunn in Washington.

This year the United States has carried out two high-profile seizures of yachts tied to Russians under sanctions, working with cooperative governments. The $300 million Amadea was taken in Fiji in May and sailed to San Diego under an American flag. In April, the United States worked with Spanish police to seize the $90 million Tango.

A Problematic Partner

Diplomatically, the Emirates has been reluctant to take a clear anti-Russian position when it comes to the war in Ukraine. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates, recently met with Mr. Putin in St. Petersburg, and the Emirati foreign minister recently hosted his Russian counterpart. Yet Sheikh Mohammed has also talked with Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, more than once and recently gave the country $100 million in humanitarian aid.

The United States has publicly expressed dismay over the mixed messages.

During a visit to Dubai in June, Wally Adeyemo, the U.S. deputy treasury secretary, warned of the need for vigilance and proactive steps in combating Russian evasion. That same month Barbara Leaf, the State Department’s under secretary for Near East Affairs, said at a congressional hearing that regarding the Emirates, she was “not happy at all with the record at this point” on sanctions enforcement. Mr. Adeyemo reiterated his concerns in a meeting with Emirati officials in October in Washington.

A senior State Department official said in a statement to The New York Times that the agency continues “to reinforce the importance of conducting enhanced due diligence to prevent sanctions evasion and investigating allegations of such activity” to the Emirates.

The Treasury Department declined to comment on the Madame Gu or the relationship with the Emirates.

Last month, the Treasury Department announced it had placed sanctions on an Emirates-based company, Constellation Advisors Ltd., that the American government said was operating on behalf of a nephew of another Russian oligarch, Suleiman Kerimov. Mr. Kerimov, according to American court documents, was the owner of the Amadea superyacht .

American officials are also worried the Russian government is using the Emirates to acquire military supplies for its war in Ukraine. On Nov. 15, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on two Emirates-based transportation firms that had worked with another Iranian firm under sanctions, which in turn had helped transport drones and personnel from Iran to Russia.

Moored in Dubai

Based on a recent visit to Dubai’s Mina Rashid Marina , where the Madame Gu is moored, it is clear that international companies are playing a critical role in its care.

The Emirates-based company DP World, through its subsidiary P&O Marinas , oversees the pier where the Madame Gu is moored. Employees from another DP World subsidiary , World Security, staff the small guard box at the entrance. That makes DP World, which is owned by Dubai’s royal family, potentially vulnerable to American sanctions.

DP World “fully complies with all applicable local and national laws and intends to continue doing the same regarding the Madame Gu and other vessels utilizing our services,” said Adal Mirza, a spokesman for the company. He added that DP World had not yet heard from the United States or other countries that had placed Mr. Skoch under sanctions, including Britain and the European Union.

A generator set that dock workers said in late October was powering the Madame Gu — two container-like structures near its stern — bore the distinctive orange logo of Aggreko , a British company. The generator set was connected to the superyacht by thick cords; one of the containers was emitting grayish exhaust.

At the Mina Rashid Marina, soon after Aggreko was contacted by The Times, workers removed the generator. “Having identified that the generator was being used to power a vessel that is allegedly connected to a sanctioned person, we immediately terminated this rental and have since recovered the generator,” the company said in a statement.

Mr. Mirza, the DP World spokesman, said the Aggreko generator had been replaced with one from a local supplier.

P&O Marinas arranged for the diesel generator to provide power for the Madame Gu because that part of the pier, a holding area, has no shore-supplied electric power, said a port official in Dubai, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to the press.

“At the end of the day, if the U.A.E. hasn’t imposed sanctions, it’s not really their job to enforce other countries’ laws within their borders,” said Nabeel Yousef, a Washington-based partner at the law firm Freshfields, where he runs the sanctions practice. Nevertheless, “companies should not take comfort in the fact that their country has not imposed sanctions,” he added, “because even the smallest connection to the U.S. can lead to U.S. penalties.”

There has also been a notable absence onboard the Madame Gu in recent weeks: a flag. Unlike other ships moored nearby, including the Quantum Blue, a superyacht linked to the billionaire Sergei Galitsky, the Madame Gu appears to be stateless, apparently having been deflagged by the Cayman Islands.

Cayman Islands officials didn’t respond to an emailed inquiry about the ship’s status.

If DP World were to face fallout from U.S. sanctions enforcers, it wouldn’t be the first time the company has been the focus of attention in Washington. In 2006, DP World was seeking to manage some terminal operations at six American ports but dropped out of the deal after a bipartisan uproar in Congress.

Anton Troianovski contributed reporting from Turin, Italy, and Oleg Matsnev from Berlin.

Kate Kelly covers money, influence, and policy as a correspondent in the Washington bureau of the Times. Before that, she spent twenty years covering Wall Street deals, key players and their intersection with politics. She is the author of three books, including "The Education of Brett Kavanaugh." More about Kate Kelly

Michael Forsythe is a reporter on the investigations team. He was previously a correspondent in Hong Kong, covering the intersection of money and politics in China. He has also worked at Bloomberg News and is a United States Navy veteran. More about Michael Forsythe

Julian E. Barnes is a national security reporter based in Washington, covering the intelligence agencies. Before joining The Times in 2018, he wrote about security matters for The Wall Street Journal. More about Julian E. Barnes

Our Coverage of the War in Ukraine

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Ukrainian authorities said that a Russian missile attack on Odesa had killed at least 16 people and had injured 55 others , the latest in a series of deadly air assaults on the southern Ukrainian port city.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany and President Emmanuel Macron of France met in Berlin to smooth over their differences on how to support Ukraine in its war  with Russia and to allay concerns that the Franco-German “engine of Europe” is sputtering.

With its army short of ammunition and troops to break the deadlock on the battlefield, Ukraine has increasingly taken the fight behind Russian lines, attacking oil infrastructure deep in Russian territory .

Electronic Warfare: Drones have become a critical weapon for both Russia and Ukraine. But Moscow’s capability to overpower Ukrainian signals  by broadcasting on the same frequencies at higher power is putting Kyiv at a disadvantage.

Helping the War Effort: Since the early days of the war, thousands of Ukrainian volunteers have led crowdfunding efforts that have been crucial in supplying the military with equipment. But as the conflict drags on, it is becoming harder to raise money .

Holding a Sliver of Hope: A Russian mother knows her son, a conscript, died 14 months ago in a battle in eastern Ukraine. But she is still waiting for him.

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A Moment of Clarity: Inside Bilgin Yachts’ modern classic

First published in the November 2015 edition of ShowBoats International

It’s always fun to speculate how a yacht got her name. Clarity ’s owner saw the Bilgin 160 under construction and envisioned what he could do to perfect her. Was that how she got her name? So much for that idea, Clarity was already the name of his Johnson 87 .

The new Clarity , a graceful 48 metre yacht (including the 5.5 metre bowsprit) that her owner and Bilgin Yachts exhibited at the 2015 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show , is not easy to fit into one category: new build, refit or even classic. She is a little of each.

The “classic” part is obvious. She looks like she was born in a different era, but she is a recent creation from Bilgin Yachts, a custom yacht builder based in Istanbul, Turkey, and she is the second boat in the Bilgin Classic 160 series. The first, M&M , was launched in 2012 and was recently renamed Timeless .

No particular vessel inspired the design. “We have built our classic series with our own ideas,” says Yildirim Bilgen, the company’s sales director. “The main idea was to build a yacht with a design that will last forever.” Bilgin did the styling in-house.

Turkish boat builders, in particular, are very well-versed in wood construction, and Bilgin’s experienced craftsmen, with top-notch tooling at their fingertips, had no trouble recreating the feel of a bygone era. The shipyard also builds cold-moulded vessels, such as 44.2 metre Elada , with a reverse bow developed with H2 Yacht Design and delivered last year. For the classic series, however, Bilgin selected steel for the hull and composite for the superstructure.

The full-displacement hull has a bilge keel and bulbous bow for all-ocean seakeeping. Modestly powered Caterpillar engines yield a serene cruising speed of around 10 knots befitting of the yacht’s appearance. The attractive funnel that she sports is a mere concession to styling, as are the mast and bowsprit.

Inside, Clarity has no shortage of modern conveniences, including a galley with stainless steel appliances, navigation and electronic equipment, zero-speed stabilizers and VSAT.

“I think the Classic is just that — a classic. It reminds me of the glory days of yachting, or the romance of yachting with the style to match,” says Clarity ’s owner. “I think it takes one back to the days when Onassis would entertain the film stars, world leaders and celebrities on the Christina O or earlier to the days of Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland sailing around the Caribbean. We have been careful obviously to have every modern convenience, technology and toy on the vessel, but we also worked hard to give her a chic, comfortable interior.

“I didn’t want a vessel that looked the same as everyone’s; nowadays you sail into a port and everyone seems to have exactly the same brand of boat. I think she is unique and looks fantastic inside and out.”

So, is Clarity a new build or refit? Actually, she’s a bit of both. Bilgin Yachts received great response from its first Classic 160, even as she was under construction, and started building the second Classic before it had a firm order. Hull No. 2 was already very advanced but on hold when she attracted the attention of her current owner, who thought she could benefit from a few tweaks. That’s where the refit part comes in.

“The new layout was based on utilizing the space much more effectively than the previous design. We wanted the interior layout to be much more of what you would expect on this type of vessel with every modern amenity not only for guests but also for crew,” he says.

His vision required reconfiguring all decks, especially the main and lower decks. Step one was moving the crew quarters from their location forward on the lower deck toward the aft section, and creating two new interior accesses, one from the galley and the other from the guest corridor (originally the only access to the crew quarters was through a foredeck hatch). Three crew cabins, a mess and a laundry room are now in close proximity. The captain has a nice double cabin next to the bridge.

Step two was transforming the space previously occupied by crew cabins into a beautiful en suite for the master suite, which is located forward on the main deck. The bed still faces a gorgeous span of windows and stairs now lead down to a marble bathroom. Step three was adding a convivial bar on the upper deck and expanding lounging areas.

Clarity looks just as attractive as Timeless and lest you pay attention, the two Classic 160s may appear identical — then you notice the mast has moved from the main deck to the upper deck. Little by little, like a game of ‘Spot the difference’, more of the details that set them apart emerge from the big picture.

The superstructure on Clarity is longer to accommodate the master stateroom/en suite redesign and her upper aft deck sports a large, horseshoe-shaped bar. The sunpads forward on the bridge deck are much larger. The coaming is higher, LED lights underline the deck, the bridge deck now has a dayhead, there is new storage and passageways and the life rafts were repositioned, among the many differences. Looking at the results, you’d think accomplishing this transformation was easy. There is nothing that feels forced or contrived about the layout — it works.

Project manager Frank “Bobby” Ball oversaw and meticulously documented the conversion. Creating Clarity as she appears today meant the yard had to cut through steel, remove bulkheads, reroute pipes and get approval for each step from classification society RINA. The early days felt more like destruction.

“It was difficult because we took a perfectly good boat and at first, we worked backward,” Ball says. “When we finally were able to go forward, it became very rewarding. Not enough can be said about the quality of the construction; and [the yard] will build whatever you want.”

The owner agrees. “They are very open to delivering whatever specification is given to them and happy to work with any of the nautical build standards,” he says. “We decided at the outset that we would have a build engineer in Turkey working alongside the independent RINA engineer and then make regular trips to inspect progress and discuss any issues that would arise during the build process. This worked really effectively, and as a result, I think we got a great product from Bilgin.”

With several facilities in sprawling Istanbul, Bilgin Yachts does most everything in house and employs several engineers. It is currently expanding its building capacity with a large new construction hall on the grounds of West Istanbul Marina. This year, it delivered both 49.9 metre  Dursur to an owner from the Middle East and Clarity , the first Bilgin to come to North America.

As for Clarity , there likely will be another yacht with her name in the future. The owner had a lot of fun conceiving her. “I will definitely be undertaking the process again,” he says. What does he envision? “Something bigger I would imagine, maybe Nero sized, who can tell?”

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Breaking news, businessman allegedly threatens to ‘ruin’ dock worker, ‘drops his pants’ in heated dispute over yacht parking.

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A California philanthropist allegedly threatened to kill a dock worker during a heated argument from his multimillion-dollar yacht, before dropping his pants and making several threatening gestures to the employee.

Ajay Thakore, a local entrepreneur in the San Diego area, attempted to dock his Lamborghini yacht at the private Marriot Marquis Marina to pick up one of his employees but was stopped by worker Joseph Holt on Sunday.

“I told him respectfully that he couldn’t be there, and I honestly was hoping to have a conversation with him about his cool boat,” Holt told CBS8. “But yeah, it completely went the other way.”

Thakore, who goes by his social media name, Ace Rogers, was riding on his rare $4.5 million Tecnomar for Lamborghini 63 yacht at the time of the daytime dispute.

Holt claimed Thakore became hostile as soon as he was told off.

“It escalated immediately. It was 0 to 100 immediately,” the 21-year-old worker added.

Thakore, the CEO of medical advertising firm Doctor Multimedia, allegedly began to threaten Holt’s life as the luxury speedboat drove away from the docks.

“I will kill you, you know I will kill you, I will kill,” Thakore repeatedly yells, according to the video posted to YouTube.

Besides threatening to take Holt’s life, Thakore claimed to have the power to get the dock worker fired, ripping on the type of job he had.

“I’m a minimum wage worker, he was commenting on that, on my status just because of my job,” Holt said. “He was saying I’m nobody, I’m nothing, I work a silly job.”

“He said that he knows people, he has connections, he can change my life and ruin it,” he added.

During the heated discussion, Thakore allegedly pulled out his wallet and began throwing $100 bills at Holt and into the water, according to the outlet.

Holt said he tried to control himself during the incident and only gave Thakore the middle finger.

“I really didn’t know how to process it. I really was trying to restrain myself from getting fired from my job or stepping out of line. The only thing I did was give him the bird,” he said.

The dock hand blasted Thakore for his actions, especially in a public setting where he stripped nude and showed himself off.

“He had dropped his pants and started to make gestures to everybody watching and me. You can’t act that way in public. It’s just not OK. Especially threatening my life, at the very least. There were women and children there. That’s the most important part,” Holt said.

Thakore claims his outburst started because of a misunderstanding and was sorry for the people who saw it.

“The interaction that occurred yesterday was regrettable. What started as a minor misunderstanding escalated into an argument, and I apologize for my actions and to those who witnessed the unfortunate exchange,” Thakore’s public relations team said in a statement, obtained by KFMB.

Port of San Diego Harbor Police were called to the Seaforth Boat rental dock for “a possible intoxicated vessel operator” but arrived at the marina 10 minutes after Thakore and his boat had left.

The employee who attempted to board the extravagant boat defended his boss’s actions, saying Holt was hostile toward Thakore, and the businessman was only defending his team.

“As I went to kindly step onto the Yacht, I was impeded by two members that work for Seaforth Boat Rental,” Thakore’s employee Jason said on a post to the CEO’s Instagram account.

Jason said he was told to “stand back” the first time he went to step on the boat, and claimed he was forearmed during his second attempt to board the yacht.

“They physically got in my way, the situation became fairly tense, there was a lot of screaming back and forth, extremely confrontational, I didn’t fully understand protocol, as I was going to step onto the boat.”

“As all of this happened, my boss flipped and he’s very protective of me, his fiancée, of his employees.” Jason added. “It was a confusing situation that became very tense and very confrontational.”

Thakore captioned the post saying “there are two sides to every story and it’s easy to paint a picture with edited video clips from cell phones.”

“My employee Jason was being restricted, restrained, and threatened while trying to board my yacht. As a leader, I defend my own fiercely with everything I have, and I will never apologize for that,” the caption read.

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California yacht owner threatens to kill dock worker in vicious showdown, cali yacht owner threatens to kill dock worker drops pants for rude salute, 82 3/13/2024 8:09 am pt.

A California yacht owner's vicious beef with a dock worker has reached death-threat levels -- and their exchange was caught on camera and included a nude, and very rude, gesture!

Check out the clip ... it all unfolds when San Diego entrepreneur Ajay Thakore swings by the swanky Marriott Marquis Marina in his rare $4.5M Tecnomar for Lamborghini 63 yacht to pick up one of his employees -- but things boil over when dock worker Joseph Holt tells him he can't be there.

Thakore, the CEO of medical advertising firm Doctor Multimedia, flips out on Holt big time ... and starts spewing threats like, "I will kill you, you know I will kill you, I will kill."

And it doesn't stop there -- as Thakore's pulling out of the harbor, he drops trou to make a full frontal salute in Holt's direction. Stay classy, San Diego!

Holt's only retaliation was flipping the bird, and he later told CBS8 that was all he could do to keep his cool and avoid escalating the situation.

Holt says parts of the altercation were not captured on camera, and he adds ... Thakore not only threatened to kill him, but also claimed to have connections who could totally mess up his life.

Holt also says Thakore pulled out $100 bills and tossed them at him, even chucking some in the water.

BTW, Thakore's done some backpedaling since the ugly exchange -- he now says, "The interaction that occurred yesterday was regrettable. What started as a minor misunderstanding escalated into an argument, and I apologize for my actions and to those who witnessed the unfortunate exchange."

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

FWIW ... One of Thakore’s employees claims the whole thing began because other dock workers blocked him from boarding the yacht.

Oh, and if that fancy Lambo yacht looks familiar -- it's the same one Chuck Liddell recently tumbled off just last month. Now it's famous AND infamous!

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