Summer brings spectacular superyachts and their hedonistic owners to the Mediterranean, as well as eco-activists who protest against the luxurious lifestyles enjoyed by these billionaires, including their grand yachts. The warnings have been escalating, with a notable incident occurring over the Easter weekend. The $250 million Lady Moura yacht, owned by Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego, was targeted in Ibiza. The protest, orchestrated by the Extinction Rebellion group in their characteristic manner as observed last year, saw collaboration with members of the Futuro Vegetal movement. They had previously spray-painted Walmart heiress Nancy Walton’s $300 million superyacht Kaos during a campaign named ‘Jets and Yachts, the party is over.’ This year, the focus was on Lady Moura. Activists unfurled a banner in front of the luxury yacht, moored off the coast, which read: ‘You are kicking us off the island. Your luxury is our crisis.
The eco warriors are against these opulent vessels and don’t seem fond of the billionaire owner in particular. Their detailed social media post on Instagram painted the Mexican entrepreneur as an ignorant person paying no heed to the “suffering of others or inequality or injustice”. They went on to state, ‘We denounce mega fortunes, their impunity for tax evasion and abuse of Earth’s resources. His fortune is our misery and we don’t tolerate it.’
The Internet didn’t seem entirely convinced with the move as one user stated, ‘these yachts leave an economic spill into the local economy quite significant, wouldn’t it be better to have fewer people on the island and that each person contributes more substantially?
Another wrote, ‘The island has been super exploited for years now but I think the problem is not with entrepreneurs but a government that profits from it.. we all know how this works, the first ones who do nothing are them, even do not regulate the most serious problem to date that exists on the island, which is to find decent and affordable housing.’
According to reports in the Spanish media, this past year, Extinction Rebellion and Fututo Vegetal have vandalized several ultra-expensive assets like throwing paint at a private jet at Ibiza airport, smeared black paint on the Pacha discotheque, stormed the luxury beach club Blue Marlin in Cala Jondal with banners ‘Your luxury our climate crisis.’
A lovely lady of the high seas, indeed!
Lady Moura boasts seven decks, is 344 feet long, and has ruled the high seas for over three decades in utmost elegance. Built by Blohm & Voss, Lady Moura yacht served as a private family residence, accommodating 26 guests in 13 cabins and serviced by 65 crew. The 6,359GT vessel was designed by the Italian-born Luigi Sturchio and is a floating palace with as many amenities as onboard guests.
From essential luxuries like a helipad, movie theater, an indoor pool with a retractable roof, gym, and spa with sauna, to rare niceties like a separate medical suite and two galleys for both owners, their guests, and for the crew. The ship also includes a bakery and a disco with a DJ room.
The beach club is innovatively designed and well ahead of its times with balconies both port and starboard allowing easy access to and from the ocean. It is worth noting that the vessel boasts five huge children’s cabins on the owner’s deck equipped with an ensuite dressing room and bathroom. The master suite is even more lavish with access to a private terrace, a massive dressing room, and a central lobby with a wall of television screens, per Boat International.
Among several enchanting areas, one of the most welcoming is the top deck, with an opening roof, lounging spaces, a spa pool, dance studio, and terrace. Lady Moura is as much about enjoyment as it is about excellent performance. 2 X DEUTZ 6868 HP engines give her a phenomenal range in excess of 8,000nm at full cruising speed of 17 knots.
Lady Moura is owned by flamboyant Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas-
At 68, Salinas, a connoisseur of cigars, luxuries, cognac, and bitcoin, began his entrepreneurial journey selling honey door-to-door with his siblings at the tender age of 10. He significantly changed his family’s fortunes when he succeeded his father as CEO of Grupo Elektra in 1987, subsequently expanding the company into the banking sector. According to Bloomberg, the billionaire, now worth $15 billion, oversees operations at TV Azteca, Mexico’s second-largest broadcaster, as well as the retail behemoth Grupo Elektra. Well-known and often criticized for his unabashed display of wealth, Salinas, an alumnus of the A.B. Freeman School of Business, frequently shares glimpses of his helicopter, plane, yachts, and ranch with his over one million Twitter followers. Luciano Pascoe, a spokesperson for Salinas, stated, ‘His fortune is well-earned and serves as a beacon of inspiration for those aspiring to achieve success and prosperity in their lives.’
