Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was spotted on Monday on the deck of his new superyacht Koru, joined by his fiancée Lauren Sanchez and her kids. The $500 million luxury yacht is currently located off the coast of Portofino, Italy, and the newly-engaged couple took a helicopter to reach the vessel. Koru being a sailing yacht doesn’t have its own helipad, which is where the three-masted schooner’s support vessel Abeona comes in handy. The 75-meter watercraft features a helipad on the aft deck and that’s exactly where the chopper carrying Bezos and his soon-to-be-wife landed.
A speedboat waiting next to the support vessel then carried the couple to their magnificent superyacht, where they were pictured having lunch together. This is not the first time Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez were spotted enjoying their time on Koru. Back in May, the couple got engaged the superyacht while visiting the South of France for the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
The 127-meter Koru was delivered in April this year in Mallorca. Previously known as “Project 721,” the vessel was built by the Dutch shipyard Oceanco in the historic port of Zwijndrecht, close to Rotterdam in the Netherlands. It’s the second largest sailing yacht in the world, right behind Sailing Yacht A which is owned by Russian oligarch Andrey Melnichenko. The vessel features a navy blue-colored steel hull with a red bootstripe and a double-deck wooden coach house. The superyacht was embroiled in controversy when a news outlet revealed that the historic Koningshaven Bridge, also known by the name De Hef, would have to be dismantled to allow the masts to pass under.
Oceanco had to finally transport the yacht without its masts stepped in August 2002, leaving the bridge untouched. Koru’s sailboat design also makes it impossible to accommodate a helipad onboard, along with a garage to store tenders. Which is why Bezos also had to order a support vessel.
Koru’s support vessel Abeona measures 75 meters in length, making it the largest support vessel ever to be built by Damen Yachting. Named after the Roman goddess of voyages and departures, the shadow vessel is estimated to be worth around $75 million. Abeona has a grey hull that features an orange stripe running across the length of the hull. It also gets Damen Yachting’s signature high forebody and an open aft deck, which is utilized for storing tenders and toys.
With a volume of around 1,900 GT, the vessel has enough space to accommodate an array of tenders and toys, marine gear, and emergency relief support equipment. As mentioned before, Abeona also has a helipad to support its mothership and an onboard hangar for a D14 value helicopter. Additionally, it can accommodate a total of 45 people, including crew, guests, and other specialist staff.
