There’s a crack in the kingdom, and it looks like it’s going to be expensive. I’m referring to the $90 million superyacht of Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, which became the cynosure of attention at the marina of Bizerte in Tunisia due to an accident. On an early Friday afternoon, the 282-foot luxury yacht hit the main quay of the port, causing visible damage not only to the quay but also to the keel and hull at the front of the boat.
The lavish 1980 Classic Yacht, named after Prince Al Waleed’s investment company Kingdom Holdings, was severely damaged and will incur further financial losses. The director of the marina, Mohamed Ali Ben Ammar, shared that an investigation was immediately opened under the supervision of the Bizerte Maritime Guard to determine the causes of the incident.
According to the popular yachting channel The Yacht Report, onlookers noted that the pleasure craft did not stop in time and clipped the breakwater before hitting the quayside. Possible causes include mechanical failure or mismanagement, although the captain did drop the anchor before hitting the pier. While the exact reasons are unknown, the damage is certainly colossal and painful to witness. MosaiqueFM a local publication reported that the 280-foot long vessel deviated from its course after its captain lost control. The luxury vessel has always grabbed headlines due to its opulence, and this ‘oops moment’ is unprecedented.
Kingdom 5KR was formerly owned by Donald Trump and was called Trump Princess. Before that, it belonged to Saudi businessman Adnan Khashoggi and was named Nabila, a floating palace filled with extravagant furnishings and amazing amenities like a patisserie, a three-chair hair salon, and even a hospital with an operating theater. The 1,768 GT Benetti mammoth reaches a maximum speed of 20 knots and even made an appearance in the James Bond film Never Say Never Again.
Who would have imagined that this classic superyacht, one of the world’s grandest luxury vessels, would be caught in one of the worst accidents among motor yachts recently? From Laurene Powell Jobs’ $140 million Venus yacht to the extravagant $250 million Lady Moira and the $250 million Viva yacht owned by former UFC owner Frank Fertitta III, these vessels have made headlines for colliding, getting stuck on bridges, or, in the recent case of the Kingdom 5KR, crashing into one.
