Some superyachts are built with such grandeur that picturing them in decay feels impossible. Yet reality has caught up with Motor Yacht A, once among the most striking and recognizable luxury vessels ever launched. The vessel, which has never been formally seized, was spotted in Dubai looking like a pale shadow of her former self. Her sister, Sailing Yacht A, one of the world’s largest sailing yachts, second only to Jeff Bezos’s Koru megayacht, was taken by the Italian Guardia di Finanza in March 2022 in Trieste after owner Andrey Melnichenko was placed on the EU sanctions list.
Motor Yacht A has ever since avoided Europe’s waters. Fear of impoundment seems to have driven her to quieter harbors, far from the shipyards that keep the mightiest yachts in pristine form, leaving her to languish as an unwanted outcast with no journey in sight.
AP journalists photographed the $300 million Motor Yacht A anchored in Ras al-Khaimah at the end of May 2022, meaning that for the last three years this once-celebrated 390-footer, built by Blohm+Voss and designed by Philippe Starck, has been in a limbo with no clear future. The 5,500 GT pleasure craft, instantly recognizable by her reverse bow, tapered superstructure, and oval hull windows, demands nearly $30 million a year in maintenance to stay at her peak.
With superyacht refit havens like La Ciotat thousands of miles away, it is unlikely that her three pools, including a glass-bottomed aft pool, gleam with the clarity they once had. Instead, she sits still in Dubai’s punishing climate, her exterior gathering layers of heat, dust, and neglect. If the outer shell has dulled under years of disuse, what then of the nearly 24,000 square feet of interior space?
The master suite alone spans 2,500 square feet, while up to 14 guests could once be accommodated across seven luxurious cabins. This yacht was not just a floating palace but a floating jewel box, adorned with Baccarat crystal that extended far beyond glassware to furniture itself. Melnichenko, known for his obsession with privacy and security, designed his ships as fortresses at sea. Sailing Yacht A, with its towering masts and stark silhouette, looked closer to a warship than a leisure craft.
Motor Yacht A, too, was rumored to be fitted with 44-mm blast-resistant glazing, biometric access, over 40 security cameras, and even an escape pod. Yet today, all that formidable engineering is powerless against the slow creep of time. More than high-tech defenses or lavish refits, what she needs now is far simpler, a thorough cleansing, a revival to wash away the years of neglect and return her to the glory she once commanded.
