After over 18 months of successfully evading the watchful eyes of Western authorities, sanctioned billionaire and Russia's richest mogul, Andrey Melnichenko, has flicked on the transponders of his lavish $300 million Motoryacht A.

What goes dark doesn’t stay hidden forever! This is certainly true for the $300 million Motor Yacht A, owned by sanctioned Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko. This 387-footer re-emerged with its AIS activated after nearly 18 months and was recently spotted in the UAE. Its last recorded location was in the Maldives on 4th March 2022, from where it sailed to Ras al Khaimah, before making its way to Dubai. This enormous pleasure craft is now back in the spotlight and has updated its AIS with a new flag from Sierra Leone.

Left flagless for a year due to the sanctions on its owner and the Isle of Man deregistering the vessel, Motor Yacht A found itself in a nautical limbo. According to eSysman SuperYachts, this warship-inspired superyacht has been spotted sporadically, flying no flag—a situation as faulty as having its tracker turned off. The new flag state hasn’t been updated on the IMO registry as of yet.

Also read - Russia's richest man Andrey Melnichenko cleverly saved his warship inspired $300 million superyacht from being seized by Western authorities. With its tracker turned off for a year and docked near Dubai, the 390-foot-long vessel may now be seized by Russia itself.

Motor Yacht A stands as one of the most recognizable superyachts, thanks to its unique, blade-like design. Crafted by Philippe Starck, the vessel cuts through the water at an impressive speed of 25 knots. The interior boasts an eccentric design with walls adorned in stingray hide leather, alligator skin, or floor-to-ceiling mirrors.

Also read - To avoid being seized by the authorities, this Russian billionaire rushed his $150 million color-changing megayacht to Panama. Equally mysterious and luxurious, the 280-feet vessel is one of the fastest in its class it has two helipads, a large swimming pool, and a full-fledged gym.

The yacht’s lavish amenities are bound to awe any guest. Above the deck, there’s a helipad, and forward of the superstructure lies a swimming pool, with two additional pools aft. One of these is glass-bottomed, offering a view from the below-deck disco.

This opulent superyacht can accommodate up to 14 guests, while requiring a crew of 37 to maintain its high standards of luxury.