''Scheherazade'' is a motor

superyacht A superyacht or megayacht is a large and luxurious pleasure vessel. There are no official or agreed upon definitions for such yachts, but these terms are regularly used to describe professionally crewed motor or sailing yachts, ranging from to ...

built by Lürssen Yachts of Germany. With a length of 140 m (460 ft), it is currently one of the longest motor yachts in the world. While being built, it used the project name "Lightning". The exterior design was done by the designer Espen Oeino, and the interiors by the firm of Francois Zuretti. It entered service in June 2020. As of early May 2022 the yacht has been seized by Italian authorities due to its possible links to Russian President Putin and subject to sanctions relating to the

Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War; uk, російсько-українська війна, rosiisko-ukrainska viina. has been ongoing between Russia (alongside Russian separatist forces in Donbas, Russian separatists in Ukraine) and Ukraine since Feb ...

instigated by Putin in Ukraine.

Engineering and construction

The yacht has a steel hull with an aluminum superstructure. It was launched on 5 July 2019, and undertook sea trials the following month. It was delivered on 1 June 2020, departing

Lemwerder Lemwerder is a municipality in the district of Wesermarsch, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is on the left bank of the Weser, approximately east of Oldenburg, and northwest of the centre of Bremen. Since April 2001, Lemwerder is governed by May ...

for

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. According to SuperYachtFan, in 2022 it has an estimated value of US$700 million. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' reported that it appeared to be the

sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...

of the 135.5 m (445 ft) ''

Crescent A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself. In Hinduism, Lord Shiva is often shown wearing a crescent moon on his ...

'', owned by

Igor Sechin Igor Ivanovich Sechin (russian: И́горь Ива́нович Се́чин; born 7 September 1960) is a Russian oligarch and a government official, considered a close ally and "de facto deputy" of Vladimir Putin. Sechin has been a confidant ...

, a

Russian oligarch Russian oligarchs (Russian language, Russian: олигархи, Romanization of Russian, romanized: ''oligarkhi'') are business oligarchs of the Post-Soviet states, former Soviet republics who rapidly accumulated wealth in the 1990s via the Priv ...

and CEO of

Rosneft PJSC Rosneft Oil Company ( stylized as ROSNEFT) is a Russian Vertical integration, integrated energy company headquartered in Moscow. Rosneft specializes in the exploration, Extraction of petroleum, extraction, production, refining, Petroleum t ...

Features

The yacht has two

helicopter deck A helicopter deck (or helo deck) is a helicopter pad on the deck of a ship, usually located on the stern and always clear of obstacles that would prove hazardous to a helicopter landing. In the United States Navy, it is commonly and properly ref ...

s, a gym, and gold-plated bathroom fixtures. The yacht comprises six levels. The main deck contains six guest cabins, a grand dining room, and a spa, which includes a

Turkish bath A hammam ( ar, حمّام, translit=ḥammām, tr, hamam) or Turkish bath is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the culture of the Muslim world and was inherited ...

, a

sauna A sauna (, ), or sudatory, is a small room or building designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these facilities. The steam and high heat make the bathers perspire. A thermometer in a ...

, a

cryotherapy Cryotherapy, sometimes known as cold therapy, is the local or general use of low temperatures in medical therapy. Cryotherapy may be used to treat a variety of tissue lesions. The most prominent use of the term refers to the surgical treatment, s ...

chamber, and a

hydro massage Hydromassage is a massage technique which uses water pressure to help alleviate muscle and soft tissue injuries caused by lower back pain, arthritis, chronic and acute pain, neck injuries, TMJD, sports injuries, pregnancy discomforts, Crohn’s di ...

room. The upper deck contains two

VIP A very important person or personage (VIP or V.I.P.) is a person who is accorded special privileges due to their high social status, influence or importance. The term was not common until sometime after World War 2 by RAF pilots. Examples inc ...

suites, one of which includes a

player piano A player piano (also known as a pianola) is a self-playing piano containing a pneumatic or electro-mechanical mechanism, that operates the piano action via programmed music recorded on perforated paper or metallic rolls, with more modern i ...

. The owner's deck has his-and-hers suites with separate bathrooms, walk-in closets, studies, and dressing rooms. There are a total of 22 cabins capable of accommodating 40 guests, and a total crew of 94. There are however no outdoor swimming pools, otherwise common on yachts of this size, which were said to have been excluded for "privacy reasons, though it does have an indoor swimming pool with a retractable floor that can be used as a dance floor.

Ownership and use

The yacht's owner is not publicly known. Like ''Crescent'', it is managed by Imperial Yachts of

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

. The yacht sailed to

Sochi, Russia Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in Southern Russia, with a population of 466,078 residents, up to 600,000 residents in ...

, in summer 2020, then to

Hurghada, Egypt Hurghada (; ar, الغردقة ', ) is a city in the Red Sea Governorate of Egypt. It is one of the country's main tourist centres located on the Red Sea coast. Overview Hurghada was founded in the early 20th century. For many decades it wa ...

in September 2020. The yacht again sailed to Sochi in July 2021. Since September 2021, it has been docked at the port of

Marina di Carrara A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

Investigation for possible sanctions

While ''Scheherazade'' is undergoing a refit in Italy, it has also been under investigation by Italian and American authorities to determine if the superyacht's secretive owner is subject to sanctions being imposed on Russian oligarchs close to Russian President

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

, due to the

. In May 2022 the ship left the shipyard and was ready to leave the port of

. The ship was seized on 6 May 2022 based on its links to the Russian government. Ministry of Economy and Finance (mef.gov.it)
''Adottato Decreto di congelamento dell’imbarcazione Scheherazade''
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References

{{reflist 2019 ships Motor yachts Ships built in Germany

Engineering and construction

Features

Ownership and use

Investigation for possible sanctions

See also

References