- Sailing Yacht A, worth £360m, and £240m Motor Yacht A, are both owned by billionaire Andrey Melnichenko
- Mr Melnichenko received his new Sailing Yacht A last month after it completed its final sea trials in Gibraltar
- The oligarch, 45, is worth around £11billion, and is a Russian industrialist with assets in fertiliser and coal
- Motor Yacht A's minor refurbishment and maintaenance will take 'a few months'
A Russian oligarch's £240 million prized superyacht is undergoing a facelift, almost ten years after it was built.
Motor Yacht A - one of the world’s 25 largest superyachts - is currently docked in Navantia, Cartagena, in south-eastern Spain.
Her
renovation comes as owner, Russian oligarch Andrey Melnichenko, 45, -
who is believed to be worth around £11billion - recently got his hands
on in a new vessel, the £360million Sailing Yacht A.
The two luxury boats have this week been pictured moored alongside each other in Cartagena.
Costing a combined total of £600million, they first took to the waves together in early May.
Motor
Yacht A will now be given a luxury makeover and a maintenance job
similar to a car receiving an MOT and service that will take 'a few
months' a spokesman for the owner told MailOnline.
Motor Yacht A, pictured left next to her big sister Sailing Yacht A, is going renovation work in Navantia, Cartagena, Spain
In Spain, Motor Yacht A (right)
will be given a luxury makeover in a maintenance job similar to a car
receiving an MOT and service that will take 'a few months' a spokesman
for the owner said
Both Motor Yacht A (pictured)
and Sailing Yacht A belong to Andrey Melnichenko - a 45-year-old Russian
industrialist worth around £11billion with assets in fertiliser and
coal
Sailing Yacht A, which was has three 300ft masts that are taller than Big Ben's tower, met Motor Yacht A in Monaco
The towering Sailing Yacht A boasts masts at 300ft that are taller than Big Ben as it sits in the water off the coast of Monaco
Motor Yacht A which belogns to
the Russian oligarch born in Gomel, Belarus, during Soviet rule, who is
one of the richest citizens of Russia and the world with a reported net
worth of around £11billion
A spokesman for Mr Melnichenko said: 'Motor Yacht A is undergoing a planned minor refit in the Navantia shipyard in Cartagena.
'It's a technical survey and regular maintenance to maintain her usual as-new condition.'
Sailing
Yacht A had been tested rigorously in Gibraltar before being handed to
its owner last month where she and Motor Yacht A were sent out to sea.
They were spotted in the 430-acre principality of Monaco, the glitzy and glamorous seaside principality on the French Riviera.
Sailing
Yacht A was handed over to the owner by the project team led by Dirk
Kloosterman having completed her final sea trials in the Navantia
shipyard in Cartagena, and in Gibraltar at the beginning of May.
The staggering Sailing Yacht A is a 468ft-long vessel which has three 300ft masts that are taller than Big Ben's tower.
Motor Yacht A, pictured left, sailing in waters off the coast of Monaco next to its owner's new toy- Sailing Yacht A, seen right
Pictured in Monaco, Sailing Yacht A, left, and Motor Yacht A, right, are both stamped with a huge A on the back of the vessels
People disembark Sailing Yacht A's smaller ferrying vessel as it moors among the other luxury yachts in Monaco's harbour
Sailing Yacht A boasts eight floors - with a helicopter pad on one of the decks - and an underwater observation room.
It
is powered by a 'hybrid diesel-electric package with controllable pitch
propellers,' and is designed to accommodate 20 guests and a crew of 54.
Project
Director Dirk Kloosterman said: 'This has been the most challenging
assignment of my career. I am confident Sailing Yacht A will be the
world's greatest yacht in terms of design and technology for the years
ahead.'
A close-up shot of billionaire Andrey Melnichenko's £240million superyacht which he called Motor Yacht A
Motor Yacht A, left, and Sailing Yacht A, in the sea off the coast of Monaco with a combined value of about £600million
A smaller vessel is lowered into the water from Motor Yacht A, which appears to have inspired the design of the new yacht
The two yachts, that cost a combined £600million, met today in Monte Carlo, in Monaco
The 468ft-long vessel Sailing Yacht A (left) is owned by Andrey Melnichenko, as is Motor Yacht A (right)
Andrey Melnichenko, who has an
estimated net worth of $13.4 billion (£10.8 billion), is said to favour
using the letter 'A' so that his vessels are listed first in shipping
registers
The impressive superyachts were both designed by Frenchman Philippe Starck for the Russian billionaire
The 45-year-old Russian industrialist is worth around £11billion, with assets in fertiliser and coal.
He is the main shareholder of EuroChem, one of the leading fertiliser producers in the world.
Sailing Yacht A eclipses his other superyacht, Motor Yacht A, worth £240million.
It
boasts an opulent lounge with floor-to-ceiling windows, wood and
leather furniture, and a spacious owner's cabin that is larger than most
apartments in London or New York and is said to have bomb-proof glass
and a rotating bed.
Sailing Yacht A boasts eight floors - with a helicopter pad on one of the decks - and an underwater observation room
The ultra-luxurious Motor Yacht A features an unconventional design and bears a resemblance to a military-style submarine
The cruise speed of the ship is 18mph, with a top speed of 24mph. The hull is made of steel, with a teak-finish deck
Three
spa pools with current-generating technology are spread throughout the
yacht, and one has a glass floor that passengers can look into from the
lower deck.
There are seven luxurious cabins for up to 14 guests and accommodation for 42 crew members.
Powered
by two diesel engines, the yacht has a top speed of 23 knots (26.4 mph)
and a cruising speed of 19.5 knots (22.4 mph), with a range of 6,500
nautical miles.
Over the years it has been spotted in places such as Honolulu, Malibu, Monaco, Puerto Rico, Turkey and Thailand.
Both vessels were designed by Frenchman Philippe Starck, a renowned contemporary designer.
The
Belarus-born Melnichenko lives a glamorous, jet-setting lifestyle with
his wife, Aleksandra, a former model and pop star from Serbia.
In
addition to two massive yachts, he owners a customised Boeing 737
private jet, a villa in the French Riviera, a penthouse in New York and a
sprawling estate near Ascot, England.
He is said to favour using the letter 'A' so his vessels are listed first in shipping registers.
The huge yacht, which has 300ft
masts, as tall as Big Ben, was seen sailing off into the sunset from
Gibraltar on May 2, where workers were seen carrying out tests and
inspections on it
The impressive superyacht was designed by Frenchman Philippe Starck and built by German Naval Yards, Nobiskrug
The luxurious vessel has 300ft
masts, eight floors, a helicopter pad and an underwater observation room
and is designed to accommodate up to 20 guests and more than 50 crew
The yacht, named Sailing Yacht A, has been branded 'the world's greatest yacht' by project chiefs
The boat's owner has an estimated net worth of $13.4 billion (£10.8 billion) and he spent £360million on the luxury vessel
The impressive vessel was photographed on May 2 in Gibraltar, where workers have been carrying out tests and inspections
The massive yacht, which has eight floors, was undergoing testing in Gibraltar before being handed to its owner
The colossal yacht has three 300ft masts, eight floors, a helicopter pad and an underwater observation room
The massive vessel, which has
space for 20 guests and more than 50 crew, was being tested and
undergoing inspections in Gibraltar on May 2
WHO ARE ANDREY MELNICHENKO AND HIS GLAMOROUS WIFE ALEKSANDRA?
Andrey and Aleksandra Melnichenko, a former model and pop star from Serbia - the couple met in France in 2003
Born
in Gomel, Belarus, during Soviet rule, Andrey Melnichenko is one of the
richest citizens of Russia and the world, with a reported net worth of
around £11billion.
He is the main shareholder of EuroChem, one of the leading fertiliser producers in the world.
The
billionaire industrialist met his wife Aleksandra, a former model and
pop star from Serbia, in the South of France in 2003 and within two
years were married in the same spot in an extravagant wedding which
included performances by pop stars Whitney Houston and Christina
Aguilera, along with Spanish singing legend Julio Iglesias.
Moscow-based
Melnichenko paid singer Jennifer Lopez $2million to perform at his
wife's lavish 30th birthday bash at their English mansion in Ascot, and
the pair regularly throws sailing parties attended by the rich and
famous.
In
2008, rocker Lenny Kravitz performed at their third wedding anniversary
bash on Motor Yacht A. Three years later rapper Snoop Dogg entertained
partygoers in a specially-built mirrored disco room.
Mrs Melnichenko once told Harper's Bazaar: 'The boat is perfect for parties, and we are always looking forward to the next one.'
In
addition to two of the world's largest superyachts and a sprawling
estate in Berkshire, west of London, the couple owns a villa in the
French Riviera, a duplex penthouse in New York, a flat in London and a
customised Boeing 737 private jet.
