FEATURE
1
OCEAN VICTORY
LOA: 140 m
Builder: Fincantieri, Italy
Designer: Espen Øino
Interiors: Alberto Pinto
Launched: 2014Delivered last December from Fincantieri’s yard in La Spezia, the
seven-deck 140 m (459 ft ) Ocean Victory wasted little time in heading
for Asia-Pacifi c waters. A recent South Seas cruise saw her in Auckland
by July-August last year, aft er weathering a sudden storm en route from
Fiji, and she was reportedly renewing an interest in Southeast Asia by
the end of the year.
Designed and styled by the multi-talented Espen Øino, and boasting
interiors by the equally renowned Paris-based Alberto Pinto, her
features include six swimming pools, some up to 8 m long, and there isa dock to fl oat as well as to retrieve the yacht’s
14 m tender. A hangar for the helicopter, movie
theatre, and a 300 sq m spa are among other
accoutrements.
Th e vessel is built to meet SOLAS (Safety of
Life at Sea) standards, which allow signifi cantly
higher numbers of guests aboard these
seriously sized yachts. Yet accommodation is
still only for 12 guests in six exclusive suites,
the same confi guration as for many smaller
ocean-going superyachts.
Th e owner is Russian billionaire Viktor
Rashnikov, originally a fi tter who rose through
the ranks to become chairman and majority
shareholder of one of the country’s largest
companies, Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works,
known as MMK in its Russian acronym.
He is no stranger to the superyacht industry, having earlier owned a
76 m Feadship also called Ocean Victory. She was the largest Feadship
ever built at the time of her delivery, and was reportedly later sold to
Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, son of Teodoro Obiang Nguema
Mbasogo, President of Equatorial Guinea. Th at vessel is now renamed
Ebony Shine.
Th e Fincantieri project took four years to complete, and was
shrouded in secrecy. “It was very ambitious, as she is a ship more than a
yacht. You could call her the complete superyacht,” says Øino.
Fincantieri CEO Giuseppe Bono, agrees. “A 140 m ship is always
something special. We have been able to meet the challenge,” he says.
Th e Head of Finacantieri Yachts, Giovanni Romano, added: “Th is is
the start of another adventure for Fincantieri, and this second launch
proves we were right to enter such an exclusive niche of the mega market.”
Ocean Victory is the largest superyacht so far built in Italy, and she is
ranked in the world’s Top 10.
http://www.fi ncantieriyachts.it2
SERENE
LOA: 134 m
Builder: Fincantieri, Italy
Designer: Espen Øino
Interiors: Reymond Langton
Launched: 2011Photographed here in the spectacular Marlborough Sounds of New
Zealand’s South Island early in 2015, Serene preceded Ocean Victory in
2011 as the fi rst of Fincantieri’s latest line of extra-large superyachts at
134 m LOA or 439 ft.
Like the latter, Serene was Russian-owned at the time and alsodesigned by Espen Øino, but with Reymond
Langton handling interiors. Yuri Shefl er duly
arrived to try out the mountain trail-walks,
abundant fresh seafood and wonderful
wineries for which this part of New Zealand
is famous.
His principal company SPI Group is
one of the most important drinks groups in
the world, distributing Stolichnaya Vodka
among hundreds of other brands, and he has
signifi cant real estate interests. Late this year,
however, came reports that Serene has been
sold to a Middle East billionaire, and AIS
Marine Traffi c shows her leaving Asia-Pacifi c
waters and crossing the Indian Ocean to Jeddah in the Red Sea.
Features include an internal seawater pool which has the same sort
of tender launch-and-retrieve capabilities as Ocean Victory, two helipads
with a hangar, a submarine, extensive spa and sauna, “snow” room,
climbing walls and a multi-deck water slide.
Accommodation is for 24 guests in 12 luxurious staterooms, looked
aft er by more than 50 crew. Th e owner’s suite boasts an exterior hot
tub on its terrace and a centred, oversized California King bed. Usual
walk-in wardrobes and spacious en suite bathroom are provided.
Nearby are a salon, lounge bar and library with fi replace, and a private
lift links to a sea cabin on deck two, which has a swim platform.
http://www.fi ncantieriyachts.it