Overview
Scheherazade is a motor superyacht 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 Vladimir Putin and subject to sanctions relating to the Russo-Ukrainian War.
Engineering and construction
The yacht has a steel hull with an aluminum superstructure. It was delivered on 1 June 2020, departing Lemwerder for Norway. According to SuperYachtFan, in 2022 it has an estimated value of US$700 million. The New York Times reported that it appeared to be the sister ship of the 135.5 m (445 ft) Crescent, owned by Igor Sechin, a Russian oligarch and CEO of Rosneft.
Features
The yacht has two helicopter decks, a gym, and gold-plated bathroom fixtures. The upper deck contains two VIP suites, one of which includes a player piano. 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. In 2022 Russian opposition activists published an alleged crew list, showing that all crew members, but the captain, were Russian citizens. Furthermore at least 10 were identified as Federal Protective Service officers, a service tasked with protecting the Russian president and other high ranking government officials.
Investigation for sanctions
While Scheherazade was undergoing a refit in Italy, it had 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, due to the Russo-Ukrainian War. In May 2022 the ship left the shipyard and was ready to leave the port of Marina di Carrara. The ship was seized on 6 May 2022 based on its links to the Russian government.
See also
*List of motor yachts by length