One of the most expensive and largest motor yachts visits Maldives

One of the largest and most expensive motor yachts in the world has visited the Maldives.

Luxury motor yacht, "A", docked near Dhoonidhoo this morning, is the sixth largest motor yacht in the world, worth USD 323 million.

Sources say that motor yacht "A" arrived in the Maldives from the Port of Salalah, Oman, departing on 2 January. The exact date of arrival in the Maldives nor it's next destination is clear at this time.

Designed by the world renowned Philippe Starck and engineered by naval architect Martin Francis, M/Y "A" was buildt by the Blohm + Voss shipyard at the HDW deepwater facility in German port city, Kiel. It is owned by the Russian industrialist and philanthropist, Andrey Melnichenko and his wife, Aleksandra Melnichenko.

It is reported the name “A” was used in order make the vessel appear first on shipping registers, while the design is largely based on advanced nautical engineering and maritime technology which accounts for many benefits including wave-less cruising.

Melnichenko owns majority stakes in fertilizer producer EuroChem, coal producer SUEK and power generator SGK. His first venture in the early 1990s was a chain of currency-exchange booths from which he cofounded MDM BankHe later founded Eurochem, SUEK and pipe exporter TMK with Sergei Popov, a former metals trader from Ural with whom he started working in 2000. Six years later, the partners began divvying up their assets and entirely separated by 2012, with Popov getting the bank and Melnichenko getting the other assets.

The vessel has evoked comparisons with submarines and stealth warships prompting Forbes magazine to wax that the vessel "was designed by Philippe Starck and resembles a sleek, futuristic submarine".

The 400 ft. yacht has a space of 24,000 square feet along with a 2,500 square foot Master Bedroom and six guest suites allowing for a total of 14 guests at a time. Melnichenko has spent an estimated $450 million on the vessel.

Equipped with a helicopter hanger on the roof and a speedboat access of 30 foot, the vessel has three swimming pools, one with a transparent floor.