Latitude Superyacht Is Owned by Singapore Investment King Anil Thadani, Can Be Chartered

Most people have never heard of Anil Thadani or his Arctic-crossing machine dubbed Latitude. We'll get to Latitude shortly, but it should also help to know a bit about Thadani so that you can understand what sort of job title you may need to afford such a vessel. He is currently Chairman of the Board at Symphony Asia Holdings, a company known for helping its clients multiply their wealth. They call themselves a "strategic investment company." Want money? Move money; it's really that simple.

To understand the sort of vessel that Latitude is, you have to realize that it has crossed the Northwest Passage of the Arctic several times, even helping Thadani celebrate his 70th birthday just 400 mi (643 km) from the North Pole. The leading team responsible for such a machine? Vripack, a crew with yachting experience since 1961.

Overall, Vripack is responsible for the design, structural and mechanical engineering, and naval architecture. But, the interior is handled by another well-known name in yachting, Bannenberg & Rowell Design. The yard that put Latitude together is Timmerman Yachts, a yard out of Russia.

Thadani acquired Latitude after having gone through about 27 other vessels that simply didn't meet his need for adventure. Oh, renowned Camper & Nicholsons yacht brokerage were the ones that helped him pin down Latitude as his own.

Sadly, I couldn't use any images I found of Latitude's interior (copywriting laws and all that), so all we have is the information revealed on Vripack's page and a few other details I could fish out of the WWW. But what we do know is that the yacht comes in with a length of 45 m (147 ft), features a beam of 9.2 m (30 ft) at its widest, and a draft of 2.8 m (9.2 ft) means it can get relatively close to coastlines.

To build it, steel was used to create the hull, and aluminum for the superstructure, much like most other yachts on the market. But, unlike other ships, this puppy has seen considerable reinforcement to the hull, enabling it to travel where few other ships dare; yes, the Arctic.

Overall, it appears as though Latitude is spread out over four decks and a superstructure that creates long decks filled with unimaginable billionaire luxuries. However, Thadani uses this vessel for family gatherings, so take your mind off what you've seen in movies.

Ensuring Latitude makes it to wherever its owners desire, two Caterpillar 3412E DI-TA engines propel the ship along at speeds upwards of 13 knots (14.9 mph). Sure, it's not the fastest vessel on the planet, but met with some ice and other resistance, it'll get you home safely.

Vripack mentions that 12 guests can be accommodated onboard by a crew of nine, giving us a feel for what may be found inside. Another hint regarding the pleasure at hand for guests can be seen at the ship's bow, a large lounge, and a few toys to be launched in Arctic waters. The rear of each deck includes exterior space for setting up lounges and dining areas. As for the upper deck, it may be all about visibility as glass bulwarks surround this space. There must be a jacuzzi somewhere, too.

As to how much this cost, that too was somewhat difficult to find out. However, Latitude does seem to be available for charter through Yacht Charter Fleet during summer for no more than 155,000 EUR (171,592 USD at current exchange rates), not including operational costs. Mind you, they've managed to get their hands on images of that interior we couldn't see before.

At the end of the day, it would appear you can taste the billionaire lifestyle without necessarily being made of money. Nonetheless, it would be nice to an owner and cash in on all subsequent use of your toy. Sounds like an investment if you ask me.