Photo: YouTube @DrDuu / Wikipedia @Komul (Composite)
Europe is the scene of one of the most violent and heartbreaking armed conflicts since WWII as of February 2022, but the world has not shifted on its axis. Yet. The rich keep richin’, including the now-vilified and sanctioned Russian oligarchs and non-Russian oligarch-types.
One such “type” is billionaire Rinat Akhmetov, the richest man in Ukraine and a businessman whose fortune and pro-oligarch stance are controversial, to say the least. Much like a Russian oligarch, Akhmetov is on his way to owning one of the world’s largest and most impressive megayachts, now under construction at the German luxury shipyard Lurssen.
For a truly special water-bound project, there’s only one place to go if your pockets are lined with billions – and that place is Lurssen. Since 2018, the shipyard has been building Akhmetov’s newest toy, the 145-meter (475-foot) Project Luminance. That’s not the vessel’s final name, but the handle being used internally, until delivery.
Project Luminance is now one step closer to delivery and has made an unexpected appearance at the Bremen shipyard, trade publications report. This marks the first time in almost two years that it’s spotted by the general public, after it was moved to a different Lurssen location in May 2021, for outfitting. Because of the size of the vessel, it was transported in pieces, which offered little insight into its final design – but did offer a good appreciation of its impressive size.
Project Luminance is scheduled for delivery later this year, so it won’t be that long until we get a fresh look at it. When it’s delivered to the owner, it will become officially the 15th largest superyacht in the world, and the seventh largest built by Lurssen, with a reported interior volume exceeding 9,000 GT. Luminance also marks the 30th collaboration between the shipyard and designer Espen Oino, who penned its exteriors.
The last time Project Luminance was in the news was in May 2022, shortly after the start of the armed conflict in Akhmetov’s Ukraine, when his management company confirmed to the media that he was considering selling it. Akhmetov is also the owner of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, which fell under Russian control at about the same time, but not before becoming the symbol of the Ukraine resistance. No explanation was offered for the apparently sudden decision to consider the sale of the yacht, but reports at the time claimed Akhmetov was looking to distance himself from Russian oligarchs completely through it.
Whatever the context, and despite the fact that this was the last time we heard anything about the sale, work on Project Luminance has continued unhindered. The megayacht is on schedule for delivery, so someone – whether Akhmetov or a new owner – must have kept up with payments on it. The rich keep richin’, as we were saying, and nothing comes in between them and their latest mega-toys.
For a truly special water-bound project, there’s only one place to go if your pockets are lined with billions – and that place is Lurssen. Since 2018, the shipyard has been building Akhmetov’s newest toy, the 145-meter (475-foot) Project Luminance. That’s not the vessel’s final name, but the handle being used internally, until delivery.
Project Luminance is now one step closer to delivery and has made an unexpected appearance at the Bremen shipyard, trade publications report. This marks the first time in almost two years that it’s spotted by the general public, after it was moved to a different Lurssen location in May 2021, for outfitting. Because of the size of the vessel, it was transported in pieces, which offered little insight into its final design – but did offer a good appreciation of its impressive size.
Project Luminance is scheduled for delivery later this year, so it won’t be that long until we get a fresh look at it. When it’s delivered to the owner, it will become officially the 15th largest superyacht in the world, and the seventh largest built by Lurssen, with a reported interior volume exceeding 9,000 GT. Luminance also marks the 30th collaboration between the shipyard and designer Espen Oino, who penned its exteriors.
The last time Project Luminance was in the news was in May 2022, shortly after the start of the armed conflict in Akhmetov’s Ukraine, when his management company confirmed to the media that he was considering selling it. Akhmetov is also the owner of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, which fell under Russian control at about the same time, but not before becoming the symbol of the Ukraine resistance. No explanation was offered for the apparently sudden decision to consider the sale of the yacht, but reports at the time claimed Akhmetov was looking to distance himself from Russian oligarchs completely through it.
Whatever the context, and despite the fact that this was the last time we heard anything about the sale, work on Project Luminance has continued unhindered. The megayacht is on schedule for delivery, so someone – whether Akhmetov or a new owner – must have kept up with payments on it. The rich keep richin’, as we were saying, and nothing comes in between them and their latest mega-toys.
The 145-metre Lürssen superyacht Luminance has been spotted for the first time as she prepares for her launch. https://t.co/UvgIBoIF8T pic.twitter.com/bhORJb6rZS
— SuperYacht Times (@sytreports) February 7, 2023
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