Oligarch Andrei Melnichenko is considered one of the richest men in Russia. He owns the sailing superyacht “A”. The ship measures 143 meters in length, is over 100 meters high thanks to three huge masts and was the world’s largest sailing yacht until the completion of Jeff Bezos’ yacht. In a report from 2015, “boat24.com” described it as a “marvel of technology with a mysterious interior”. Plus luxury to the hilt. “In the future, the Melnitschenkos and up to 20 guests can stroll, sunbathe and be accommodated in style on eight decks.”
As “t-online” now wants to know, more than three million euros from the German state treasury are said to have flowed into the construction of the oligarch yacht via a funding program from the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control.
According to the report, the “A” was built by the Nobiskrug shipyard in cooperation with the then sister shipyard German Naval Yards. There was a grant for that. “Innovative shipbuilding secures competitive jobs” is the name of the federal and state program that supports innovative products and processes in the maritime sector.
“Innovations within the meaning of this directive are industrial applications of products or processes that are technically new or significantly improved compared to the state of the art in the shipbuilding industry in the European Union and that harbor the risk of technical or industrial failure,” it says.
Means: companies get orders and can then apply for funding for the implementation of the projects, as apparently also the Nobiskrug shipyard. According to its own information, “t-online” has a confidential document that lists the numbers of the funding measures individually. According to the report, this results in at least four installments that the shipyard is said to have received from the state treasury. In total, well over 3 million euros are said to have flowed into the oligarch yacht, which was said to have been known as the “White Pearl” at the time.
The sailing superyacht “A” is currently moored in the port of Trieste. Because of the Russian war of aggression, the EU put Melnichenko on the sanctions list and detained his yacht
Will Truss’ predecessor also be her successor? Boris Johnson may be ready to run for Prime Minister again. He broke off his Caribbean vacation to be in London on Monday for Tory MPs to vote.
Energy crisis, slump in consumption, recession: BDI boss Siegfried Russwurm reports that medium-sized companies are threatening to migrate. And just as private individuals urgently need prospects for the future: What could the new normal look like one day?
The auto supplier Borgers, which has existed since 1866 and has therefore been in existence for 156 years, has slipped into bankruptcy. This is not a big shock, however, as the company, which has over 6,000 employees, has been going through a crisis for years.
