The yacht project “Alibaba” from Lürssen now sailing as “Dragonfly”. Google co-founder Sergey Brin is rumored to be the owner.
New details about the 142-meter-long yacht project “Alibaba” from Lürssen are currently making the rounds. Following the completion of several sea trials and the return to the construction site in Bremen-Aumund, the yacht is now likely to be handed over to the owner at short notice, as the ship has recently been given the final name “Dragonfly”. According to several internet portals, this name could also provide clues to the owner, who is said to be Google co-founder Sergey Brin.
The steel hull with aluminum superstructure caused a stir shortly before its planned undocking from the dry dock at Lürssen in Bremen-Nord a year ago. A technical defect in the dock gate caused water to leak out of the dock and push the nose of the yacht into the dock curtain of the covered building dock in Bremen. One employee was slightly injured. However, the subsequent repairs and most of the other equipment were no longer carried out at the headquarters in Bremen, but at the Hamburg subsidiary Blohm + Voss.
Further details about the yacht’s architects have now also been released. The silhouette of the striking yacht in the style of a modern frigate was developed by Germán Frers from Argentina, a firm known for its sailing yachts. The interiors were designed by the Milan-based studio Nauta Design, which is also active in equipping sailing yachts. According to a press release, Nauta was responsible for the design of 1000 square meters of outdoor areas and 2000 square meters of interior space spread over five decks for the “Alibaba”. Nauta’s President Mario Pedol said: “It has been an exciting four years of creative work in which we have defined every little detail of what I would describe as an outstanding combination of atmosphere and unique lifestyle experience.” Nauta has had experience with large motor yachts in the past, including the 180-meter “Azzam”, the longest yacht in the world.
© Christian Eckardt
However, the original client of this yacht project is presumably not the one who will soon be taking delivery of the 142 meters. Due to its similarity to the Lürssen yacht “Pacific X”, experts see a close connection to the Russian natural gas oligarch Leonid Michelson.
The new yacht at the outfitting pier in Bremen-Nord has now been officially renamed “Dragonfly”, so that experts see Sergey Brin as the owner of the yacht. Like his Google partner Larry Page, Brin, who was born in Moscow in 1973, became a yacht owner for the first time in 2011. That year, he took over the 73.30-metre “Dragonfly” from Silver Yachts, which was designed by Espen Øino International. In recent years, Brin’s fleet has grown to include other smaller yachts. At this year’s Monaco Yacht Show, he offered his previous “Dragonfly” for sale, which has since been renamed “Carpricon”.
Sergey Brin used the old “Dragonfly” for his rapid response organization Global Support and Development (GSD), which has been providing first aid and reconstruction after environmental disasters since 2015. GSD was founded as a result of a spontaneous deployment to Vanuatu in the South Pacific after Cyclone ”Pam“ struck. Global Support and Development provides disaster relief primarily in the Caribbean, off Latin America and in the South Pacific.
The new “Dragonfly” has four passenger decks with a helicopter hangar on the upper deck and a spacious aft deck that takes up almost half of the outer profile. The diesel-electric hybrid drive concept is particularly special. The ship has two MAN diesel engines that drive two controllable pitch propellers via individual gearboxes, which are equipped with PTI (Power Take In)/PTO (Power Take Out) units that can be used either for electric propulsion or to generate electrical energy to operate the “Alibaba”. The yacht is additionally powered by an electric azimuth pod drive, which can be used in electric mode either separately or together with other propulsion components to generate the maximum speed of up to 24 knots. This yacht is currently ranked 23rd in the world’s largest yachts. Among the yachts built by Lürssen, it is in 13th place.
