Conspicious consumption Russian style

Sunday Times:

For an alpha male, it is an ideal statement of one-upmanship. A Russian billionaire has christened his futuristic superyacht 'A' so nothing can precede it in the list of all-time great vessels.

Andrey Melnichenko, 36, has had it custom-built so he and his wife, a former Miss Yugoslavia, can traverse the world’s oceans in luxury – and cast-iron safety.

The extraordinary shape – the handiwork of Philippe Starck, the French interior designer whose work takes in everything from boutique hotels to kitchen appliances – has been likened to both a first world war battleship and a submarine.

Launched by the same German company that built the Bismarck, the second world war battleship, the 390ft steel yacht is like a modern-day dreadnought. The razor-sharp bow will cut through Arctic ice. Clamshell doors at the rear open upwards to release two 30ft speedboats, ideal tenders for the Mediterranean.

The Rolls-Royce steering system can guide it across the Atlantic in less than seven days. The lack of railings will deter any modern-day pirates of the Caribbean trying to grapple onto the side of the boat.

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Melnichenko and his wife Aleksandra, 31 – the inspiration for the name A – can relax in a loft-style apartment that runs more than 80ft, the length of the top deck, and opens onto a balcony at the rear. Should he need to get to his Moscow office in a hurry, there is a helicopter pad on the foredeck.

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Another Russian is said to have a 613 foot yacht on order. That is two football fields long. At the current cost of fuel a fill up would make Donald Trump wince.