A large, brand new yacht measuring almost 60 meters sailed up the Loire on September 29 to dock in Nantes. An extremely rare visit for the City of the Dukes of Brittany, where we had not seen a large pleasure ship for a long time.
With its very original design and its scarlet red hull, the Akula did not go unnoticed when it arrived off the island of Nantes on the afternoon of September 29. Coming from the Spanish port of Bilbao, this private exploration yacht moored at the Quai de la Fosse for a few days of stopover. Brand new, the vessel, 59.4 meters long, 11.3 meters wide and 1,240 tonnes, registered in the Cayman Islands, was launched in June 2023 at the Rossinavi shipyard in Pisa and entered service this year. The first exploration yacht built by the Italian manufacturer, the Akula was designed by architect Gian Paolo Nari, with the design of the interior spaces entrusted to the FM Architettura firm in Ancona. It can accommodate 10 passengers, served by 12 crew members.
The Akula moored at the Quai de la Fosse on September 29.
The ship has an ice-class steel hull to operate in polar zones, the superstructure being made of aluminum. It can carry two 9-meter tenders, diving equipment and two containers that can serve as laboratories for scientific missions, the owner having planned to support research projects, in particular via the philanthropic platform Augmentum. The propulsion, diesel-electric, is based on two main engines supplied by Caterpillar. The maximum speed is 15.5 knots and the autonomy is 30 days for a range of more than 8,000 nautical miles at 12 knots, the ship’s cruising speed.
After its stopover in Nantes, from where it is due to leave at the start of the week, the Akula should pass through Saint-Malo.
© An article from the editorial staff of Mer et Marine. Reproduction prohibited without consent of the author(s).
