Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Siran, Feadship, de Vries, 67.01 metre, 1992

















Siran is rumoured to be owned by Bob Manoukian, estimated to be worth about EUR 500 million.

Bob Manoukian is a founding shareholder and Chairman of HSBC Bank Armenia and owner of the Dorchester Hotel in London, England. He is an investor, commercial developer and philanthropist.

Mr. Manoukian’s business interests are controlled through the Principality of Liechtenstein. He also owns a small London-based company, Vincci. Mr. Manoukian, who is considered to be a Diaspora Armenian, has invested in several companies that have been brought to Armenia for the purpose of creating jobs. Some of these companies include Coca-Cola, a British bank and a pharmaceutical company.

The Yerevans Osharak Co. was created by Mr. Manoukian and the Greek Hellenic Bottling Co. for the purpose of selling 80 percent of its share to Coca-Cola Bottlers Armenia in order to produce the soft drink for distribution in Armenia.

He is also an automobile fanatic, owing more than 60 cars, including several Rolls Royces. The Manoukians previously owned the Adelphi Theatre on London’s Strand while Bob’s most flamboyant purchase was a Bugatti Veryron for £1.1 million at a charity event.

Some old (1998) news about Manoukian by The Independent:

Prince Jefri of Brunei settles out of court in pounds 180m claim

The most expensive civil action in English legal history, between Prince Jefri of Brunei and two of his closest emissaries, has been settled out of court.

Lawyers for the men, who were suing each other for claims totalling pounds 180m, confirmed last night that they had reached an "amicable" settlement following astonishing courtroom revelations of sexual and financial excesses.

A spokesman for Bob Manoukian, 50, and his brother Rafi, 42, who were claiming that Prince Jefri failed to honour two property deals worth pounds 80m, said yesterday: "An agreement was reached over the past couple of days. The case has now been settled amicably." He said confidentiality clauses prevented both sides from elaborating on the settlement.

One of the driving forces behind the deal is thought to be the reluctance of Prince Jefri to face cross-examination over his private life. In the early stages of the case at the High Court in London, Bob Manoukian, the 128th richest man in Britain, told the court that the Prince kept up to 40 prostitutes at a time at the Dorchester Hotel, which he owns. Mr Manoukian, a Christian, claimed that the relationship with Prince Jefri had broken down on religious grounds and because he had criticised the Prince's actions.

In return, Prince Jefri , the 44-year-old son of the Sultan of Brunei, the richest man in the world, accused the Manoukian brothers of overcharging him for goods by 300 per cent. He was suing the brothers for pounds 100m.

Based in London and worth about pounds 250m, the Manoukians specialise in property investment. The court heard that they conducted an estimated pounds 520m in deals on the prince's behalf for the purchase of property, a Renoir painting, objets d'art and an aircraft.

The brothers claimed the prince reneged on a pounds 55m deal to buy and operate the pounds 190m Adelphi office building in London and a pounds 25m verbal agreement to refurbish the lower floors of the former Playboy Club at 45 Park Lane.

The brothers said the prince had planned to turn these into a "London Palace" next to the Dorchester.

The settlement is expected to save six months of court time and more than pounds 1m in legal fees. Prince Jefri is also being sued in the US by Shannon Marketic, a former Miss USA who claims she was held captive in a Brunei palace for use by his friends as a "sex slave".

More:
THE BROTHER of the world's richest man kept up to 40 prostitutes at London's Dorchester Hotel at any one time, the High Court heard yesterday.

The women were procured for Prince Jefri of Brunei by an English madam or brought in from the Far East under the pretence that they were servants.

The extraordinary details of Prince Jefri's lifestyle were outlined by his former emissary on the seventh day of a trial that could become one of the most expensive personal actions in British legal history.

Bob Manoukian, 53, and his brother Rafi, 44, are suing the prince for pounds 80m, claiming he failed to honour two deals. The Prince is counter-suing for pounds 100m, saying Rafi Manoukian exploited a friendship and made unreasonable profits out of him.

The Manoukian brothers say the 44-year-old prince reneged on a pounds 55m deal to buy the Adelphi in London's Strand and a pounds 25m verbal deal to renovate the first five storeys of the prince's London home at 45 Park Lane.

Bob Manoukian said in a written statement of his evidence that their relationship broke down because of the Prince's lifestyle.

"In 1993, Rafi told me that Prince Jefri had started to arrange for girls to be brought in from the USA. This seemed to me a serious mistake," he said.

"My view was that bringing in girls from the USA would be likely to lead to embarrassing publicity. I told Rafi that he should talk to Prince Jefri and warn him of the potential risk he was running but Prince Jefri told him that it was none of our business."

Mr Manoukian said Prince Jefri's conduct was "completely unacceptable by Western standards" and that he was concerned that there would be a rift in the relationship. "Once he came to believe that we were criticising him and disapproving of his behaviour and lifestyle, a breakdown in relations was unavoidable."

In June 1993, Mr Manoukian visited Brunei and saw the disco area at the Assurur (pleasure) Palace and some of the girls brought in for Prince Jefri and his friends. "Rafi and I waited outside the disco in the lobby area while the girls entertained their hosts. I was shocked to see Prince Jefri's young son Bahar and his teenage daughter in the Assurur Palace."

Mr Manoukian's evidence said Prince Jefri wanted to take over the upper floors of 45 Park Lane, the former Playboy Club, because it was close to the Dorchester which the Sultan of Brunei had bought in 1985. The prince subsequently paid pounds 21m.

"The apartments were convenient for the Dorchester, being across the road, and prostitutes could be brought into and taken out of the building in a discreet manner. "

Mr Manoukian said Prince Jefri was often late in settling his accounts and was "a significant commercial risk to us".

The court heard that the Brunei High Commission eventually paid one bill of pounds 1,331,065, the Brunei Investment Agency settled another of pounds 3,907,874 and Prince Jefri paid a bill of pounds 4,928,858.


More about Siran:
Bruce Willis was seen having a Saint Tropez holiday on Siran in 2007.

(Almost) non interior pictures of Siran seem to exist. :)






Technical details:

Yacht type: Motor Yacht
Imo: 1003932 MMSI: 319512000
Call sign: ZHBA4
Flag: Cayman Islands

Length Overall (m): 67.01 Length Overall (ft): 219.85
Beam (m): 10.20 Beam (ft): 33.46
Draught Max (m): 3.30 Draught Max (ft): 10.83

Shipyard: Feadship
Year: 1992
Hull: 643
Comment: Built by Feadship member Koninklijke De Vries Scheepsbouw.

Naval Architect: De Voogt Naval Architects
Exterior Designer: Tim Heywood Design Ltd., Bannenberg & Rowell Design
Interior Designer: Bannenberg & Rowell Design

Hull Material: Steel
Superstructure: Aluminium
Gross Tonnage: 1032
Class: Lloyds Register

Engine Manufacturer: Caterpillar Inc
Model: 3516 DITA
Number of Engines: 2
Type: Diesel
HP: 1,492 KW: 1,113

Total HP: 2,984 Total KW: 2,225

Cruise Speed: 16
Propulsion: Twin screw

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