At last the The 65-metre Galactica Star super yacht owned by Oil mogul, Kola Aluko has been sold for whopping $42million
The wonderful piece of craftsmanship, according to Yachtharbour.com was sold on July 25, 2019.
In April 2019, the vessel was offered for sale in a sealed bid arrangement, proposed by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Republic of Nigeria and approved by U.S. federal court.
The sale followed a court-ordered seizure of the yacht’s owner’s assets due to possible connections to an ongoing Nigerian oil corruption scandal, triggered by the Panama Papers investigation. The latter refers to 11.5 million leaked encrypted confidential documents that were the property of Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca, exposing the network of more than 214,000 tax havens.
It was gathered that Fraser representing the seller and Burgess represented the buyer.
The yacht was custom-built by Dutch yard Heesen in 2013 and is seconds only to the builder’s 70-metre Galactica Super Nova in terms of Length Overall (LOA).
She features exterior styling by Omega Architects, engineering by Van Oossanen & Associates, finished by interiors from the boards of Bannenberg & Rowell.
The US and Nigerian governments received Federal Court approval to sell the arrested superyacht due to high maintenance and dockage fees, estimating the combined cost at around $170,000 per month. Managed by Fraser, the vessel was listed at $42,000,000.
Galactica Star accommodates up to 12 guests overnight in 6 cabins, comprising a master suite, 1 VIP stateroom, and 4 double cabins. She is also capable of carrying up to 13 crew onboard to ensure a relaxed luxury yacht experience.
The most alluring feature about the vessel is what goes on below the waterline. Van Ossaanen Naval Architects successfully created a yacht that cruises 30% more efficiently than a conventional round-bilged motor yacht in this size range.
Powered by 2 MTU 5,592 HP diesel engines and propelled by twin screw propellers, Galactica Star is capable of a top speed of 27 knots, and comfortably cruises at 24 knots.
With her 90,000 fuel tanks she has a maximum range of 4,200 nautical miles at 14 knots. Her water tanks store around 30,000 litres of fresh water.
The yacht used to be popular for charter among celebrities. It was once rented by American music industry power couple, Jay Z and Beyonce for a holiday cruise at $900,000 a week to celebrate Beyoncé 32nd birthday in 2013.
The yacht is registered in the Cayman Islands and flies under the British flag. It comes with its own helipad, outdoor Jacuzzi and plenty of space for dancing and dining.