La Datcha is in Ushuaia
The world’s most luxurious icebreaker yacht was unable to start her maiden voyage to Antarctica because she lost one of her anchors. She is forbidden to navigate until she gets a replacement or finds the key piece that fell into the water.
The Prefecture prohibited the navigation of the 77-meter-long, 14-meter-wide vessel, “for safety reasons,” and she must remain in the port until they bring a spare or find the one that fell into the water.
The Datcha, the world’s first icebreaker yacht valued at 100 million euros, was unable to start her maiden voyage to Antarctica because she lost one of her anchors during maneuvers around the port of the city of Ushuaia.
“By international standards, the Argentine Naval Prefecture does not allow you to sail without an anchor. It is a matter of ship safety. Until they recover it or bring another one, they cannot set sail.”
The yacht was authorized to remain in the roadstead, in the vicinity of the Fuegian dock.
The crew of “La Datcha” hired a private company in the city that operates with divers and underwater drones to try to recover the anchor.
They are using a boat of their own boat to tour the place and try to find the anchor. The company provides them with the personnel to operate a light ROV-type drone with the capacity to submerge up to 150 meters and with cameras, lights, and other accessories to survey structures on the seabed.
The ship
The 77-meter-long and 14-meter-wide yacht, with capacity for 12 passengers and 25 crew members, was completed last year and is considered one of a kind, for combining the luxury and sophistication of its on-board features, with a unique ability to navigate icy waters.
The icebreaker belonging to the Russian banker Oleg Tinkov can break ice up to 40 centimeters thick and navigate polar waters for up to 40 days without the need for refueling, according to the specialized site NautiSpots.
Likewise, it has six decks and inside it houses six cabins, including 2 en suite and two VIP, as well as sophisticated glazed observation rooms.
The ship’s facilities include two helicopter hangars and a dive center with a decompression chamber, while the equipment includes two motorboats (one luxury and one rescue), a three-person submarine, two snowmobiles and four jet skis.
After sailing through the Indian Ocean, the Seychelles and Madagascar, the Russian peninsula of Kamchatka and Alaska, “La Datcha” landed in Ushuaia before starting an Antarctic journey that will put her reinforced hull to the test.
Tinkov, its owner is a billionaire founder of Tinkoff Bank in 2006, with an estimated net worth of 7 billion dollars. He also owns a chain of luxury hotels in Mexico, France, Italy and Russia under the name “La Datcha”, among other companies and businesses.
