The megayacht Ester III, which belonged to Georgi Bedjamov, co-owner of Vneshprombank and ex-head of the Russian Bobsleigh Federation, has been sold by decision of the Gibraltar Maritime High Court for €79.5 million to pay off debts at the suit of BNP Paribas bank.
The new owner renamed the 66-meter Ester III in Iroquois.
Henry already had a superyacht of the same name, the 50m Feadship, sold in 2013 for 19.5 million.
Megayacht Ester III was built in steel and aluminium at the Lurssen yard in 2014 to a design by Espen Oino. The classic elegant interiors by Reymond Langton accommodate up to 12 guests in 6 staterooms. The 17 crew are accommodated in 9 staterooms.
The spacious main salon features a decorative fireplace and two large sofas arranged around an 85" TV with Dolby Stereo Surround sound system. The dining area has seating for 14.
Aft of the main deck is an infinity-edge pool surrounded by sun loungers. Upstairs in the sky lounge is a large sofa, two armchairs, gaming table, a retractable 108" Panasonic panel and bar with freezer and ice maker.
On the sundeck is a U-shaped sofa around the open-air cinema, another bar and a barbecue. Other amenities on board include a helipad, elevator linking the lower guest deck to the sundeck, spa and gym.
Powered by two 2011 hp MTU 12V 4000 M63 diesel engines. S. twin propellers will enable Ester III to reach a cruising speed of 15 knots. At 12 knots, she has a cruising range of 4,000 nautical miles.
Georgy Bedjamov, who owned Ester III, owned 3.3% of Vneshprombank, and his sister Larisa Markus was president of the bank. In December 2015, Markus was arrested in a fraud case and Bedjamov fled to Monaco. In 2016, Vneshprombank went bankrupt. A hole of more than 200 billion rubles was found in its capital. Monaco authorities refused to extradite Bedjamov to Russia at the request of Russian law enforcement authorities.
