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75m sailing yacht Phocea sinks after fire
The 75 metre sailing yacht Phocea (previously Enigma) has sunk off the coast of Malaysia after the yacht caught fire last week.
Speaking to Agence France-Presse, the Malaysian coastguard confirmed that Phocea sank at around 5am or 6am on February 19.
The yacht, which is the ninth-largest sailing yacht in the world , was filmed on fire in strong wind conditions after the blaze was discovered by a local patrol vessel. It is reported that while the coastguard was able to control the fire, the damage to the hull was too severe and caused the yacht to sink. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The vessel requested the assistance of the Langkawi Maritime Rescue Sub Centre and Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency MMEA which began fighting the fire at around 8.18 am local time.
Kedah and Perlis MMEA director, Maritime First Admiral Mohd Zawawi Abdullah said the wind conditions were “making the operation difficult”.
“The seven crewmen were successfully transferred to KM Tenggol and they are safe and unhurt,” he said in a statement. “No oil spill was reported and we will continue monitoring the situation”.
The 75.12 metre Phocea was first built in 1976 for single-handed yachtsman Alain Colas as Club Mediterranée. In 1986 it was converted into a cruising yacht for French entrepreneur Bernard Tapie.
The yacht was then sold to Mouna Ayoub in 1999 and modernised during a refit at Lürssen . The yacht was sold again in 2010 to her current owners.
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Bernard Tapie's Phocéa, exceptional sailboat 1976-2021
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The Phocéa at Port Vauban in Antibes in 2009.
In 1976, navigator Alain Colas (record holder of the 1973 solo round-the-world sailing trip in 169 days on his Pen Duick IV "Manureva") had this exceptional vessel built, designed by naval architect Michel Bigouin (creator of Pen Duick IV and Pen Duick V) at the Toulon arsenal. He finances everything through his company Alain-Colas-Tahiti SA with an exceptional ability to solicit sponsors. The ship is built within the confines of the Mourillon arsenal in Toulon. Unique and revolutionary boat 72 meters long, it was initially baptized Club Méditerranée, and has 1 m000 of sail area, 2 masts 4 meters high. It is equipped with very advanced technological equipment for the time. This boat having to perform the English Transat (solo transatlantic) and the solo round the world, it must be able to be maneuvered by a single person: the maneuver of the boat is entirely assisted by a hydraulic pilot system. This then state-of-the-art boat is one of the largest and fastest racing sailboats in the world, capable of theoretically reaching a top speed of 30 knots (or 30 km/h).
On June 5, 1976, Alain Colas took the start of the fifth English Transat solo, in Plymouth. The following days, five storms follow one another in the North Atlantic, several boats sink. On Club Méditerranée, they caused the halyards, cables holding the sails, to break. Alain Colas decides on a technical stopover in Newfoundland, which lasts thirty-six hours. On June 29, he arrived in Newport in fifth place after a fixed penalty of 58 hours, but only 7 hours and 28 minutes in real time behind Éric Tabarly.
In 1978, Alain Colas was reported missing at sea on November 16 while taking part in the Route du Rhum on his Pen Duick IV “Manureva”. His wife Teura Colas then inherited his company and its boats, which had been abandoned for many years in Tahiti.
The Phocea off Pampelonne in Saint-Tropez.
In 1982, businessman Bernard Tapie bought Club Méditerranée and Alain-Colas-Tahiti SA from Teura Colas, which he made a subsidiary of his group. He repatriates the wreckage of the boat to Marseilles from Tahiti where he has it completely restored and transformed into a luxury yacht, while retaining its sporting spirit. Thus, only light materials are used to fit out the Phocéa, which remains very efficient under sail. Bernard Tapie wants to make the Phocéa the most beautiful and the most efficient sailboat in the world. The renovation will last four years, at a cost of 68 million francs (10 million euros). On May 23, 1987, by way of inauguration, he married Dominique Mialet-Damianos, of Greek origin, on board in Greece during a private ceremony with some friends, celebrated by a Greek Orthodox priest and made his first cruise in the Mediterranean at on board for her honeymoon.
In 1988, on his second attempt, Bernard Tapie broke the record for crossing the Atlantic in a monohull with this boat in June. Bernard Tapie is personally on board for the crossing as owner.
The fire on February 18, 2021
Ex-wife of billionaire Nasser Al-Rashid, businessman Saudi real estate developer and personal friend of the King of Saudi Arabia Fahd ben Abdelaziz Al Saud, Mouna Ayoub buys Phocéa with the idea of transforming it in depth. Little sensitive to the sporting spirit that animated Bernard Tapie, Mouna Ayoub replaced the light materials used for decoration by the latter with heavier materials, in the tradition of luxury yachting. It also reduces the size of the masts and the sails, hampered by the significant angle of heel of the boat under sail. Finally, she adds a floor to have more space. Mouna Ayoub thus spends a total of 17 million dollars in modifications, development and decoration work. In the opinion of all observers of the yachting world, these changes are not very flattering for the Phocéa: the formerly slender line is weighed down by the shortening of the masts and the addition of a floor, as well as by the use of the color white for the superstructure which “stands out” visually much more. In addition, the ship has become 60% heavier and has lost 35% of sail area, making its performance under sail, once exceptional, much more common. Mouna Ayoub makes Phocéa her personal address and rents it out from €196 per week. The new owners of the Phocéa continue to offer it on charter.
In 2010, Mouna Ayoub resold the yacht for approximately 10 million euros to Xavier Niel, associated with brothers Steve and Jean-Émile Rosenblum, the founders of the Pixmania site. The yacht is registered in Luxembourg. It is owned by a Maltese company, Phocea Limited. This in turn is 50% owned by the NJJ Capital holding company (French company owned by Xavier Niel) and the Dotcorp Finance holding company (Luxembourg company owned by the Rosenblum brothers). On the occasion of the disclosure of the "Malta Files", the financial arrangement used for the management of Phocéa is highlighted.
The Phocéa sank after being partially destroyed by fire on February 18, 2021 while anchored in the Langkawi archipelago in Malaysia.
- Dominique Milherou
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Tourisme-Marseille.com - Blog & Interactive Map
- 2-4 rue Fortia, le Rosbif 1850
- 2-4 rue Fortia 13001 Marseille
- Savonnerie Malaterre and Rapidor
- 8 Rue de la Croix, 13007 Marseille
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- Prado Aquarium, Marseille Aquaforum, Place de l’Honêteté
- Place Admiral Muselier, 13008 Marseille
- The Cyclops defeated by a Starry Chef, and the return
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- Joseph Masin & Louis Roubaud Distillery, 1881
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- Julien Frères establishments, 1902
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- A.Giran and Amarettis biscuit factory
- 115 Rue Saint-Pierre, 13005 Marseille
- Henri Martel, Lard, Preserved & Salted, 1883
- 72 Rue de la Loubière, 13005 Marseille
- Marseille Chutes-Lavie Miner Observation Center, 1954
- 1 Rue Transvaal, 13004 Marseille
- Special Manufacture of Moulure de la Veuve J.Buck
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- L’Etoile d’Or, Rest Home, 35 Boulevard Henri Fabre
- 35 Boulevard Henri Fabre, 13012 Marseille
- UGOLF Marseille-Borély, 2004-2023
- Golf Club Borély, 13008 Marseille
- Former Genetière Tennis Club, Saint Julien, 1971
- Promenade du Canal de Saint Julien, 13012 Marseille
- O'Stop, end of an institution, 2023
- 16 Rue Saint-Saëns, 13001 Marseille
Tourisme-Marseille.com is a personal, unofficial site for discovering and exploring the past, present and future of Marseille via an interactive map comprising 1500 files that evolve with changes and current events in Marseille. .
By SuperyachtNews 26 Jul 2012
S/Y Phocea detained in Vanuatu
The 75.15m sailing yacht phocea, built in france in 1976, has been detained in vanuatu with reports suggesting that the yacht was boarded by customs officials in what appears to be a potential political dispute...….
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Phocea Specifications
- Name Phocea
- Model Custom
- Flag Cayman Islands
- Hull Colour -
- Naval Architect
- Exterior Designer Tim Heywood Design
- Interior Designer Beiderbeck Designs
- Length Overall 75.2m
- Length at Waterline 66.5m
- Draft (min) -
- Draft (max) 6.1m
- Gross Tonnage 530
- Cabins Total 6
- Cabins 1 Master / 1 VIP / 2 Double / 2 Twin
- Hull Configuration -
- Hull Material Steel
- Superstructure -
- Deck Material Teak
- Fuel Type -
- Manufacturer MTU
- Model / 12V 200 M91
- Power 1056 hp
- Total Power 1056 hp
- Propulsion Single Screw
- Max Speed 14 Kn
- Cruising Speed 12 Kn
- Fuel Capacity 37000
- Water Capacity 13000
- Generator Catepillar / 2 x Catepillar 161 kW
- Stabilizers -
- Thrusters Schottel
- Amenities -
- Yacht Builder DCAN No profile available
- Exterior Designer Tim Heywood Design View profile
- Interior Designer Beiderbeck Designs No profile available
Yacht Specs
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PHOCEA yacht
Post by aukepalmhof » Fri Jul 28, 2017 9:31 pm
Re: PHOCEA yacht
Post by aukepalmhof » Sun Feb 21, 2021 7:12 pm
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Yacht, IMO 8942797
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The vessel PHOCEA (IMO 8942797) is a Yacht built in 1976 (48 years old) and currently sailing under the flag of Unknown .
Vessel Particulars
| IMO number | 8942797 |
| Vessel Name | PHOCEA |
| Ship Type | Yacht |
| Flag | St Vincent & Grenadines |
| Year of Build | 1976 |
| Length Overall | 75.00 |
| Length BP | |
| Beam | 10.00 |
| Draught | |
| Depth |
| Gross Tonnage | 530 |
| Net Tonnage | |
| Deadweight | - |
| TEU | - |
| Crude Oil | - |
| Gas ) | - |
| Grain ) | - |
| Bale ) | - |
| Ballast Water ) | - |
| Fresh Water ) | - |
| Builder | |
| Place of Build | |
| Hull | |
| Material | |
| Engine Builder |
| Engine Type | - |
| Engine Power | |
| Fuel Type | |
| Service Speed | |
| Propeller |
| Registered Owner | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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