The king of good times has moved up to become the emperor of good times. To suit the occasion, he has a new empress. Vijay Mallya has moved on from the smaller Indian Princess to the Indian Empress, which is his new floating home.Launched in 2000 as Al Mirqab, she was finished at the Oceanco yard in Holland to the design of the A Group after having had her hull assembled in Durban, South Africa. The yacht was owned by a Qatari Royal Family member who sold her to the Indian billionaire in 2006.
Powered by three 10,000 horsepower engines, the sleek super-yacht is his newest acquisition that arrived in Mumbai this month. Though the exact price of the boat is not known, sources in the yacht business say the asking price when it was put in the market by its previous owner was $113m.
The yacht was used as a backdrop for pictures in the the Kingfisher ’07 calendar shot by Atul Kasbekar with six international models. Giving Economic Times an exclusive tour of the Indian Empress, Dr. Mallya says he intends to use it for “both business and pleasure, but basically to chill out.” With 16 cabins at three levels, the boat is self-sufficient for long voyages from the south of France to the Caribbean. For links with land, it’s equipped with a helipad as well as space in the hold for two Mercedes cars to enable the occupants to drive off wherever there are wharves with a deep enough channel for a ramp. This is not possible in India, he says.
For desi waters, Mr Mallya uses two high-speed motorboats that ferry him and his passengers onshore. The interiors have the VJM touch all over, from the monogrammed linen to the liquor in the bar, which is ‘Chairman’s Special’ and the art all over the boat. It is outfitted with paintings and objets d’art from Dr. Mallya’s personal collection in every nook and cranny. We identified one Renoir, a Chagall and a large Hussain in the lounge. Overall, the look, feel and colours are very Indian, with an element of the Continent brought in through Roman prints and Grecian motifs on the walls. The lower deck is for the guests with large sea-views from every room and gold furnishings in the bathroom. Dr. Mallya’s personal space is on the next deck with a huge bedroom for him and a private deck with a jacuzzi that opens out to the blue ocean.
The boat has a savvy international crew of 20, which includes housekeeping staff, officers and a masseur. Showing off the technical side of the yacht, the master of the ship, Capt Fabian Roche, says the Indian Empress is equipped with state-of-the-art satellite navigation and radar communication which will enable passengers to stay in touch with terra firma. “The Kingfisher top management will have business meetings onboard,” he said. Internet access is through a high speed V-sat link. It also has phone and fax connections through the Inmarsat satellite link. It is capable of a maximum speed of 26.5 knots which translates to about 47 kmph.
