The Mayan Queen IV arrives in Dunedin yesterday. Photo by
Jane Dawber.
One of the largest private superyachts to visit Dunedin
cruised into the city yesterday, turning heads as it made its
way up Otago Harbour to its berth.
The 92m-long, six-level Mayan Queen IV is reportedly owned
owned by Mexican billionaire Alberto Bailleres Gonzalez (80),
chairman of Mexico's second-largest mining company,
Industrias Penoles, the leading Latin American producer of
refined gold, lead and zinc and the world's top producer of
silver.
Mr Bailleres Gonzalez is ranked No66 on Forbes magazine's
March 2011 list of the world's richest people, with a net
worth of US$11.9 billion.
Crew members would not comment yesterday on who was on board
or why the vessel had come to Dunedin.
The Mayan Queen IV was one of several superyachts that drew
large crowds while berthed at Silo Park in Auckland during
the Rugby World Cup.
The New Zealand Herald reported last year the yacht would be
in Auckland until early this year for maintenance.
Ship spotters gathered harbourside as the yacht berthed at
the T/U Sheds in Dunedin about 9am yesterday, having sailed
from Fiordland, where it had spent several days before the
weather deteriorated. It is scheduled to leave tomorrow.
Because of the yacht's size and the characteristics of the
harbour, the yacht needed a Port of Otago pilot on board to
enter and leave the harbour, Port of Otago chief pilot Hugh
Marshall said.
He did not know if it was the biggest superyacht to have
visited Dunedin, but it was certainly one of the largest.
It was scheduled to berth at Birch St, but a source said the
yacht's crew preferred to berth at the T/U sheds.
Crew members said the wind had made the voyage to Dunedin
"quite bumpy".
The Mayan Queen IV was built in Germany, launched in 2008,
and can sleep 16 guests and 24 crew. The ship was designed by
British superyacht designer Tim Heywood, and is listed as the
34th biggest yacht in the world by website superyachts.com.
Russian billionaire and Chelsea Football Club owner Roman
Abramovich owns the world's largest superyacht, Eclipse,
which is 164m long.
debbie.porteous@odt.co.nz
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.