Ready to set sail! Lachlan Murdoch’s top-secret $150m superyacht with a “sprawling, lavish beach club” is finally taking shape five years after media heirs ordered it
- Lachlan Murdoch gets new superyacht
- The media mogul has been waiting for five years
Lachlan Murdoch is one step closer to adding a new $150 million superyacht to its collection of luxury vessels.
News Corp’s heir will receive the superyacht after five years of patiently waiting for her to be developed and eventually built by Dutch company Royal Huisman.
The superyacht was kept secret and dubbed Project 404 and cost at least $150 million.
Mr Murdoch’s lavish spending comes despite the media giant’s grappling with two massive lawsuits.
The first is a $2.4 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News Network and its parent company Fox Corp for reporting unsubstantiated US election fraud claims.
Lachlan Murdoch is one step closer to adding a new $150 million superyacht to its collection of luxury vessels
News Corp’s heir will receive the superyacht after five years of patiently waiting for her to be developed and eventually built by Dutch company Royal Huisman
The second is against Crikey, where Lachlan alleges a column falsely claimed that he “illegally conspired with Donald Trump to incite the deadly January 2021 Capitol riot.”
The 51-year-old doesn’t seem too overwhelmed with the legal affairs ahead as he awaits the delivery of his fourth superyacht.
The 59.7m sailing yacht was half a decade in development, with details of her construction largely kept in the dark.
Photos of the vessel have been published by The Superyacht Times and shed more light on the superyacht’s final appearance.
The ship was designed by British firm Malcolm McKeon Yacht Design and is currently awaiting launch at Vollenhove shipyard in the Netherlands.
The ship features an “inverted bow” and “slim profile with powerful hull lines” and an ultra-luxurious interior design by French company Studio Liaigre.
The company also furnishes homes and boats for the world’s ultra-rich families.
Accommodating 12 guests and 10 staff, it will feature an al fresco dining area, wet bar and multiple entertainment areas.
But that’s not all.
According to Royal Huisman, the “unique and truly inspiring yacht” will host “a sprawling, spacious beach club” consisting of a luxurious outdoor pool and seating area.
The superyacht was kept secret and dubbed Project 404 and cost at least $150 million
The 59.7m sailing yacht was half a decade in development, with details of her construction largely kept in the dark
There’s also a “huge transom opening” that allows guests to access an “extended beach club area.”
“Sarissa” is written across the stern of the boat and bears the same name as a $30 million ship that is part of the collection.
Mr Murdoch is a keen sailor having sailed around Hamilton Island in early 2021 on his 24m Swan 82 sailing yacht, Ipixuna and taking part in the 1997 Sydney to Hobart.
Fox News Network and its parent company Fox Corp have been hit by a $2.4 billion defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems.
The company, which is one of the largest suppliers of electronic vote counting machines in the US, claims its business has been hurt by falsehoods broadcast by Fox News based on Donald Trump’s lie that the 2020 election was stolen from him.
In an affidavit before the trial, Rupert Murdoch acknowledged some of the network’s stars backed false claims that the election was stolen.
But he denied that Fox supported Trump’s unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud after his election defeat.
Fox News denies the defamation – and says the hosts’ words were taken out of context.
The case has potential implications for a separate lawsuit brought by Murdoch’s eldest son Lachlan against Australian news website Crikey.
He is suing over a column he claims falsely claimed he “illegally conspired with Donald Trump to incite the deadly January 2021 riot in the US Capitol.”
The ship features an “inverted bow” and “slim profile with powerful hull lines” and an ultra-luxurious interior design by French company Studio Liaigre