Akureyri’s ‘Eruption’ Valued at USD 500 Million: Video

“This is our eruption,” Pétur Ólafsson, port director of Port of Akureyri, tells Morgunblaðið, referring to one of the world’s largest yachts, which has been mooring in Eyjafjörður fjord for more than a couple of weeks.

While the inhabitants of South Iceland gaze at the volcanic eruption by Fagradalsfjall, their counterparts in Akureyri watch the yacht in amazement. “It is safe to say that the yacht has received unlimited attention,” Pétur adds.

For roughly two weeks, the yacht, called Sailing Yacht A, moored near the cove by Krossanes point, but sailed farther south early this week toward Vaðlaheiði mountain, across from Akureyri. It has since sailed back toward the cove by Krossanes.

While Icelanders in the south are busy posting pictures of the eruption on their Facebook pages, those in the north adorn theirs with photos of the yacht.

The reason the yacht has mostly remained north of Akureyri, where an airport is located, is that due to its high masts, it could interrupt air traffic. The yacht itself is 142 m long (466 ft), 25 m (82 ft) wide, and its three masts reach a height of about 100 meters (328 ft).

Its owner is a Russian billionaire by the name of And­rey Ig­or­evich Melnichen­ko – rated by the business magazine Forbes as Russia’s seventh wealthiest person.

Another of his yachts, called A as well, sailed to Akureyri in 2016 and moored for a while on Pollurinn, the southernmost part of Eyjafjörður fjord, right by Akureyri, attracting major attention.

Pétur does not know for how long the yacht will remained moored in Eyjafjörður fjord.

Take a look at the video below, posted on YouTube, showing Sailing Yacht A from every possible angle in beautiful Eyjafjörður. According to the video, this is one of the world’s most expensive yachts, valued at USD 500 million.

The story has been updated.