Gibraltar 21 Feb (ANA) - A Russian billionaire has been left red-faced after his £340million super-yacht was seized in a row over fee payments. The huge vessel, named ‘Sailing Yacht A’ and owned by Andrey Melnichenko, has been impounded in Gibraltar after complaints from the shipbuilder. The German manufacturers said Mr Melnichenko still owes an eye-watering £13 million, two weeks after leaving the country’s Kiel shipyard. Now the majestic vessel has been moored off the coast of The Rock - complete with armed guards. The yacht measures nearly 150 meters in length and boasts three masts - the biggest of which is 100 metres high. It also has luxurious interiors, ultra-modern technology, “state-of-the-art” navigation systems and an underwater observation area. A Gibraltar court official confirmed the ship was now “under arrest and at anchor”.  Gibraltar Port Authority said two security guards are now on board. It said: “Most arrested ships are sold in a sealed-bids auction within six to eight weeks, once the claim has been proved and judgment given. “We put 'ship keepers' on board - two security guards to protect the vessel and its contents. "We provide the crew with everything, from bunkers so they can keep the generators going, to provisions of food and water." 

Even if Mr Melnichenko loses the vessel he probably won’t be too upset. The billionaire owns another super-yacht: 5,500 tonne ‘Moto Yacht A’, which was briefly moored beside the HMS Belfast in the Thames in September last year. Admiralty Marshal Liam Yeats, a top Gibraltan court official, told the BBC on Monday: "The vessel is under arrest and is currently at anchor in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters." (ANA)

FA/ANA/21 February 2017---