Netherlands impounds Steve Jobs’ super-yacht
All-aluminum $138m vessel owned by late Apple founder will not be allowed to leave Dutch port due to payment dispute.
The sleek, white super-yacht Apple founder Steve Jobs commissioned before his death cannot leave the Netherlands just yet due to a payment dispute.
Jobs collaborated on designing the 78.2-meter all-aluminum Venus, which has a minimalist aesthetic, with French product designer Philippe Starck.
“The yacht has been impounded,” Rotterdam-based lawyer Roelant Klaassen, who represents French designer Starck’s Ubik company, told the AFP news agency.
“There is some unfinished business, namely two invoices which were issued by Ubik last summer after Mr Jobs died,” he said.
Dutch newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad reported on Friday that Starck hired a debt collection agency and got a summary legal order to keep the boat from leaving.
According to the paper, Starck had only been paid $7.9m by Job’s heirs, but believed he was owed $11.86m.
Jobs’ estate says Starck should be paid a percentage of the overall cost of the project, which took over five years to complete. Starck says he should be paid the larger amount, Klaassen said.
The lawyer claimed “there was no formal agreement on the job” owing to the closeness of Jobs and Starck.
“The most important thing for everyone is that the vessel can sail at a certain moment and hopefully funds will be paid into the account of the lawyers of the estate which can then be used as security,” Klaassen said.
Port of Amsterdam spokesman Jeroen Ranzijn confirmed the boat has been in the harbor since December 8, and won’t leave until the civil dispute is resolved.
“It was actually ready to continue its voyage when there was a dispute between two parties, including the heirs, and one party laid a claim on the boat,” said Ranzijn.
The boat’s total cost is about $138m.