Superyacht Indian Empress Gets a New Name – NEOM: A Connection to Saudi Arabia Ambitious Mega-City?
The Indian Empress saga has taken a new turn, as the superyacht has been renamed NEOM by its new owners. The vessel remains in Valletta, Malta, following a last-minute private sale to Sea Beauty Yachting Limited in late September.
This renaming hints at an intriguing connection to the high-tech and hyper-futuristic mega-city being constructed in northwestern Saudi Arabia, also known as NEOM. The significance of this purchase in relation to the planned metropolis is yet to be revealed.
Originally, the 95-meter (311-foot) superyacht was set for a second auction on September 19, after the winning bidder from a previous auction, Crediyacht, representing an Iranian buyer, failed to meet the €43.5 million price in time. Sea Beauty Yachting stepped in and successfully acquired the vessel.
The Indian Empress had been ordered for sale by the Civil Court (first hall) of Malta in May, following the arrest of the previous owner, Vijay Vittal Mallya, in London in October 2017 at the request of the Indian government. The arrest was related to allegations of a debt exceeding ₹90 billion (Indian rupees, approximately €1.13 billion).
Following Mallya’s arrest, the Indian Empress was left abandoned, leaving over 40 crew members with months of unpaid wages totaling more than €860,000. The maritime workers union Nautilus International has expressed its intention to use the proceeds from the vessel’s sale to settle the outstanding wages.
For the latest yachting news and updates, subscribe to our newsletter to receive Yachting Pages’ top content directly in your inbox every month.