101.5 meters long, six decks and a lot of luxury like a glass-bottomed pool – that is Bernard Arnault’s yacht “Symphony”. The head of the luxury group recently alternated with Elon Musk as the richest person in the world. But his fortune of 230 billion dollars cannot offer him everything: Naples has just denied him landing in its own marina.
The “Symphony” owes this to a new regulation that has just come into force. Ships longer than 75 meters are no longer allowed to dock in the port of Italy’s third largest city. The port authority justified the decision with security concerns. Arnault is not the only rejected super-rich. Diane von Fürstenberg and her husband Barry Diller have also been denied anchoring in the Bay of Naples with their 93 meter long sailing yacht “EOS”.
The new regulation met with a lack of understanding among the super-rich. “Our boat is 85 meters long and I’ve seen it anchor there for a long time without any problems. Why isn’t that possible anymore?” A Turkish billionaire wondered in a letter to the authorities, according to the Guardian. “Big yachts also bring big money, they bring jobs,” the letter tries to question the decision. “It’s really very unfortunate that you can’t stop in Naples anymore.”
Numerous complaints appear to have been raised in this horn. “I get a lot of letters expressing their disappointment at not being able to go to Naples anymore,” an anonymous Port Authority official told the British newspaper. The anonymous source understands the complaints that the decision is “incomprehensible”.
In fact, it is still unclear how strict the ban actually is. As “Megayacht” reports, superyachts are still said to be anchored in the two suitable ports of the city. One of the two yachts mentioned above is also still in the harbor, without specifying which of the two is involved. “They’re trying to limit the length of the boats that are moored there,” explains Francesco Luise, operator of a local yacht company. He considers it a mistake that not all details of the regulation are known. “It’s not good for yachting, it’s not good for the community.”
In fact, other places in the Gulf of Naples also seem to be taking more action. In the port of the nearby island of Capri and in Portefino, boats were also rejected because of their length, reports Luise. “We used to be able to dock boats that were 62, 64, even 65 meters long there.” Now the limit is suddenly 60 meters.
The industry fears that this could have consequences. “It feels like superyachts are no longer allowed to come to Naples,” complains Costanzo Jannotti Pecci, who heads the local industrial union. “There seems to be a lack of understanding of what draws these tycoons to Naples. The fame of a city like Naples also grows with such people.”
Sources: “Megayacht”, “Guardian”
