Day: 17 August 2018

Citing China Daily as its local news source, superyachttimes.com reports that the 88.5-metre superyacht Illusion Plus is heading to Monaco via Shenzhen in time for the Monaco Yacht Show, where she will be one of the largest vessels in attendance. The yacht was delivered by Pride Mega Yachts over the weekend of August 11/12 following the completion of sea trials in June in China’s Yellow Sea.

The largest yacht built in Asia was started on speculation by Pride Mega Yachts several years ago and built by Yantai Raffles Offshore Limited. News surrounding the project was relatively quiet following the 2014 announcement of her sale with Fraser and Bluewater. This changed earlier this year when brokerage company Y.CO announced its appointment as the central agent for the sale of the yacht. Since the brokerage company was appointed by the shipyard, this suggests that the project is back in the ownership of the yard.

The 3,603-GT Illusion Plus is designed by Rainsford Saunders Design from the UK, while Dutch offices Azure Naval Architects and Sinot Exclusive Yacht Design were appointed as naval architects and interior designers of the project respectively.

Her large volume of 3,603 GT is spread over six decks and accommodates 12 guests across six staterooms. With power provided by a Rolls Royce diesel-electric propulsion package, Illusion Plus can reach a top speed of 16 knots and a cruising speed of 12 knots. She is listed for sale with an asking price of $145 million.

“Monaco Unexpected” played host to 21 agency clients at a weekend away in the Cotswolds at the Fish Hotel on the Farncombe Estate, the meetings and incentive travel news site meetpie reports. The weekend was hosted by Stephan Degueurce-Roberge, managing director at Monaco Tourist Authority and his team made up of regional sales manager Rebecca Petit-Jean and executive assistant Noemi Guy.

Agencies attending included Ashfield Meetings & Events, CL Venues, Pure events, Banks Sadler, Advantage Meetings & Events , Principal Global events,  Active consultancy , Grass roots Meetings & Events and American Express meetings & events.

Managing director Stephan Degueurce-Roberge said: “We are extremely pleased at how the event went. We received amazing clients’ feedback and we are already working on two enquiries.”

The first evening started with a gin-tasting, followed by an extensive rural food buffet. Saturday morning began with individual meetings, followed by a gardening activity where the agencies had to make a creative aromatic garden.

The task was set up to demonstrate that Monaco is one of the most sustainable countries in the world, with the Principality Monaco launching a new project, “Terre de Monaco” that consists of cultivating gardens and vegetables, as well as beehives at hotels or on private rooftops . The production is then distributed in restaurants or at the Condamine Market, the famous local fruit and vegetable market in Monaco.

The activity was followed by a picnic. After lunch, clients were put into different teams to compete against each other in four activities taking place in four districts of Monaco. “Fontvieille” – creation of a Cocktail, “La Condamine”– blind tasting of Monaco local products, “Monaco Ville” – a game of pétanque and “Monte-Carlo” – a festival-themed activity.

Martina Aberle from CL Venues said: “I absolutely loved the hotel and the location, and I found out so much more about Monaco that I would have [done] in a ‘normal’ presentation at a workshop or an exhibition – it was really a wonderful way to bond and bring us all together. Monaco is now definitely on my radar and I also hope to be able to come and visit soon, and will definitely keep it in mind when clients come through with suitable briefs.”

Monaco Partners who attended were Laura Guerin from the Columbus Monte-Carlo, Sabrina Caputo from Lafayette Travel, Julie Caprini from the Grimaldi Forum, Juliette Cairo from Monte-Carlo SBM and Camille Trenda from the Fairmont Monte Carlo.

A young man who arrived from Moselle with seventeen sachets of hashish in his pockets has been sent to jail in Monaco for 15 days for possession, transport, importation, and the offering for sale of narcotics.

The unemployed 20 year-old had sachets in his possession with a total weight of 17.78 grammes. He intended to go to Larvotto beach to make the sales, the Criminal Court was told.

Stopped on the Boulevard Louis-II in mid-afternoon on Sunday, August 12, the defendant admitted having bought cannabis in Marseille and Cannes for 120 euros. He was about to offer one gramme and two gramme bags of cannabis for five and ten euros, and had posted videos on Snapchat to advertise his product.

The accused said that his mother sent him spending money and that he had no idea that selling cannabis was an offence in Monaco. The young man has a long record of criminality in France, the court heard. His lawyer asked the court for a suspended sentence while the prosecution demanded four months in prison and a ten year ban from Monaco.

Among these structures, reinforced concrete bridges, mainly built in the fifties and sixties, are the most vulnerable, say many experts, who are alarmed by a lack of maintenance.

The news of France’s own unsound bridges comes just two days after the collapse of the viaduct in Genoa that cost the lives of 39 people.

There is a lack of maintenance affecting most of France’s 200,000 bridges, according to Christian Tridon, the president of the National Union of Specialists in Repair and Structural Reinforcement (Strres).

“One bridge a day falls out of the list of buildings considered to be in good condition,” he told Le Figaro.

However, the most important and most frequented are very well monitored, including the Millau viaduct – the tallest bridge in the world, the Normandy bridge and the three-kilometre bridge to the Ile de Ré.

The regulations for boats mooring in Cabbé and Carnolès bays in Roquebrune, just east of the Principality, have changed, according to local French daily Monaco Matin.

From now on, large boats can no longer anchor up to the isobath of 30 metres for the area west of Cape Martin, and that of 20 metres, according to the undersea contour, for the eastern sector in order to protect posidonia, the Mediterranean sea grass.

The measure conforms to a goal set by Natura 2000 – the European network that brings together natural and marine sites in need of preservation.

Until now, the rules have been no more than recommendations, but from September 1 they will have legal effect under both the environmental and criminal codes.

Earlier this week a yacht was boarded and the captain informed that his vessel was breaking the rules. It was the second time that the yacht had been in violation. The captain said that he knew the rules but that the owner asked him to anchor in that position because it was a better place to swim.