The ship’s sleek hard-chine hull featured a pelican-beak bow and was painted snow white, ensuring it would reflect the shimmer of the waves and the froth of the ship’s wake. The $180 million vessel featured all the usual amenities. Cabins on the lower deck, including a VIP suite. Social areas and formal saloon on the main deck, along with an owner’s suite. An upper deck with alfresco seating and a circular sky lounge with a magnificent 270o panoramic view. A 30-meter sundeck with a shaded bar, sunbathing areas and luxurious Jacuzzis. The ship’s owner, who had taken delivery of the vessel three years ago, spent much of his time on the lower deck. Here, he’d retrofitted the space and removed half of the original cabins. These standard cabins he converted into offices. The VIP cabin he converted into a control room. Together, they became his electronic command center whenever he was at sea. The control room was the heart of the ship. It’s where the dedicated satellite feeds and redundant arrays from terrestrial relay stations could be monitored by the technical staff, which included an operations coordinator, three technicians and two analysts.
