£150million 300ft super-yacht is owned by Mashkevich - mining tycoon from Kazakhstan

A £150milliion yacht thought to be the biggest in the world has taken shelter from Storm Clodagh in Devon before heading out to the Bahamas.

The newly built Lady Lara is thought to be the 51st largest yacht in the world and is owned by billionaire Alexander Machkevitch, who is worth an estimated £2billion.

The 300ft long super-yacht was launched in April and embarked on her first sea trial in July, and has arrived in the UK fresh from a voyage from Holland.

Currently at Dartmouth Harbour, on the River Dart, she is now expected to cross the Atlantic to cruise the winter season between Florida, the Bahamas and the Easter Caribbean Islands.

The ship has come from Amsterdam, where she became the largest yacht ever to be tied up in the centre of the city.

The Lady Lara was built by shipbuilder Lürssen Yachts' and has onboard VIP suites with fold down balconies, a large beach club, a gym, Jacuzzi, a swimming pool and even a helipad onboard.

And it is believed that Machkevitch still owns his previous yacht, which has been put on the market this year for $35million (£23million), although it is not clear if the old Lady Lara, listed in Barcelona, Spain, has been sold.

The mining tycoon, who made his money in natural resources, sailed into Devon with the new boat this week, which dwarfed all the other vessels in the bay as it cruised across the River Dart.

It is believed the ship stopped off on the River Dart for crew training, and local residents were delighted as the ship brought business and visitors to the seaside resort.

The ships lights could be seen illuminating the water, and the vessel's distinctive line and curves added a certain chic to the comparatively dour countryside of Devon.

KAZAKHSTANI TYCOON WHO STARTED STUDYING ANCIENT LANGUAGES BUT WENT ON TO FOUND MINING MAGNATE

The ship is owned by businessman Alexander Machkevitch, one of the richest men in the world, from Kazakhstan

Machkevitch was born in Frunze, Kyrgyz SSR, Soviet Union, in 1954 to parents from Belarus and Lithuania. He studied language from ancient sources - known as philology - at the Kyrgyz State University, then started an academic career before becoming a businessman

Machkevitch and his two business partners Patokh Chodiev, and Alijan Ibragimov, became known as The Trio, a group of Kazakh tycoons who became billionaires. They made their money in natural resources, winning control of the once state-run chromium, alumina, and gas operations in Kazakhstan once they were privatised.

With his partners Chodiev and Ibragimov, Machkevitch helped to develop these assets, and is a major shareholder in Eurasian National Resources Corporation (ENRC), now one of the world's leading natural resources groups.

ENRC, based in London, has metals operations in Kazakhstan and Africa, and a number of mining interests in Eastern Europe and Africa. In 2009, ENRC generated a $1,462million (£971million) profit on sales of $3.8billion (£2.5million).

ENRC was floated on the London Stock Exchange in December 2007, with a market capitalisation on Admission of approximately £6.8billion (4.5million).

Source: dailymail.co.uk