Vijay Mallya's Indian Empress - Charter for Charity

There was a lot of action at the Monaco Grand Pix this Formula One season. We saw cars skidding & losing control everywhere due to wet tracks caused by rains. It seemed a very good day for the Force India team as the German driver Adrian Sutil managed to climb up to the 4th position and maintained its position firmly. But everything came crashing down when the Ferrari banged into Sutil. Vijay Mallya was almost in tears cause he lost his 1st point of the season. But that didn't stop him from doing a good deed...


Vijay Mallya proved that he has a heart of gold. During the Monaco Grand Pix charity auction Mallya donated one week charter on his 311ft yacht Indian Empress. She is one of the largest yachts in the world. The one week charter includes fuel and other running cost. A private bidder won the auction at 3,75,000 Euros! Read more...

Indian Empress docks in at Monaco - It's F1 GP Time !

India's very own Super-Yacht - the Indian Empress has just docked into the Monaco Harbor yesterday. With Vijay Mallya owning the Force India F1 Team this year around - the Empress's entry into the harbor at this time was very much expected.



MONACO GRAND PRIX

The Monaco Grand Prix (Grand Prix de Monaco) is a Formula One race held each year on the Circuit de Monaco. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigious automobile races in the world alongside the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans (with which it forms the Triple Crown of Motorsport). The history, spectacle and glamour result in the race being considered "the jewel of the Formula One crown".

The Circuit de Monaco consists of the city streets of Monte Carlo and La Condamine, which includes the famous harbour. It is unique in having been held on the same circuit every time it has been run over such a long period — only the Italian Grand Prix, which has been held at Autodromo Nazionale Monza every year except 1980 and 1921, has a similarly lengthy and close relationship with a single circuit.

FORCE INDIA FORMULA ONE TEAM

Force India F1 represents increased Indian participation within Formula One, with Delhi set to host the first ever Indian Grand Prix in 2010.[2] The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile confirmed the change in name from Spyker to Force India on 24th October 2007.


VJM-01, the first Force India Formula 1 car, was launched with a white, gold and tungsten colored livery at the Gateway of India, in Mumbai, India, on February 7th 2008. The car was named after the Kingfisher Baron.

INDIAN EMPRESS

Built by Oceanco, and earlier known as the Al Mirqab, by its previous owner, the superyacht is currently berthed amongst the best of yachts in the Monaco Harbor.


With people coming in from all over the world to catch up with the F1 livery, surely it must be the most glamorous time of the year for the Indian Empress. Hope she proves to be a lucky mascot and we have a podium finish in a Grand Prix which has a reputation for surprising results.

Wishing ALL THE BEST to our Indian F1 team...
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The Indian Empress - of the Seas !

The king of good times has moved up to become the emperor of good times. To suit the occasion, he has a new empress. Vijay Mallya has moved on from the smaller Indian Princess to the Indian Empress, which is his new floating home.

Launched in 2000 as Al Mirqab, she was finished at the Oceanco yard in Holland to the design of the A Group after having had her hull assembled in Durban, South Africa. The yacht was owned by a Qatari Royal Family member who sold her to the Indian billionaire in 2006.

Powered by three 10,000 horsepower engines, the sleek super-yacht is his newest acquisition that arrived in Mumbai this month. Though the exact price of the boat is not known, sources in the yacht business say the asking price when it was put in the market by its previous owner was $113m.

The yacht was used as a backdrop for pictures in the the Kingfisher ’07 calendar shot by Atul Kasbekar with six international models. Giving Economic Times an exclusive tour of the Indian Empress, Dr. Mallya says he intends to use it for “both business and pleasure, but basically to chill out.” With 16 cabins at three levels, the boat is self-sufficient for long voyages from the south of France to the Caribbean. For links with land, it’s equipped with a helipad as well as space in the hold for two Mercedes cars to enable the occupants to drive off wherever there are wharves with a deep enough channel for a ramp. This is not possible in India, he says.

For desi waters, Mr Mallya uses two high-speed motorboats that ferry him and his passengers onshore. The interiors have the VJM touch all over, from the monogrammed linen to the liquor in the bar, which is ‘Chairman’s Special’ and the art all over the boat. It is outfitted with paintings and objets d’art from Dr. Mallya’s personal collection in every nook and cranny. We identified one Renoir, a Chagall and a large Hussain in the lounge. Overall, the look, feel and colours are very Indian, with an element of the Continent brought in through Roman prints and Grecian motifs on the walls. The lower deck is for the guests with large sea-views from every room and gold furnishings in the bathroom. Dr. Mallya’s personal space is on the next deck with a huge bedroom for him and a private deck with a jacuzzi that opens out to the blue ocean.

The boat has a savvy international crew of 20, which includes housekeeping staff, officers and a masseur. Showing off the technical side of the yacht, the master of the ship, Capt Fabian Roche, says the Indian Empress is equipped with state-of-the-art satellite navigation and radar communication which will enable passengers to stay in touch with terra firma. “The Kingfisher top management will have business meetings onboard,” he said. Internet access is through a high speed V-sat link. It also has phone and fax connections through the Inmarsat satellite link. It is capable of a maximum speed of 26.5 knots which translates to about 47 kmph. Read more...