Mystery over arrested ‘floating palace’

Concerns are mounting over the fate of an arrested 71m superyacht that has not budged from its berth for several months at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town. The Sunday Times reports that the Enigma XK, a former patrol vessel converted a decade ago into an award-winning expedition yacht offering R5.7m-a-week charters, is berthed outside the Cape Grace Hotel. Efforts to confirm ownership of the vessel drew a blank. V&A spokesperson Donald Kau said an owner representative is making rental payments but further client information was confidential. Vessel management was linked to a Kinshasa-based company which did not appear to have a physical presence in SA; and in 2022, the vessel was arrested by the sheriff during a civil dispute in the Cape Town High Court over unpaid crew fees. Cape Town east Sheriff Xolile Ngesi confirmed the vessel is still under arrest.