A

Motor Yacht A (MY A) is a superyacht designed by Philippe Starck and engineered by naval architect Martin Francis. It was built by the Blohm + Voss shipyard at the HDW deepwater facility in Kiel. It was ordered in November 2004, and delivered in 2008 at a rumoured cost of US$300 million. With a length of and measuring almost 6,000 tonnes, it is one of the largest motor yachts in the world. It is owned by Russian entrepreneur and industrialist Andrey Melnichenko. To avoid seizure by EU authorities, the yacht has been laid up in the United Arab Emirates since 2022. Design and development "A" was designed by Philippe Starck. According to Boat International, "the design for what would become the world’s most talked about superyacht bubbled into Starck’s mind at his home in Burano, Venice, in 2004. There was no brief beyond an idea of length and a demand for six cabins". Starck is quoted as saying "That was the beauty of the project and the beauty and intelligence of the owner, he just left me completely free," and the article notes that "[his] intention was to make her blend with the sea, to have her live [...] in 'harmony' with the elements. He became obsessed with the way the yacht moved through the water, with barely a ripple, “like a whale”". In common with many superyachts, little was known about A when it was first commissioned. Builder Blohm + Voss issued a press release in December 2004 identifying the vessel as Project Sigma, which was how it became most commonly known during its construction. Its length was given as , a metre short of its final length. While conceptual designer Philippe Starck and project manager Neil Wade were credited personally, and naval architect Martin Francis was the chief technical and naval designer and Starck's partner on the project. Starck was alleged to have taken only three and a half hours to come up with the final shape, whose reverse bow and tumblehome design has drawn parallels with the Zumwalt class of stealth destroyers designed for the US Navy. However, in an interview with Wallpaper magazine, Starck acknowledged it took a month to complete following its commissioning. It was also stated in the press release that the owner of mega yacht Pelorus, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, was not the customer behind Sigma.