An ambitious project to build the world’s largest superyacht has turned into a financial and legal nightmare for Australian entrepreneur Carl Le Souef, who now faces a massive court bill exceeding £1 million after being sued by the yacht’s British design team.
The vessel, named M/Y Somnio, is being designed as a luxury, floating “six-star hotel,” but delays in payments and disputes with the design company have led to a lawsuit and significant costs.
The Superyacht: A Dream Project Now Shrouded in Legal Drama
The project, led by Carl Le Souef and his business partner Erik Bredhe, is a stunning 728-foot yacht meant to be the epitome of luxury, complete with 39 bespoke apartments, restaurants, swimming pools, and even an onboard beach.
The yacht was designed to be a floating private residence for the ultra-wealthy, offering amenities such as a 10,000-bottle wine cellar, a connoisseur club, and world-class medical facilities.
The ship was under construction at the Norwegian shipyard VARD, a subsidiary of the Italian company Fincantieri, with a planned launch in 2024.
However, despite this ambitious vision, the yacht has yet to set sail, and the legal battles surrounding its construction have escalated.
The British design firm, Winch Design, which has been working on the project since 2019, was left unpaid for a substantial portion of its work.
As a result, Winch took legal action against Le Souef for a total of £733,750 in unpaid invoices, leading to a court battle that has left the entrepreneur with more than just a financial headache.
Legal Trouble and Unpaid Bills: A Growing Dispute
In a recent ruling, Judge Lesley Anderson KC ordered Carl Le Souef to pay Winch Design the outstanding sum of £733,750 for the services they provided on the superyacht’s design.
The judgment, handed down last month, also ordered Le Souef to cover the design company’s £300,000 in legal costs, bringing his total bill to a staggering over £1 million.
The dispute began when Winch Design failed to receive payment for several invoices between 2021 and 2022.
While Le Souef had made some initial payments, the remaining sums were left unpaid, which led Winch to halt their work on the yacht.
Despite Le Souef’s claims that he was not personally responsible for the bills and that an informal agreement had been made not to sue over the outstanding payments, the court ruled against him.
Judge Anderson emphasized that the contract clearly held Le Souef personally responsible for the payments and dismissed his claims that an agreement had been made to delay legal action.
This decision has placed a significant financial burden on the entrepreneur, who has already faced numerous challenges in financing the project.
The Somnio Project: A Vision of Ultra-Luxury Now in Legal Chaos
The Somnio project, which began as an idea between Le Souef and Bredhe in 2007, was meant to revolutionize the world of luxury yachts by offering ultra-exclusive residences on the high seas.
The vessel was designed to provide residents with an unmatched lifestyle, with luxurious amenities like multiple restaurants, a spa, a movie theater, and a wide range of recreational activities.
In promotional materials, the yacht was described as the “largest and most luxurious yacht ever to be built,” promising to offer a unique lifestyle experience for its residents.
However, these high hopes have been marred by financial struggles, legal disputes, and missed deadlines, leading to the yacht’s delayed construction and financial disputes with the companies involved in its creation.
The Future of Somnio: Will the Yacht Ever Set Sail?
Despite the legal setbacks and financial issues, the future of Somnio remains uncertain.
The yacht is still classified as “under construction,” with its completion date having already passed.
While the project has already raised significant funds for its initial stages, it remains unclear when or if the superyacht will be completed, given the financial challenges and ongoing legal disputes.
Le Souef’s court bill, which now exceeds £1 million, has added yet another obstacle to the ambitious project.
With the yacht’s future in doubt, it remains to be seen whether Somnio will ever become the reality that Le Souef and Bredhe envisioned or if this legal battle will cause the project to sink without a trace.