This $50,000,000 'anti-party' yacht was built by a Goldman Sachs banker to hunt for shipwrecks in the Arctic
Published on Jan 08, 2026 at 3:22 AM (UTC+4)
by Daisy Edwards
Last updated on Jan 07, 2026 at 5:22 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
Forget champagne-drenched deck parties and DJ booths, The Akula is a 194-foot hybrid explorer yacht built for serious adventures in the Arctic – the ‘anti-party’ yacht.
Owned by former Goldman Sachs banker Jonathan Faiman, it’s basically a floating research base with luxury finishes.
Designed with exploration and science in mind, this is definitely the nicest research base we’ve ever seen, despite its ‘anti-party’ yacht status.
And now it’s up for sale with an asking price reportedly around $50 million.
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The Akula was built to hunt for shipwrecks in the Arctic
The Akula was delivered not long ago in 2024 by Italian shipyard Rossinavi, and its entire layout was designed around exploration and science, not champagne-guzzling superyacht parties.
Multiple news sources have described it as capable of supporting oceanography, marine biology, and even marine archaeology, with proper labs and workshops built into the yacht from the start.
Instead of a luxurious main salon and dramatic staircase, the hub of the vessel is a chill upper deck sky lounge.
There’s even a fire pit at the center, intended for stargazing and long evenings anchored in remote waters, not for turning heads in Monaco or St Barts.
It’s the kind of boat that quietly says ‘Arctic mission’ rather than ‘Ibiza weekend.’
The Akula also keeps things intentionally lowkey.
It hosts 10 guests across five cabins, supported by a crew of 13, and all guest cabins are found on the main deck.
It also has a special setup using dynamic positioning and Naiad stabilizers, which means the boat can hold its position without dropping anchor.
That’s a big deal when you’re hovering over sensitive seabeds, deploying equipment, or scouting a shipwreck site without ruining anything.
A Goldman Sachs banker built an explorer yacht with real-life labs
The man behind The Akula is Jonathan Faiman, who built his career at Goldman Sachs and later co-founded the grocery delivery company Ocado in 2000.
He’s based between Monaco and London, but the exploration yacht wasn’t made to sit pretty in a marina.
During its first season, Faiman and his wife reportedly spent more than 20 weeks onboard, using it exactly as intended: real cruising, real exploring, and real testing.
And inside, it’s packed with features you’d expect from a wellness resort crossed with an expedition HQ.
These features include a gym, sauna, massage room, heated pool, a mud room for expedition gear, a workshop, and even a quirky bridge-deck man cave filled with nautical antiques.
The Akula is proof that not every $50 million yacht is built for the party crowd; some are built for the people who want to disappear into the Arctic and come back with some discoveries.
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Daisy Edwards is a Content Writer at supercarblondie.com. Daisy has more than five years’ experience as a qualified journalist, having graduated with a History and Journalism degree from Goldsmiths, University of London and a dissertation in vintage electric vehicles. Daisy specializes in writing about cars, EVs, tech and luxury lifestyle. When she's not writing, she's at a country music concert or working on one of her many unfinished craft projects.
