Steve Jobs' super yacht seized in Amsterdam

A super yacht built for then Apple founder Steve Jobs has been seized in Amsterdam following a bill row with product designer Philippe Starck.

Last Wednesday the bailiffs of an Amsterdam court boarded the ship, called Venus, and chained it to the dock with the vessel forbidden to be moved, Xinhua Friday quoted the Het Financieele Dagblad daily as saying.

The row is about an unpaid invoice of three million euros (about $4 million) sent by Mr Starck, who worked with Mr Jobs for years in designing the ship.

As a compensation he would get six per cent of the costs of the yacht. Since Venus was estimated at 150 million euros, Mr Starck expected to receive nine million euros.

However according to the heirs, Jobs' ship in reality only cost 105 million euros and as a result Mr Starck was paid six million euros.

The French designer did not get a response to the invoice for the remaining three million euros, Het Financieele Dagblad reported.

The 80-metre aluminium motor ship was just about to leave the port of Amsterdam. After a construction period of two years, Venus was launched in Aalsmeer two months ago and delivered to Mr Jobs' widow Laurene.

Steve Jobs died in October last year at the age of 56 years. He had planned to sail the world on the Venus with his wife and children. The yacht includes a sun terrace with Jacuzzi and is controlled via seven 27-inch iMacs.

The duration of the seizure was not immediately known. Mr Jobs and Mr Starck became good friends during their cooperation and never contractually agreed the payment.