Dutch authorities impound Steve Jobs’ yacht over disputed bills

Venus, the high-tech yacht commissioned by the late Apple founder Steve Jobs, has become the subject of a row over a disputed bill with French designer Philippe Starck claming Jobs' heirs still owed him €3 million of a €9 million fee for the project Dutch newspaper Het Financiele Dagblad reports. After calling in the debt collectors Starck had the yatch impounded.

Meanwhile, the port of Amsterdam has confirmed that the boat was not allowed to leave.

According to Jeroen Ranzijn, spokesman for the Port of Amsterdam who spoke to the BBC, the boat was brand new but it carried a 3 million euro claim and the parties would have to settle it out.

According to Roelant Klaassen, a lawyer representing Starck's company, Ubik, who spoke to Reuters news agency the boat would remain in port pending payment by lawyers representing Jobs' estate.

He said as the two parties trusted each other the contract was not very detailed.

The 260ft-long (80 metres) aluminium super-yacht is a strikingly sleek vessel and cost €105 million. It was launched in October, at Aalsmeer, The Netherlands.