Describing Russian-Israeli businessman Roman Abramovich as wealthy is quite a understatement. He currently holds the 81st spot on Forbes magazine’s Top 500 Billionaires list having an estimated net worth of $12.7 billion.
He’s mostly known as the guy who owns Chelsea F.C., one of the biggest and most popular football teams in the world. But, he has another claim to fame. The 52-year-old is also the proud owner of one of the world’s largest and fanciest yachts.
A Billion-Dollar Yacht
Misreported as being worth $1 billion, Abramovich actually purchased his famed yacht for a lesser yet still expensive price tag of about $700 million.
Another false rumor that has been attached to the vessel is that it was equipped with a security system specifically designed to deter paparazzi. The laser in the alleged system reportedly detects digital cameras and then targets them to disable people from taking photographs of Eclipse. However, some yacht experts have come out to say that such technology doesn’t exist.
What’s confirmed about the yacht though is that it’s 533 feet long making it the largest private yacht in the world since 2010. That is until Azzam came and beat Eclipse by a 56 feet advantage. It’s worth noting though that both yachts had their interiors designed by the same designer, Terence Disdale.
Because of its massive size, Eclipse needs a crew of 70 people to run it.
One of a Kind
It’s pretty clear how such a vessel would need so many people to run it. According to reports, Eclipse has not just one but two swimming pools on board as two helicopter pads. What more, the yacht has about 24 cabin rooms, several hot tubs and even its very own disco hall inside. It seems that Eclipse was made for hosting parties in mind.
The vessel is also equipped with a mini-submarine and three launch boats for easy traveling from dock point to land. If that’s not enough to impress the most discerning of yacht enthusiasts, Eclipse is said to have the ability to detect missiles.
Originally unveiled in 2010, it got a refitting and makeover in 2015 at the Blom + Voss yard in Norway.
Abramovich’s Other Luxury Rides
Eclipse is certainly not the first nor the only yacht that Abramovich has ever owned. In fact, it’s widely believed that he has acquired no less than seven yachts within the last decade alone. It remains unknown how many of these he still owns as we speak.
One of his former luxury yachts is a 377-foot yacht called Pelorus which he bought in 2003. At the time of its delivery, Pelorus was known to be the 11th largest private yacht in the world. Another one of his purchases is the world’s first support yacht, Le Grand Bleu which he owned around the time he bought Pelorus.