Follow US
Roman Abramovich
The title of worlds largest yacht now goes to the $355mn, Eclipse
The world’s largest yacht in our blog of the then largest yacht, Dubai and the recent Eclipse. Russian oligarch, Roman Abramovich is pressing on with plans for the Eclipse, the $355mn megayacht which will be the worlds biggest upon completion next year.
The 555-ft, ship which includes a military grade missile defense system, armor plating and bullet-proof windows will literally eclipse the $350mn, Dubai. There has been much speculation over whether Abramovich would shelve the Eclipse and / or sell off some of his other super yachts such as the 377-ft. Pelorus, but the Moscow Times reports he plans to keep them all. In fact, Abramovich is said to have already purchased a berth for the Eclipse at Porto Montenegro, the new megayacht marina under construction.
World’s largest and most awaited yacht “Eclipse”
Russian oligarch, Roman Abramovich’s mega-yacht “Eclipse’ has finally made a preliminary launch at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany where it was built secretly for more than two years. The Eclipse as stated by us in our earlier blog is the world’s largest yacht.
The 170-meter yacht (557.6 feet) will feature 2 heli-pads, 20 water jets, a pool with large Havana bars surrounding it, a cinema, library, restaurant, private garden, 5,000-square-feet master suite, a private submarine boarding from the bottom of the yacht for a secret escape, and a missile-detection system to deflect pirate attacks safely. The 9-deck megayacht has at least five possible exits, which literally makes it the safest yacht ever built. The $350 million mega yacht will undergo further construction and will be delivered to her owner in 2010.
Emocean Unveils 200M Gigayacht Design
Belgian-based Emocean Yacht Design has unveiled a rendering of a 200-metre gigayacht which if completed would be the world’s largest yacht by far “” eclipsing Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich’s Eclipse (ha ha) by a whopping 30 metres. Who’s laughing now pal? It can’t be dismissed as a mere pipe dream either “” Emocean’s awesome 165-metre design for the UK’s Devonport Yachts will be featured at the upcoming Abu Dhabi Yacht Show. Both are completely bespoke designs, with equipment, styling, configuration, class and all completely tailored to the desires and tastes of the client.
The 200-metre monster features a drive-in garage, two 30-mestre day boats, helipad and hanger, 30-metre swimming pool, nightclub, casino, games room, two-level cinema, three beach clubs, health spa, and 10 VIP rooms, 22 guest suites and a private owners deck accommodating a total of 45 passengers, along with 70 crew. Even at that size she’ll be impressively fast, with a planned maximum speed of 28 knots, a cruising speed of 20 knots and a range of 6,500 nautical miles at cruising speed.
Blohm + Voss Goes Vintage
Blohm + Vosss is best known for building the world’s top high-tech megayachts, such as Roman Abramovich’s ever-entertaining Eclipse. Now however the famed Hamburg shipyard is turning its attention to something a little more retro. One of their newest projects is the B+V 111 MY/ Vintage, which at 111 metres (364′) will qualify as one of the 20 largest yachts in the world. The project is a nod to Blohm + Voss’s 130 year history and draws from their renowned archives. B+V 111 MY/ Vintage links classical hull lines of yachts of the 1930′s, funnels and all, with state of the art equipment and manufacturing techniques.
In addition to a helipad the exterior spaces offer a swimming pool with glazed side panels and a large beach club aft. The entire 5th deck is devoted to the owner’s suite which includes a large bedroom, his and her bathroom and dressing areas, private dining room, gym and lounge. In addition up to 12 guests can be accommodated in four luxury and two VIP guests cabins. An indoor dining area with a lounge connects to an aft deck for al fresco dining and boozing.
The Latest Trend in Superyacht Design Salmon Leather
There’s something kind of fishy about the interiors of today’s newest eco-friendly superyachts “” literally. The latest trend in sustainable, environmentally-friendly upholstery for your solar-powered yacht is salmon leather, made from the skins of farmed salmon. Sounds kind of gross, but apparently there’s a growing market for this stuff thanks to multimillionaires who see little irony in the concept of an eco-friendly superyacht designed solely to demonstrate the inutterable wealth of its owner.
With an appearance quite similar to python skin, salmon leather looks rather exotic when dyed. It’s light and thin, yet durable and resistant to tearing. As the skins form a by-product of the salmon industry, the fish are not specifically bred or killed for their skin, keeping animal rights types happy, while Nanai’s ecologically sustainable vegetable tanning process does the same for greens. Of course it will take a while for oligarchs and such to come around to the idea that some old fish skin is a suitable replacement for much more exotic, exclusive materials like the stingray upholstery featured on Roman Abramovich’s Eclipse.
How Blohm + Voss Took a $300 Million Bath on Abramovich’s Eclipse
It may be amusing to look at the massive delays and cost overruns on Roman Abramovich’s Eclipse, the world’s largest yacht, and chuckle over the oligarch’s sea trials and tribulations. But it looks like the Big Dog had the last laugh “” according to Der Spiegel, the Eclipse’s German builders Blohm + Voss took a bath on the gigayacht to the tune of about $300 million thanks to the Russian billionaire’s airtight contract signed six years ago. Said contract, which B + V’s competitors seem to find highly amusing, specified that Abramovich would pay only $340 million (about $485 million) for the Eclipse, change orders be damned.
Following all the overages the paper estimates the final cost of the Eclipse was closer to $570 million, or about $785 million, leaving Blohm + Voss stuck with the $300 million deficit. “Blohm & Voss paid dearly for that order,” Michael Breman or archrival L¼rssen tells the paper with more than a hint of understatement (and a heaping helping of schadenfreude). Adding insult to injury, Peter H¼lsemann, head of furnishings at Blohm & Voss during the 164-metre Eclipse’s construction, says it wasn’t even worth it, sniffing, “It’s really no more than an over-inflated 60-metre yacht.”
Kremlin Kingpin Gets a New Floating Palace
Whether or not you believe that Dimitry “Mad Dog” Medvedev, President of the Russian Federation, is merely Vladimir Putin’s handpuppet, there’s no arguing that the job comes with some great perks. Take the new $42 million superyacht the Kremlin just bought him to replace the rusty hulk that’s been serving as the presidential plaything for the past several years. The Sirius is an explorer-style 177-footer built by Turkey’s Proteksan-Turquoise in 2009. Fairly rugged on the outside but pretty plush inside, she’s equally at home in Siberia and St. Tropez.
While not exactly on a par with Roman Abramovich’s Eclipse “” we doubt he’d even deign to use it as a tender “” Sirius has enough luxe touches for any aspiring oligarch. These include an artificial waterfall, cinema, Jacuzzi for six, spacious sunbathing areas, a gym, a sheltered lounge area and an alfresco dining area for 14 with barbecue and bar. What’s more the Kremlin plans to kick in some cash to make the yacht, which has accommodations for 12 guests in six staterooms along with 12 crew, even more presidential, for when Putin comes aboard and such.
Abramovich and Allen’s Megayacht Mashup
The moguls gassed up their megayachts and made their way to the Cannes Film Festival the other day, and though there were no collisions it was a near thing for two of the world’s richest men, Roman Abramovich and Paul Allen. Off the coast of Antibes two of the world’s most impressive yachts passed, well, like ships in the night. Abramovich left the eye-popping Eclipse at home and proceeded to the festivities in the 377 ft.
Them along came the nearly identical-looking Octopus, Allen’s 414-ft. behemoth that once ranked as the world’s largest privately owned yacht. That was of course before the Eclipse was built, but this time at least Allen got the upper hand as the Octopus is a good 37 feet longer than the Luna. It needs it to hold all the billionaire’s toys including two helicopters, seven boats and a 10-man submarine, not to mention a music studio and a basketball court.
The Cannes Celebrity Yacht Roundup
The 64th Cannes Film Festival is in full swing and as usual much of the action is taking place in the luxe resort’s marina, which is chockablock with superyachts. Here’s a look at which boats were stuffed with boldface names:
Roman Abramovich’s Luna: Rock stars Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale made the scene on the oligarch’s yacht. Abramovich purchased he 377-ft. craft, the world’s largest expedition yacht, last year. Len Blavatnik’s Odessa (above): Melanie Griffith, Antonio Banderas, Sarah Jessica Parker and Jane Fonda all celebrated aboard the Russian investor’s impressive vessel. The 164 ft. yacht was built by Proteksan-Turquoise in 2007.
Steven Spielberg’s Seven Seas: Leonardo DiCaprio visted the dapper producer / director aboard his new megayacht. Spielberg paid $200 million for the stylish 282-fotter from Dutch shipyard Oceanco. Calvin Klein’s Vantage: The designer threw a party aboard the sleek 150-ft. ship where the likes of actor Owen Wilson put in an appearance. Klein doesn’t actually own the Palmer Johnson-built beauty but maybe he’ll buy it.
Abramovich Eclipsed by Arab Sheikh in Antibes
A Saudi sheikh left Roman Abramovich stranded at sea this week after taking the last megayacht berth at the so-called “Millionaire’s Quay” in Cap d’Antibes. The Russian oligarch had wanted to moor his massive $800 million, 533-ft. yacht Eclipse, the world’s largest in private hands, at the famed dock but arrived to find the only available spot had just been snatched by Saudi Arabian royal Prince Aziz al Saud, the London Sun reports. Adding insult to injury, Abramovich is a resident of the posh resort town having purchased the eye-popping Chteau La Cro« there in 2001, spending a reported $150 million to renovate it.
Abramovich has long wanted to build his own jetty at the villa but local nabobs have turned him down. At a still impressive 265 ft. the Prince’s superyacht Kingdom is less than half as long as the Eclipse. As a result, Abramovich had to park offshore and take a tender to his property. “We regrettably had to inform Mr. Abramovich’s people that we cannot accommodate his yacht,” a spokesman for the Antibes International Yacht Club told the paper.
News & Updates
Recent News
H&M all set to unveil...
The very famous Swedish high street giants Hennes and Mauritz, who own H&M, COS, Monki and Cheap...
Aston Martin Rapide and...
A disease gets worse when you just don’t know how it hit you. The thing gets practical in terms of...
