Like other Russian millionaires, Roman Abramovich seems to be making hasty moves to get around sanctions, such as relocating his superyachts to more welcoming waters.
While Abramovich is unable to relocate Premier League football club Chelsea F.C. and must sell the US$3 billion club quickly, his yachts are a different story.
Abramovich’s 169-metre (553-foot) long flagship, the Eclipse, is said to have cost US$700 million to build. Solaris, Abramovich’s second “smaller” US$600 million superyacht, left Barcelona and relocated to Montenegro when the UK lifted sanctions against him in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. On March 13, however, the boat left that port without fuelling and went to Turkey.
The Eclipse, owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, is docked in the Turkish tourist town of Marmaris
The Eclipse, which had arrived from the Caribbean, joined Solaris in Turkey.
Another of Roman Abramovich’s superyachts in Turkey is Solaris
While the superyacht Eclipse appears to be on the run from UK sanctions, it was once docked at Manhattan’s Pier 90, where we were able to take some photos.
Take a look around the superyacht below.
The Eclipse, Abramovich’s flagship yacht, is docked in New York
The Eclipse, the flagship yacht of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, sat just south of this public car park on the roof of New York City’s Pier 90 terminal.
The 2010 Eclipse, which was 163 metres (536 feet) long and styled after military vessels, cost US$700 million and was the world’s largest yacht when it was built.
Roman Abramovich has been removed as director of Chelsea Football Club after the British government sanctioned the Russian billionaire
The ship has amenities to rival any ship at sea, such as its own mini submersible, possibly similar to this one, capable of diving down 45 metres (150 feet).
The superyacht’s mini submersible
There are two helipads on the Eclipse.
One of the yacht’s helipads
Abramovich’s master suite and bridge are surrounded by bulletproof glass and armour plates.
The Eclipse is 169 metres long
Additionally, there is a missile defense system made in Germany and, according to reports, a laser defense against paparazzi trying to photograph the yacht’s guests. However, there was no proof of the equipment we saw.
The Eclipse was built for privacy and security
The Eclipse has three launch boats, all of which appear to be stocked with medical supplies and various handheld radios.
One of Eclipse’s launch boats
They felt like they were almost on the Eclipse itself from the cruise ship parking lot.
The yacht has a crew of 70
We hoped to find one of the Eclipse’s 70 crew members and ask them about ship life, but no one was interested in speaking with us.
Anyone in the car park where tourists arrive to board their cruise could see the superyacht. We didn’t feel like paparazzi or like we’d be lasered.
The superyacht is one of the biggest in the world
From our vantage point, the ship was simply gorgeous, and the amount of effort required to preserve her that way was clear. According to the Yacht Report, the annual cost of owning a superyacht is approximately 20% of the ship’s initial worth.
A Turkish Coast Guard boat drives next to Eclipse
Experts believe Abramovich pays US$75 million per year to operate the private cruise ship with 24 guest suites.
Looking at the ship’s layout makes us think about the two swimming pools on board, as well as the disco, cinema, hair salon, and restaurant.
The deck of the Eclipse
This door would be used by the billionaire’s guests to enter any fore part of the deck.
The guest door of the yacht
Perhaps they were noting where the life rings were as they moved around the ship.
A close-up of one of Eclipse’s life rings
With a gross weight of 13,000 tonnes, the Eclipse was the largest ship at the time to employ a specialized stabilization system to keep it steady either tethered or traveling slowly through the water.
The vessel uses a special stabilisation system to keep it calm in rough waters
Abramovich faced a US$150,000 bill for parking the Eclipse in New York City while visiting his daughter and her new baby – approximately US$2,000 per day.
The Eclipse was once docked in New York City
The Eclipse, a huge yacht, can carry more than 100,000 gallons of petroleum. A five-hour round-trip cruise might cost roughly US$30,000 based on current fuel prices.
None of these figures are likely to upset Abramovich, whose net fortune is believed to be around $8 billion.