Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich’s $500 million megayacht is the prize piece of hardware the international community wants to seize from the oligarchs, according to insiders.
Eclipse, the second-largest superyacht in the world, which is currently moored in St. Maarten, is equipped with a military-grade missile detection system, bulletproof glass, and a three-person submarine that is capable of submerging to 50 meters — sparking speculation that the vessel could be a refuge for President Vladimir Putin, of whom Abramovich is said to be a close confidant.
One Russian source told Page Six, “Yachts generally do not have bulletproof glass and antiballistic missile defenses. People in Russia and the Ukraine believe it was built for Putin. That yacht will definitely be top of the list to be seized by the Americans or the Europeans.”
Abramovich — who has always denied a personal link to Putin — nevertheless has been in Belarus helping with cease-fire talks with the Ukrainians on behalf of the Russians.
And he’s selling his prized Chelsea Football Club in the UK as he reportedly is rushing to offload assets including multiple properties in England before he is hit with possible sanctions.
Eclipse has hosted a litany of stars and power brokers over the years including Paul McCartney and Leonardo DiCaprio and has been at Abramovich’s annual New Year’s Eve party in St. Barts.
The vessel — built by renowned German shipbuilder Blohm + Voss — has three helipads, 24 guest cabins, two swimming pools, several hot tubs, and a disco hall. Around 70 crew members are needed to operate it.
It even is reported to boast an anti-paparazzi system that detects the use of digital cameras to click photographs of the boat and uses lasers to disrupt a potential photograph.
A spokesman for Abramovich didn’t immediately get back to us.
The first Russian yacht that appears to have been seized is owned by billionaire Alisher Usmanov. His 512-foot yacht Dilbar, valued at nearly $600 million, has been impounded by German authorities in Hamburg, where it was undergoing repairs, Forbes reported.
The ship has been in the yards of shipbuilder Blohm + Voss since late October for a refitting job, the outlet reported, adding the German government froze the asset.
Usmanov reportedly bought Dilbar in 2016 for $600 million, custom-built by German shipbuilder Lürssen, which describes it as “One of the most complex and challenging yachts ever built, in terms of both dimensions and technology. At 15,917 tons, the 156-meter superyacht features entertainment and recreation spaces never before seen on a yacht. These include a 25-meter swimming pool that holds an incredible 180 m³ of water, the largest pool ever to have been installed on a yacht.” It can host 24 people in 12 suites and carries a crew of nearly 100.
Multibillionaire Usmanov’s fortune spans stakes in iron ore and steel giant Metalloinvest and consumer electronics firm Xiaomi, Forbes also reported. He is of the earliest investors in Facebook, a former stakeholder of Arsenal Football Club and also owns impressive real estate assets in the West, from two estates in the UK — Beechwood House in London and Sutton Place in Surrey, valued at a combined $280 million — to luxury homes across Germany, Switzerland, Monaco and Sardinia.
Usmanov said in a statement that he had been targeted by “restrictive measures” by the European Union, and “I believe that such decision is unfair, and the reasons employed to justify the sanctions are a set of false and defamatory allegations damaging my honor, dignity, and business reputation,” he wrote. “I will use all legal means to protect my honor and reputation.”
The move comes after President Biden fired a warning shot at the oligarchs during his State of the Union address, saying, “We are joining with our European allies to find and seize your yachts, your luxury apartments, your private jets.”
And French authorities have seized a yacht that they say is linked to Russian oligarch Igor Sechin, considered a close ally and “de facto deputy” of Putin.
The 280-foot Amore Velo was taken on March 2 in La Ciotat Shipyards, in the South of France, the country’s finance minister, Bruno Le Maire, announced on Twitter.
Meanwhile, a growing number of superyachts belonging to Russian tycoons have made their way to the Indian Ocean, cruising around the Maldives and Seychelles.
And according to German reports, Putin’s own superyacht slipped out of European Union waters a few days before the invasion of Ukraine to avoid being impounded.
The $100 million vessel named Graceful left port in Hamburg abruptly before finishing repairs, according to the reports from German newspaper Bild, moving into Russian waters near Kaliningrad along the Baltic coast.
The superyacht features an indoor pool that can be transformed into a dance floor as well as a helipad, and can accommodate 14 guests.
But despite the craft being out of the reach of the EU, members of the “hacktivist” collective Anonymous managed to change Putin’s superyacht’s call sign to “FCKPTN” and the ship’s destination to “hell.”
