Eclipse (yacht)
Encyclopedia
M/Y Eclipse is a luxury motor yacht
Luxury yacht
The term luxury yacht, “Superyacht” and "Large Yacht" refers to very expensive, privately owned yachts which are professionally crewed. Also known as a Super Yacht, a luxury yacht may be either a sailing or motor yacht.-History:...
constructed by Blohm + Voss
Blohm + Voss
Blohm + Voss , is a German shipbuilding and engineering works. It is a subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems; there were plans to sell 80% of Blohm + Voss to Abu Dhabi Mar Group, but talks collapsed in July 2011.-History:It was founded on April 5, 1877, by Hermann Blohm and Ernst Voss as a...
in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany. Its exterior and interior were designed by Terence Disdale Design and its naval architect was Francis Design. The yacht was delivered to Russian businessman Roman Abramovich
Roman Abramovich
Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich is a Russian businessman and the main owner of the private investment company Millhouse LLC.In 2003, Abramovich was named Person of the Year by Expert, a Russian business magazine. He shared this title with Mikhail Khodorkovsky...
on 9 December 2010. At 163.5 metres (536.4 ft) long, Eclipse is the world's largest private yacht, 0.5 metres (1.6 ft) longer than the Dubai
Dubai (yacht)
Dubai is the name of a yacht currently owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of the Emirate of Dubai and the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates...
, which belongs to Sheikh Mohammed
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum , also Sheikh Mohammed, , is the Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates , and absolute monarch of Dubai.-Personal life and education:...
, the ruler of Dubai. The yacht's initial cost to buy was estimated at €340 million (approx. US$475M as of September 2011), but a September 2009 report indicated that final costs could approach €800 million (US$1.12B).
Eclipse has two helicopter pads, 24 guest cabins, two swimming pools, several hot tubs and a disco hall. It is also equipped with three launch boats, and a mini-submarine that is capable of submerging to 50 metres. Approximately 70 crew members are needed to operate the yacht.
For security, Eclipse is fitted with intruder detection systems and a German-built missile defence system. Abramovich's master suite and the yacht's bridge are fitted with armour plating and bullet-proof windows. The yacht is reportedly equipped with an anti-paparazzi shield in the form of lasers that sweep the surroundings, and when they detect a CCD
Charge-coupled device
A charge-coupled device is a device for the movement of electrical charge, usually from within the device to an area where the charge can be manipulated, for example conversion into a digital value. This is achieved by "shifting" the signals between stages within the device one at a time...
, they shine a light right at the camera to prevent the photograph. According to The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, these do not run all the time, so friends and guests should still be able to take pictures. Instead, they will be activated when guards spot likely professional photographers nearby.
Eclipse was launched on 12 June 2009. It arrived in Frederikshavn, Denmark on September 18, 2009 for tests, and was delivered to Abramovich on December 9, 2010. First pictures of the completed yacht were taken at Kristiansand, Norway during its refuelling.
In February 2011 Eclipse was made available for charter through SuperYachtsMonaco, a yacht brokerage company based in Monaco.
Abramovich's private fleet consists of five motor yachts: Eclipse, Sussurro, Titan, Umbra, and Luna. He gave Le Grand Bleu
Le Grand Bleu (yacht)
Le Grand Bleu is one of the largest private yachts in the world at in length. It was built at the Bremer Vulkan yard in Bremen, Germany, and was launched in 2000. It was designed by Stefano Pastrovich and constructed by Kusch Yachts. It was previously owned by John McCaw Jr., an American...
to his associate and friend Eugene Shvidler
Eugene Shvidler
Evgeny Markovich Shvidler , also Eugene Shvidler, is a Russian oil businessman. Although not often referred to as one of the prominent business oligarchs, he still made his fortune in Russia during the privatization of Russian industry....
in June 2006. He sold Ecstasea
Ecstasea
Ecstasea is a luxury yacht. The biggest Feadship built, she was sold by her original owner, the Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, in June 2009 to an unknown Shiekh of the UAE by yacht brokers Merle Wood for $200 million. Many believe it was purchased by Sonja Zuckerman...
in June 2009 to an unknown Egyptian. He handed over Pelorus
Pelorus (yacht)
Pelorus is the world's nineteenth largest luxury yacht at in length, currently owned by David Geffen....
to his ex-wife Irina in 2009 as part of their divorce settlement, which she then sold to David Geffen
David Geffen
David Geffen is an American record executive, film producer, theatrical producer and philanthropist. Geffen is noted for creating Asylum Records in 1970, Geffen Records in 1980, and DGC Records in 1990...
for $300 million in 2011.