Russian oligarch

Abramovich's Gigayacht Eclipse Sets Sail

When we last checked in on the progress of Roman Abramovich's new 557-ft. Eclipse (above), the world's largest and most expensive privately owned yacht, the Russian oligarch had installed a high-tech anti-photo shield designed to keep the paparazzi at bay. After numerous delays and costs spiraling to an estimated $1 billion, it seems as if the gigayacht is now finally ready to be delivered. The Huffington Post found some pix of the massive vessel leaving the dock of the Blohm +Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, the other day, a sight to behold (apparently the photo shield isn't working yet). In addition to the paparazzi spoiler, the Eclipse features a military-grade missile defense system, armor plating and bullet-proof windows. It also has three helipads, two swimming pools – the larger of which converts into a dance floor when drained – six foot home cinema screens in every guest cabin, and a master suite where the roof opens to allow Abramovich and his girlfriend Dasha Zhukova to sleep under the stars.

Gallery: The Eclipse Sets Sail

Tags: Blohm + Voss, Blohm Voss, Dasha Zhukova, Germany, gigayacht, megayacht, Roman Abramovic, Russia, Russian billionaire, Russian oligarch, superyacht, yacht

It's Official: Mikhail Prokhorov Loses $55 Million Villa Leopolda Deposit

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Poor Mikhail Prokhorov. Last month we reported that the metals magnate had been replaced as Russia's richest man by Vladimir Lisin, and now languishes in second place. Now a court in Nice has just ruled that the oligarch must forfeit the $55 million deposit he put down for the magnificent $750 million Villa Leopolda (above) on the French Riviera in 2008 before backing out of the deal, the London Daily Mail reports. Prokhorov signed a sales agreement for the Villa, and French law stipulates that purchasers lose their deposits if they pull out after such an agreement has been executed. The magistrate also ordered Prokhorov to pay the Villa's owner Lily Safra an additional $1.5 million penalty. Safra says she will donate all the money to ten charities, including almost $1.5 million for neuroscience research at King's College London and Imperial College London. "By transforming the deposit into an act of giving I would like to encourage all who can do so to support medical research and other humanitarian causes," she declared. On the plus side for Prokhorov, he's still worth a cool $17.85 billion.

Tags: France, French Riviera, FrenchRiviera, Lily Safra, LilySafra, Mikhail Prokhorov, MikhailProkhorov, Russia, Russian billionaire, Russian oligarch, RussianBillionaire, RussianOligarch, South of France, SouthOfFrance, Villa Leopolda, VillaLeopolda