It is the biggest private yacht in existence and comes with a missile-detection system, two helipads, a luxury spa, swimming pool and a miniature submarine. But when you’re Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, only the most ostentatious displays of wealth will do. His latest baby is the Eclipse, a 557-footer reported to have cost a staggering £300million.
[…]
Annual overhead for the boats is more than £15million, and it costs him £73,000 just to fill up the tanks of his current largest boat, Pelorus.The son of Jewish parents, Abramovich began his business career selling plastic ducks from a grim Moscow apartment but, within a few years, his vast wealth spread from oil conglomerates to pig farms.
Russia’s richest man has flourished under president Vladimir Putin, with critics saying he used his government ties to take over former state-owned assests and reap the profits for personal use.
“critics saying he used his government ties to take over former state-owned assets and reap the profits for personal use.”
Study how he did this! Someday we may have the same opportunity!
Looks like a cruise ship to me. I thought yachts had sails.
Aside from owning a snotty London football club, Abramovich is also a politician much-loved by his Siberian electorate.
No doubt, all the sophisticated, worldly DU readers are already aware of that.
Frankie says: “Arm the unemployed”
A well-deserved perk for a sublime human being.
Roman Abramovich earned ever single penny of his enormous wealth. He got what he has through hard work, diligence, and gutsiness.
I say: Enjoy it, my brother. You are truly special, for you know that self-sacrifice is the only way to become a multi-multi-multi-billionaire.
There are no shortcuts to ultra-wealth. There is no free lunch, and you, Roman, truly understand this, unlike those lazy, sniveling bums in the third world, who think the rest of us owe them a living.
Roman, a poem. To you.
Sail, sail away,
on your lovely, lovely yacht.
Laugh long and laugh hard
at the dying
and the poor.
Smile as you laugh,
in their lazy, selfish faces.
Because
you earned
it all.
You KNOW this guy is compensating for something, probably hung like an amoeba.
[Comment deleted – Violation of Posting Guidelines. – ed.]
#7: “…walks into a wall with a hard on”
Didn’t know walls could have hard ons.
Ain’t English grand?
#2: Small ones might. Most don’t.
So Russia has bought back the Czar and his imperial cronies.
Ok, ok, UD – he walked into a wall while sporting a hard on and busted his rhinoplasty. In other words, he could lay on the bottom of a pool and still breathe. Apparently Jewish guys are notorious for whipping it out and the woman says, “no, I don’t smoke.”
#11, Ed,
Actually, women make up the largest number of smokers. Them and some religious nutball from California who likes little girls.
Regardless of who owns it, and how he paid for it, the ship is remarkable, and something to admire. It is fun to imagine living on it, and deciding where to go next.
Not at all unlike a Ferrari or other ridiculously extravagant object. I am glad it does not belong to a bitch Saudi Princess who went to the dealer, took it home, and did not pay for it.
Does every basketball and football star earn every penny of their multi million dollar salary?
Every hottentot with enough money to buy a white trophy wife!
Also Vlad putin is good for russia he gave white russians money to have white babies no immigrants.
Look for a lot of the same here once the doling out of former private assets gets underway in earnest….the Chicago apparatchiks will soon have yachts with THREE helipads.
And anyone with the right “nonprofit organization” or “community action project” will have the money hose turned on them as well. (probably not with yacht-like force, but plenty). Working “with” Obama you can get away with literally anything with no danger of media scrutiny or fiscal oversight.
I’m in the last stages of the process that will get ME on that gravy train. It was easier than I thought. If you’re in the right line of “activism”(the environment, poverty reduction, education reform, etc) and have a good a good spiel…you’re in.
With an Obama button on my lapel and “Yes We Can” bumpersticker on my car, I’ll be golden. As a declared member of the Obama Movement, no one will question the fact that the button will be on an Armani suit, the bumpersticker will be on a BMW, and the BMW will be parked in front of a really nice house.
If my projects don’t show much effect,
I’ll just blame the lack of results on “8 horrible years of neglect” or “overcoming 8 terrible years of fear and oppression”.
My personal economy is looking just fine.
Thanks, America!
That boat was bought with more than a few freshly-dug graves. That’s part of the “gutsy hard work” of becoming a billionaire in Russia, Praline.
The guy who owns this yacht must have the world’s smallest penis. You probably need an electron microscope to see it!
# 14 sam said, “Does every basketball and football star earn every penny of their multi million dollar salary?”
Sure, do you think they steal it?
I wonder what the tune to the Love Boat would sound like in Russian?
So where’s the surprise, the transition to capitalism has been a rough road pock marked with mafias, political corruption, and apparently lot’s of macho posturing.
My bro used to work on his smaller boat Pelorus , which still had 50 crew fulltime for the few weeks a year roman would/may visit the boat. his family used it the rest
Ive seen photos up close, its amazing, although who needs more than 3 super yachts? really?
dont care if you earned or stole it.
The carbon footprint is massive, and they once filled it up accidentally with the wrong fuel, that’s a lot of waste. feed a small country with it and just uses your other super yachts…
a fun perspective on super yachts can be found here: http://scratchacross.wordpress.com/2009/06/10/dirty-stinkin-superyachts/
It would be nice to have a couple of medium size boats like that.