Sports

Chelsea's Roman Abramovich Builds £200 Million Armour-Plated "Mega-Yacht"

by Jon Azpiri | October 6, 2008 at 01:04 pm

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Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich is building the largest private yacht ever constructed at a cost of £200 Million. The 550 ft. long boat, named the Eclipse, is being built in the same German shipyard where the legendary Bismarck was assembled.

The armour-plated yacht will have countless security features help protect Abramovich, who has a net worth estimated at £11.7billion.

The yacht will include radar equipment designed to warn the crew of incoming rockets, together with bullet-proof windows and armour plating on the bridge and around the 41-year-old Russian tycoon's cabin.

There will be twin helicopter pads and anti-bugging equipment, while the crew of 70 will include former SAS and Special Boat Service personnel.

If intruders make it on board the Eclipse, named because it is intended to overshadow all other private boats, Abramovich and his girlfriend Daria Zhukova, 26, could escape in a yellow submarine which can dive to 160ft.

Not all of the Eclipse's features focus on security. The yacht will include an onboard cinema, aquarium, hospital, and discothèque as well as enough accommodations to house 70 staff and up to 24 guests.

One of the Russian oligarch's motives for building the Eclipse was the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The Chelsea Football Club owner, together with his girlfriend Daria Zhukova, plans to sail to South Africa to attend the World Cup in 2010.

The Eclipse's state-of-the-art security system will provide extra protection when the yacht passes through the Mozambique Channel, where Somali pirates thrive.

Last month, Somali pirates demanded ransom when they captured an Ukranian cargo ship carrying 33 Russian tanks.

Abramovich has three other yachts—the 377 ft. Pelorus, 282 ft. Ecstasea and 160 ft. Sussurro.

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