Megayachts have always been a status indicator for Russian billionaires. A number of participants in the Forbes list of Russia’s richest businessmen have such vessels. The absence of such vessels among the list’s representatives is rather an exception.
After February 2022, the boats of Russian oligarchs fell into unpleasant circumstances – some of them were confiscated, others are now moored in strange places, others were forced to hide. How international sanctions have affected the fleet of Russia’s biggest supers and their owners is the subject of an article by Russiasrichest.
Eclipse, Roman Abramovich
One of the largest boats in the world is Eclipse, the yacht of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, the world’s most famous Russian businessman and owner of Evraz, one of Russia’s largest steel producers.
The yacht is 162.5 meters long and has an estimated value of $460 million. According to media reports, the billionaire uses as many as eight other smaller boats to maintain the vessel.
The ship was built in 2010 at the German shipyard Blohm+Voss. Eclipse has nine decks, a displacement of 13,500 tons, and a crew of 70. The billionaire’s yacht has a helipad, a movie theater, a swimming pool, a sauna, a wine cellar and a concert hall. The boat is also equipped with bulletproof windows, a missile warning system and an anti-paparazzi system.
In 2022, when Russian yachts began to be arrested in the waters of “unfriendly” countries, the boats of billionaires began to moor in unusual places. This is what happened to Eclipse, which has since been increasingly spotted in Marmaris, off the coast of Turkey.
Dilbar, Alisher Usmanov
Dilbar is a Russian superyacht owned by Alisher Usmanov, founder of the USM holding company with assets in metals, mining, telecommunications and technology.
The boat is 156 meters long and is valued at $600 million. The Russian billionaire’s yacht is named after his mother, Russian language teacher Dilbar Usmanova. The vessel is considered one of the most powerful superyachts in history.
The ship was launched in 2016, she was built at the German shipyard Lurssen. The ship has a displacement of 15,917 tons and a crew of 96. Dilbar has one of the world’s largest swimming pools ever installed on a yacht. It is 25 meters long and holds 180 cubic meters of water. The ship has 20 luxurious staterooms, two helipads, a beauty salon and a gym.
Dilbar has been in Hamburg since 2021 for modernization and maintenance. The yacht was reportedly seized by German authorities two days after Alisher Usmanov was hit with EU sanctions. Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office linked the boat to the Russian oligarch, calling the owner, Gulbahor Ismailova, “Alisher Usmanov’s sister.”
Sailing Yacht A, Andrey Melnichenko
Sailing Yacht A is the yacht of Russian oligarch Andrey Melnichenko, founder of Eurochem, one of Russia’s leading mineral fertilizer producers, and Siberian Coal Energy Company (SUEK), the country’s leading coal mining company.
The boat is nearly 143 meters long and is valued at 530 million euros. Sailing yacht A is considered to be the largest sailing yacht in history. It was built according to the design of French designer Philippe Starck.
Sailing Yacht A was built at Nobiskrug shipyard and launched in 2017, her displacement is about 12,700 tons. The yacht has eight decks and a crew of 54. The megayacht is equipped with a helipad, a spa club, swimming pools and a garage. The ship also has an underwater observation pod.
In 2022, the yacht was arrested by Italy’s financial watchdog. This happened after the imposition of EU sanctions against Andrey Melnichenko, who also soon left the management positions in his companies and ceased to be their beneficiary.
Ocean Victory, Viktor Rashnikov
Ocean Victory is owned by Viktor Rashnikov, owner of one of the world’s largest steel producers, MMK Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works.
Ocean Victory is a Russian superyacht, 140 meters long and worth between $300 million and $460 million according to various estimates. It has been reported that another Russian billionaire, Yuri Shefler, has filed a lawsuit against the ship’s builders. He accused them of using the design of his yacht Serene to build Ocean Victory.
Russian billionaire Rashnikov purchased the yacht in 2014. It was built at the Italian shipyard Fincantieri. The displacement of the boat is 8,500 tons, and it has a crew of 52 people. The ship has seven decks, several swimming pools up to 8 meters long, a helipad, an underwater surveillance camera, a beach club and an elevator connecting the decks.
Viktor Rashnikov was one of the first Russian billionaires to be sanctioned by the European Union. Shortly thereafter, his megayacht sailed to the Maldives and then turned off its transponders. Identification systems were disabled, making it impossible to track the boat’s location.
Amadea, Suleiman Kerimov
Amadea is the megayacht of Suleiman Kerimov, a senator from the Republic of Dagestan who has successfully invested in and at various times owned stakes in companies such as Nafta-Moscow, mining holding Polymetal, Uralkali, National Cable Networks, real estate developer PIK, and telecom operator Mostelecom.
The billionaire’s yacht is 107 meters long and cost $325 million. On the bow of the boat is a giant chrome albatross.
Amadea was built at the Lurssen shipyard and launched in 2017. She has a displacement of 4,400 tons and is served by a crew of 36. The Russian billionaire’s yacht has eight cabins, a large swimming pool, a Jacuzzi, a helipad and an exquisite conservatory.
Kerimov fell under EU sanctions in 2022 and Amadea was arrested in Fiji in 2022. However, the anchorage was so costly to the country’s government that its court allowed the U.S. to seize the boat. It was then taken to San Diego, California, where an American flag was hoisted over it. The boat has been in the U.S. ever since, costing the country $600,000 a month to maintain.
