Roman Abramovich's Eclipse (VIDEO): Mega-Yacht Includes Missile Defense System, Laser Shield

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich boasts not only the world's largest plane (the 'Bandit'), but also the world's biggest yacht: a 557-foot mega-boat called the Eclipse, which recently set sail from Hamburg, Germany.

The luxury liner has more than a few high-tech amenities, including bullet-proof glass, a missile defense system, a submarine, and an anti-paparazzi laser shield. Estimates of cost of building the Eclipse have ranged from $400 million to $1.2 billion.

The Times describes the laser shield:

Infrared lasers detect the electronic light sensors in nearby cameras, known as charge-coupled devices. When the system detects such a device, it fires a focused beam of light at the camera, disrupting its ability to record a digital image.

The beams can also be activated manually by security guards if they spot a photographer loitering.

See photos of the Eclipse, and check out the video from Bloomberg below, which details the yacht's features.

WATCH:

Comments

[davidgoldmandg]

08:38 PM on 04/21/2010

What bugs me is this guy made his money ripping off poor russians during their worst recession in recent history (think goldman sachs rip off times 100).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Abramovich

(adding link)

[davidgoldmandg]

09:12 PM on 04/21/2010

My point is why couldn't he make his pile by adding some value to society - like Bill Gates or Larry Page or Zukerberg???

[netzwerg]

05:14 AM on 04/22/2010

He does, he renewed his hometown in siberia, built hospitals, schools and kindergarten there, donates lots of cash and is one of the most popular people in siberia.

[angrymanspokane]

11:52 AM on 04/21/2010

"Russian billionaire" - sounds like an oxymoron.

[netzwerg]

12:28 PM on 04/21/2010

Did you live under a rock for the past 20 years?

[KIVPossum]

07:03 AM on 04/22/2010

The ones that got into the privatization sales made instant millions.

[mbondr1]

11:39 AM on 04/21/2010

People who spend money like that generally end up poor. What a fool.

[Fuggettaboutit]

11:30 AM on 04/21/2010

abramovich or whatever his name is, is the biggest show off, always displaying his wealth, always wanting to be in the news, buying soccer teams, fancy ships and yatchs, all to compensate for his small weener

[jeanrenoir]

11:30 AM on 04/21/2010

"Oh, they built the ship Titanic
And when they had her through,
They said she was a ship that
The water could never get through"

ETC.

Someone needs to send this clown a DVD of No Country for Old Men.

[stewie1324]

10:50 AM on 04/21/2010

he's probably scared that Putin is gonna come after him or something...crazy Russians lol

[littlepuffycloud]

10:01 AM on 04/21/2010

Meh..if he had a shark with a lazer on its head, now THAT would be cool.

[Lisa Clayton]

11:49 AM on 04/21/2010

Win.

[x2zero]

09:48 AM on 04/21/2010

Should be spending his money on some replacements for Chelsea's aging midfield, oh and another top striker

[yoozum]

09:46 AM on 04/21/2010

I'm a little surprised that it doesn't have an indoor soccer stadium so that Chelsea can play there.

[Nutcase]

09:44 AM on 04/21/2010

I'm happy for him. At least he doesn't have to struggle to get by without even a rowboat as I do.

[UnderTheHedgeWeGo]

09:41 AM on 04/21/2010

Wow, I've got one just like it!

[SuperRyan]

10:05 PM on 04/21/2010

What, a small penis?

[captcct]

11:13 AM on 04/22/2010

One does not need a large penis to get the job done. It is style and Abramovich has that!

[czs5056]

09:36 AM on 04/21/2010

that thing is like a warship

[captcct]

11:10 AM on 04/22/2010

Sorry! Not quite a warship. However, take a look at the following link which shows what a private warship would look like. This one was not armed. It is only 74 metres (meters = approx. 245 feet). It too carried a helicopter, an Agusta / Westland A109, and a sea-plane amongst its toys.

I built a perfect 1/7 th scale remote controlled model helicopter back in 1993 for the owner which and while fully functional was displayed in the salon of the super-yacht "ECO" http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/blohm-voss-yacht/160-blohm-voss-yachts-eco-73m.html

[captcct]

09:34 AM on 04/21/2010

Just in case those of you who missed the previous article, this one shows more photos. Abromovich has a fleet of large yachts commonly referred to (depending on size) as mega-yachts or super-yachts. BTW he is not the only one with one this size. A Saudi Prince has one like it. The one I used to captain was a mere 125' Tri-Deck mega-yacht.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/16/roman-abramovichs-eclipse_n_540947.html

[floodberg]

08:45 PM on 04/21/2010

Cool job. They never talked about that on career day. Of course, I skipped career days, and most of high school.

[captcct]

10:17 AM on 04/22/2010

If one is persistent and determined, regardless of missing high school or college, one can achieve any desire. Live the life you love. "Whether you utilize the stars, like the shepherds of days long ago, or a sextant like the ancient mariners, or the incredibly superb technologically advanced GPS system of today, or just taking one big step after another towards your intended destination, you are - in effect - navigating a course that will become an adventure. Join me on what so far has been mine." http://web.me.com/captcct/Navigating_The_World/Blog.html

And I did not to be a billionaire, although I tried to live and work as though I was one by working hard, working smart, working harder, working smarter, and playing fast and living slow. Schucks! those were the good old days. Maybe Abromovich would like to offer me a job as one of his captains. The last one I captained was sold under my feet due to its multi-million $ owners impending divorce. Que sera.

[sioux01721]

09:18 AM on 04/21/2010

"Behind every great fortune there is a great crime" - attributed to Balzac.

"Among the newest, youngest and fastest-growing group of billionaires, the Russian oligarchy stands out for its most rapacious beginnings. Over two-thirds (67 per cent) of the current Russian billionaire oligarchs began their concentration of wealth in their mid to early twenties. During the infamous decade of the 1990's under the quasi-dictatorial rule of Boris Yeltsin and his US-directed economic advisers, Anatoly Chubais and Yegor Gaidar the entire Russian economy was put up for sale for a 'political price', which was far below its real value. Without exception, the transfers of property were achieved through gangster tactics ­ assassinations, massive theft, and seizure of state resources, illicit stock manipulation and buyouts. The future billionaires stripped the Russian state of over a trillion dollars worth of factories, transport, oil, gas, iron, coal and other formerly state-owned resources.

snip

Virtually all the billionaires' initial sources of wealth had nothing to do with building, innovating or developing new efficient enterprises. Wealth was not transferred to high Communist Party Commissars (lateral transfers) but was seized by armed private mafias run by recent university graduates who quickly capitalized on corrupting, intimidating or assassinating senior officials in the state and benefiting from Boris Yeltsin's mindless contracting of 'free market' Western consultants.

"

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=5159

[vain jane]

05:41 PM on 04/21/2010

To resume - kgb mafia got to privatize Russia's great natural wealth (oil, gas...) for peanuts.

[floodberg]

08:48 PM on 04/21/2010

You think Volker, Greenspan, Rockefeller, and our ex-presidents like Jimmy Carter got their big money building anything?

[Higgs Boson]

01:03 AM on 04/23/2010

Jimmy Carter ..... big money ????? what are you talking about ? Do you know ?

[Imichael]

09:15 AM on 04/21/2010

Yes the Russians have learned well from American capitalism.

[CA Moderate 1980]

04:41 PM on 04/21/2010

American capitalism?? Do you even know how corrupt business practices are in Russia?

[vain jane]

05:42 PM on 04/21/2010

You mean as opposed to American? Sadly, this argument is no longer valid. Two words - Goldman Sachs.