Roman Abramovich’s £1.5billion mega-yacht renovated in Germany

The 557ft luxury yacht owned by Russian oligarch and Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich has been docked in Germany in order to undergo renovations.

Pictured at Hamburg’s Blohm Voss shipbuilders where it was originally built in 2010 and 2011, the ship has been placed into a dry dock where workers have been carrying out work on various levels of the ship.

The Russian oligarch’s lavish boat – named Eclipse – boasts a stunning array of high-tech gadgetry alongside the opulence which is commonly seen in billionaires’ superyachts. All of this begs the question – what exactly needs renovating?

For a time, the boat held the title of the world’s largest superyacht, but has since been surpassed by the 590ft Azzam, which is believed to be owned by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates.

However, both are so large they have trouble fitting into the majority of the world’s marinas.

Mr Abramovich’s Eclipse is 536ft long and 72.2ft wide, and has an estimated gross tonnage of 13,500GT.

She has four diesel engines and a maximum speed of 22 knots, although this speed is well surpassed by some of the newer superyacht builds.

It can accommodate 36 guests in comfort, and boasts a cinema, conference facilities, children’s playroom, beauty salon, dance floor, swimming pool and sauna.

Built by Blohm Voss Shipyards and designed inside and out by Terence Disdale, Eclipse was custom-made for the Chelsea oligarch in 2010.

The incredible vessel also contains two swimming pools, two helicopter pads, a dedicated disco hall, around 30 cabins, a mini-submarine, and even a missile defence system.

It has armour-plating around Mr Abramovich’s master suite, bullet-proof windows and a laser system designed to dazzle long-lens photographers.

When it was ordered, the initial cost was estimated at around $500million, but by the time Mr Abramovich took delivery in 2012 it was spiralling towards the $1.5billion mark because of the extra luxury fittings and security measures.

The oligarch also owns three other mega-yachts, the Pelorus (377ft), the Ecstasea (282ft) and the Sussurro (161ft).

Mr Abramovich once lent the Pelorus to Chelsea footballers Frank Lampard and John Terry as a ‘bonus’ for playing well and annual running costs for his fleet are around $25million including full tanks of petrol at around $110,000 per yacht. Mail Online