millionaire yacht owner

10 of the most impressive superyachts owned by billionaires

From a sailing yacht owned by a russian billionaire industrialist to the luxury launch of the patek philippe ceo, here are the best billionaire-owned boats on the water….

Words: Jonathan Wells

There’s something about billionaires and big boats . Whether they’re superyachts or megayachts, men with money love to splash out on these sizeable sea-going giants. And that all began in 1954 — with the big dreams of Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis.

Onassis, keen to keep his luxury lifestyle afloat when at sea, bought Canadian anti-submarine frigate HMCS Stormont after World War II. He spent millions turning it into an opulent super yacht, named it after his daughter — and the Christina O kicked off a trend among tycoons. To this day, the world’s richest men remain locked in an arms race to build the biggest, fastest, most impressive superyacht of all. Here are 10 of our favourites…

Eclipse, owned by Roman Abramovich

Built by: Blohm+Voss of Hamburg, with interiors and exteriors designed by Terence Disdale. Launched in 2009, it cost $500 million (the equivalent of £623 million today).

Owned by: Russian businessman Roman Abramovich, the owner of private investment company Millhouse LLC and owner of Chelsea Football Club. His current net worth is $17.4 billion.

Key features: 162.5 metres in length / 9 decks / Top speed of 22 knots / Two swimming pools / Disco hall / Mini submarine / 2 helicopter pads / 24 guest cabins

Sailing Yacht A, owned by Andrey Melnichenko

Built by: Nobiskrug, a shipyard on the Eider River in Germany. The original idea came from Jacques Garcia, with interiors designed by Philippe Starck and a reported price tag of over $400 million.

Owned by: Russian billionaire industrialist Andrey Melnichenko, the main beneficiary of both the fertiliser producing EuroChem Group and the coal energy company SUEK. Though his current net worth is $18.7 billion, Sailing Yacht A was seized in Trieste on 12 March 2022 due to the EU’s sanctions on Russian businessmen.

Key features: 119 metres in length / 8 decks / Top speed of 21 knots / Freestanding carbon-fibre rotating masts / Underwater observation pod / 14 guests

Symphony, owned by Bernard Arnault

Built by: Feadship, the fabled shipyard headquartered in Haarlem in The Netherlands. With an exterior designed by Tim Heywood, it reportedly cost around $150 million to construct.

Owned by: French billionaire businessman and art collector Bernard Arnault. Chairman and chief executive of LVMH, the world’s largest luxury goods company, his current net worth is $145.8 billion.

Key features: 101.5 metres in length / 6 decks / Top speed of 22 knots / 6-metre glass-bottom swimming pool / Outdoor cinema / Sundeck Jacuzzi / 8 guest cabins

Faith, owned by Michael Latifi

Built by: Similarly to Symphony above, also Feadship. With exteriors designed by Beaulieu-based RWD, and interiors by Chahan Design, it cost a reported $200 million to construct in 2017.

Owned by: Until recently, Canadian billionaire and part-owner of the Aston Martin Formula 1 Team , Lawrence Stroll. Recently sold to Michael Latifi, father of F1 star Nicholas , a fellow Canadian businessman with a net worth of just under $2 billion.

Key features: 97 metres in length / 9 guest cabins / Glass-bottom swimming pool — with bar / Bell 429 helicopter

Amevi, owned by Lakshmi Mittal

Built by: The Oceanco shipyard, also in The Netherlands. With exterior design by Nuvolari & Lenard and interior design by Alberto Pinto, it launched in 2007 (and cost around $125 million to construct).

Owned by: Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, chairman and CEO of Arcelor Mittal, the world’s largest steelmaking company. He owns 20% of Queen Park Rangers, and has a net worth of $18 billion.

Key features: 80 metres in length / 6 decks / Top speed of 18.5 knots / On-deck Jacuzzi / Helipad / Swimming Pool / Tender Garage / 8 guest cabins

Odessa II, owned by Len Blavatnik

Built by: Nobiskrug, the same German shipyard that built Sailing Yacht A . Both interior and exterior were created by Focus Yacht Design, and the yacht was launched in 2013 with a cost of $80 million.

Owned by: British businessman Sir Leonard Blavatnik. Founder of Access Industries — a multinational industrial group with current holdings in Warner Music Group, Spotify and the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat — he is worth $39.9 billion.

Key features: 74 metres in length / 6 guest cabins / Top speed of 18 knots / Intimate beach club / Baby grand piano / Private master cabhin terrace / Outdoor cinema

Nautilus, owned by Thierry Stern

Built by: Italian shipyard Perini Navi in 2014. With interiors by Rémi Tessier and exterior design by Philippe Briand, Nautilus was estimated to cost around $90 million to construct.

Owned by: Patek Philippe CEO Thierry Stern. Alongside his Gulstream G650 private jet, Nautilus — named for the famous sports watch — is his most costly mode of transport. His current net worth is $3 billion.

Key features: 73 metres in length / 7 guest cabins / Top speed of 16.5 knots / Dedicated wellness deck / 3.5 metre resistance pool / Underfloor heating / Jet Skis

Silver Angel, owned by Richard Caring

Built by: Luxury Italian boatbuilder Benetti. Launched in 2009, the yacht’s interior has been designed by Argent Design and her exterior styling is by Stefano Natucci.

Owned by: Richard Caring, British businessman and multi-millionaire (his wealth peaked at £1.05 billion, so he still makes the cut). Chairman of Caprice Holdings, he owns The Ivy restaurants.

Key features: 64.5 metres in length / Cruising speed of 15 knots / 7 guest cabins / Lalique decor / 5 decks / Oval Jacuzzi pool / Sun deck bar / Aft deck dining table

Lady Beatrice, owned by Frederick Barclay

Built by: Feadship and Royal Van Lent in 1993. Exteriors were created by De Voogt Naval Architects, with interiors by Bannenberg Designs. She cost the equivalent of £63 million to build.

Owned by: Sir David Barclay and his late brother Sir Frederick. The ‘Barclay Brothers’ had joint business pursuits including The Spectator , The Telegraph and delivery company Yodel. Current net worth: £7 billion.

Key features: 60 metres in length / 18 knots maximum speed / Monaco home port / Named for the brothers’ mother, Beatrice Cecelia Taylor / 8 guest cabins

Space, owned by Laurence Graff

Built by: Space was the first in Feadship’s F45 Vantage series , styled by Sinot Exclusive Yacht Design and launched in 2007. She cost a reported $25 million to construct.

Owned by: Laurence Graff, English jeweller and billionaire businessman. As the founder of Graff Diamonds, he has a global business presence and a current net worth of $6.26 billion.

Key features: 45 metres in length / Top speed of 16 knots / Al fresco dining area / Sun deck Jacuzzi / Breakfast bar / Swimming platform / Steam room

Want more yachts? Here’s the handcradfted, homegrown history of Princess…

Become a Gentleman’s Journal member. Find out more here.

Become a Gentleman’s Journal Member?

Like the Gentleman’s Journal? Why not join the Clubhouse, a special kind of private club where members receive offers and experiences from hand-picked, premium brands. You will also receive invites to exclusive events, the quarterly print magazine delivered directly to your door and your own membership card.

Further reading

The best slope-worthy ski gear on the planet

Editors' Picks: Thom Sweeney knit and Mikkeller Non Alcoholic Hazy IPA

Introducing AN-Y1: Refashioning automotive style for 2024

New York real estate billionaire's $40M mega yacht anchored off Sanibel Island

A New York real estate billionaire's sleek mega yacht, the Silver Shalis, was spotted cruising Fort Myers Beach and anchored off Sanibel Island over the holiday weekend.

Built in 2010 by Delta Marine from a ship design by Langan Associates and interior by design house Jonathan Quinn Barnett, the 175-foot, 846-ton craft is owned by real estate tycoon Larry Silverstein.

The vessel, which can sleep 12 guests in six cabins and has a crew of 14 housed in seven cabins, has an annual running cost between between $2 million and $4 million.

The luxury mega yacht, sailing under the flag of the Marshall Islands, is valued by specialty yachting web sites at a whopping $40 million.

A  yacht tracking website placed the Silver Shalis just off the Sanibel Causeway near the Sanibel Lighthouse   on the east end of the island on Monday and early Tuesday. The vessel has been cruising the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic, visiting Fort Lauderdale at one port of call.

Sometimes, when not pressed into service, boats such as the Silver Shalis are rented out for charters. Such excursions cost from $200,000 to $400,000, or more, a week, according to yachtcharterfleet.com.

Local: After more than 80 years, big changes may come to Fort Myers Yacht Basin

Luxury offering: New home on Fort Myers Beach built by Alair Homes Sanibel touted as largest on FMB

Dining: On Sanibel, out with the old restaurants (Matzaluna, East End Deli, Il Tesoro) in with the new

Silverstein, 90, CEO of Silverstein Properties in New York, has a net worth of $3 billion, also according to superyachtfan.com .

Dara McQuillan, media contact for Silverstein Properties, confirmed the yacht was the CEO's.

"He is visiting the southwest coast of Florida, and loves it there," she said. 

A lot has been written about Silverstein.

A 2017 article in the Baltimore Business Journal said his company bought the World Trade Center weeks before the 9/11 terrorist attacks destroyed the twin towers. The company rebuilt the complex that includes the Freedom Tower.

The company's most recent acquisition was a lower Manhattan apartment tower. Silverstein Properties purchased at 116 John St., a converted office tower in the Financial District, for $248 million, according to a company statement.

And on Jan. 10, Silverstein Capital Partners — Silverstein Properties’ real estate lending platform — closed on a $2 billion fund committed by its two existing and three new global institutional investors. 

About The Silver Shalis

• Powered by twin diesel engines, she comfortably cruises at 12 knots, reaches a maximum speed of 14 knots.
• Silver Shalis is built with a aluminum hull and composite superstructure, with teak decks.
• Capable of transoceanic crossings, with a maximum speed of 18.5 knots.
• Lightweight aluminum hull and composite superstructure seamlessly joined in a striking exterior design.
• Built to Lloyds Register Class, one of her head-turning features is a sleek hull of exquisite cerulean blue, the result of a multistep painting process and cast against an off-white superstructure with shimmering metallic silver details. 
• Inside décor complements the art collection on display throughout her many living and entertainment spaces. ]
• On the interior, her decks are served by a silent, glass-enclosed cylindrical elevator with an oil-rubbed bronze metal finish.
• A central staircase wraps around the elevator, featuring curved marble wall panels—a remarkable accomplishment, as all panels run vertically in a sequential vein-matched arrangement throughout the length of the stair tower.
• The upper deck features an indoor/outdoor dining option for ten via a distinctive curved glass door that opens a full 180 degrees.
• Among many features is an extensively outfitted gym on the sun deck with panoramic views of the outside and a lap pool. Source:  https://www.deltamarine.com/ , https://www.yachtcharterfleet.com/

Connect with breaking news reporter Michael Braun:  MichaelBraunNP (Facebook) ,  @MichaelBraunNP (Twitter) or [email protected]. 

Tom Brady’s billionaire friend Jeffrey Soffer has sold his outstanding 311-foot-long superyacht for around $244 million. Lurssen built Madsummer has a cinema, a 12-meter-long swimming pool, a helipad, and a seaplane hangar that converts into a dancefloor.

You may also like

Worth 5 times more than Elon Musk and Bill Gates combined, the Saudi royal family leads a life so luxurious that even billionaires cannot imagine – Their megayacht has a $450M painting, they drive gold plated supercars and their palaces have thousands of rooms.

Enjoy the First Ever IMAX Movie Experience on the High Seas Aboard Carnival’s New Vista Cruise Ship

The youngest self-made billionaire no more – Forbes dethrones Kylie Jenner of her billionaire status. Accuses the makeup mogul of forging tax documents

The feud between centibillionaires Elon Musk and Bill Gates just got a whole lot uglier after a text conversation between the two got leaked online

The most stunning features of Bernard Arnault’s $150 million superyacht – Known as the Louis Vuitton boss’ summerhouse on the sea, the vessel is longer than two Olympic sized swimming pools it has glass walled corridors, an infinity pool, DJ booth and a video wall.

From parties in private jets to unwinding in superyachts and casual days spent in supercars – This Instagram account shows how ultra-rich millionaires are setting travel goals on land, sea, and skies!

From a 10-wheeled, 24-tonne SUV to a 21 feet tall Willis jeep – Meet the Abu Dhabi royal who has created the largest and most bizarre vehicles – Worth $20 billion he owns 718 vehicles and has a Guinness Record for the biggest collection of 4×4 vehicles.

The $120 million abandoned superyacht Alfa Nero may finally be auctioned as the country of Antigua has secured the license from US authorities to sell the Russian billionaire’s 269 feet long vessel.

Numptia superyacht personifies elegance on sea

As a hospital system crashes, Steward’s CEO rises above it all

Let’s begin by paying homage to the Bombardier Global 6000, among the most perfect forms of transportation ever created. How perfect? This private aircraft is nearly 100 feet long. It costs $62 million new. It has a range of 6,000 nautical miles, meaning it can fly nonstop from Aspen to London or New York to Moscow. It holds as many as 17 passengers in luscious club seats, never loses internet connectivity, and can be configured with a bedroom and full shower. It’s basically Air Force One without the president.

The Bombardier website, in fact, makes repeated references to an aircraft that befits “a head of state.” It’s the jet that whisked Taylor Swift from Tokyo back to the United States to watch her boyfriend win the Super Bowl.

Advertisement

But perhaps the ultimate seal of approval for the Bombardier Global 6000 comes not from any global leader or the most popular musical performer alive, but from someone slightly less known but no less discerning. It is the private jet that Steward Health Care Chief Executive Officer Ralph de la Torre has chosen to fly around the world.

Yes, that’s right. De la Torre, the proud owner of a $40 million, 190-foot superyacht and the most sophisticated sportfish boat ever built (cost: more than $15 million), is cruising the skies in one of the biggest and most luxurious private jets that money can buy — in this case, Steward’s money.

And lest anyone think that I’m going to make the same mistake twice and miss a jet, I can definitively report that Ralph de la Torre likes things in pairs. Steward also operates a second private plane, a Dassault Falcon 2000LX that can easily soar nonstop from Boston to Europe with as many as a dozen passengers in ultra-luxury. Not to put too fine a point on it, but having a Falcon 2000LX as a spare jet is like having a Bentley as the beater you take to the town dump.

You, like me, might be wondering why a for-profit health care system with particularly fragile hospitals often located in low income communities might choose to spend tens of millions of dollars to own and operate two fabulously luxurious private jets, especially when the company is headquartered in a major airline hub like Dallas that has nonstop flights to virtually any destination that any normal person would want or need to go.

First, though, it’s worth noting that Steward didn’t seem particularly eager to have the public know about these jets. They were registered with the Federal Aviation Administration under the name of an aviation holding company called TVPX. That company, with offices in Concord, Mass., and North Salt Lake City, declares on its website that it creates trusts for airplane owners who “want to avoid unwanted public or media attention.” How did that one work out?

Fortunately, a kind person sent me the tail number to the Bombardier. That tail number opened all sorts of doors in the vast and fanatical private aviation community on the World Wide Web. One door showed that there was a second plane, another revealed a second ownership entity, yet another showed that a Steward executive and board member was affiliated with that other company, Management Health Services. Bottom line: Even Steward representatives didn’t push back on the notion that they fund both planes.

The thought did strike me that maybe de la Torre and his executive team were using these planes to embark on critical missions to deliver desperately needed supplies to his chain of woefully under-resourced hospitals. These jets are so sophisticated you can picture an airdrop of medicines and equipment at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center before they whooshed away to another city and another hospital in need.

So I sought the flight records for these planes to confirm that this was the case. Steward didn’t seem to make this easy, either, but a very accommodating gentleman affiliated with a strikingly informative aviation site, FlightRadar24 , was there to help. Within a day or two, I had a file in my email with every takeoff and landing for each plane in the past two-plus years.

Hmmm. Does Steward have hospitals in Santorini, Corfu, Athens, Naples (Italy, not Florida, but Florida, too), Madrid, Rome, Croatia, and the French Riviera? Or did an eager mariner simply need a ride to his yacht? What about the Bahamas, St. Kitts, Cabo San Lucas, Providenciales, Montego Bay, St. Maarten, and Antigua? And then there were all these flights to Panama and Ecuador, where I recently reported that his superyacht, the Amaral, had been moored. Coincidence?

There is no evidence that de la Torre was on all of these flights, because the planes are apparently available to other executives as well. But seriously, the staffs of Travel & Leisure and the Robb Report don’t spend this much time hurtling toward exotic destinations.

Here, I repeat a sincere and necessary caveat. This is not a screed against wealthy people with mansions and planes and very large boats. But that kind of wealth is supposed to go to those who create something that other people want, not a bunch of scheming private equity partners and executives who dismantle something that so many people need. Hospitals are public trusts.

It’s an interesting question, and not an esoteric one, about when immoral actions spill into illegal ones. Governor Maura Healey used the word “criminal” earlier this week when she excoriated Steward for its management of its nine Massachusetts hospitals, and said she basically wanted them out of the state. There are people who can look at how federal money has been spent and where it’s gone, and hospitals, Steward especially, have federal money coming in every day. Are they?

But back to the unanswered question of why a hospital company like Steward needs a pair of ultra-luxury jets capable of zipping around the world. The painfully obvious answer is, it absolutely doesn’t.

It especially doesn’t need it when hospital staffs are getting cut, when medical equipment is getting repossessed , when so many vendors aren’t getting paid, and when the quality of health care that it delivers is unquestionably diminished because the many great doctors and nurses and technicians in these hospitals lack the staff support they need and sufficient supplies.

And all the while, de la Torre and his private equity friends at Cerberus Capital Management have been living high, sky high in de la Torre’s case, off the money they made when they wrung hundreds of millions of dollars from a hospital system in dire need of resources and care.

Two other quick points. The Global 6000 was acquired by the Steward-related holding companies in 2020. The company that had it before that, which apparently purchased it brand new: Medical Properties Trust, the Alabama-based REIT that bought the land and hospital buildings from Steward, in a series of transactions that allowed a few people to get very rich while leaving Steward with hundreds of millions of dollars in annual rent. It’s hard to know what to make of that.

And Thursday, after I’d been asking about the jets this week, a Steward spokeswoman, Josephine Martin, called to say that the two planes were now for sale. The Falcon, she said, had recently been put on the market. The Global 6000 was listed as of Thursday.

“It’s part of a reset for Steward, selling down assets and working to be a different kind of company,” Martin said.

Maybe that should provide some satisfaction. Still, certain images remain: Chaos on the ground at so many Steward hospitals, state officials trying to prevent a crisis if any of them close, while Ralph de la Torre soars above it all in a plane built for a king. When bills went unpaid and cuts were made on personnel and supplies, there was always plenty of money for the jets.

Brian McGrory is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at [email protected] .

The world's most expensive superyachts come with helipads, movie theaters, and swimming pools — take a look

• Many superyachts cost upwards of $200 million dollars and are owned by the wealthiest billionaires in the world.
• The most expensive yacht ever built is made from solid gold, and costs a whopping $4.8 billion.
• The yachts have features like movie theaters, concert halls, and multiple swimming pools. 

Some of the world's wealthiest individuals own the most outlandish yachts. 

With features like helipads, swimming pools, saunas, hot tubs, and more, the most expensive yachts in the world are the definition of luxury. Russian tycoons, oil  Sheikhs, and entertainment moguls are vacationing on yachts spanning over 200 feet that often cost over half a billion dollars, not to mention the  maintenance costs  of owning a superyacht.

Check out some of the most expensive yachts in the world below: 

$200 million: Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen owns this 414-foot yacht called the Octopus. It has 41 suites, a pool, two helicopters, a basketball court, and a recording studio.

Source: Forbes

$200 million: The Seven Seas yacht has a movie theater, infinity pool, gym and helipad. Reportedly, it once belonged to Stephen Spielberg.

$210 million: Billionaire Nassar Al-Rashid owns this yacht embellished with 24-karat gold lettering.

$250 million: Qatar's former Prime Minister, Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, owns the $250 million Al Mirqab. It has a movie theater, outdoor bar, indoor swimming pool, jacuzzi, and helipad.

Source: Daily Mail

$256 million: The Dilbar is owned by Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov. With more than 3,800 square meters of living space, the Dilbar makes for a comfortable way to travel. It also has two helipads and an indoor swimming pool.

Source: Yacht Harbour 

$300 million: The Sultan of Oman owns the 509-foot long Al Said yacht. It has room for more than 60 guests and a concert hall that can house a 50-piece orchestra.

$350 million: Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko owns Motor Yacht A, which resembles a military-style submarine and has a helipad.

Source: The Sun 

$400 million: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, owns the massive Dubai yacht, which costs an estimated $400 million. It has a mosaic swimming pool, circular staircase, and helipad.

$500 million: Andrey Melnichenko also owns Sailing Yacht A, which has an underwater viewing pod.

Source: CNN Money 

Source: Boat International 

$560 million: Mohammed bin Salman, the deputy crown prince of Saudi Arabia, owns this 440-foot yacht dubbed the Serene. At $560 million, it has 15 rooms, a club, multiple swimming pools, a spa, a gym, and two hot tubs.

Source: New York Times

Source: The Observer

$590 million: Entertainment mogul David Geffen owns this 454-foot superyacht know as the Rising Sun, complete with a basketball court and space for 18 overnight guests. In April 2017, Geffen hosted the Obama family on his yacht.

Source: Business Insider

$600 million: The Azzam yacht is the world's biggest private superyacht, and is rumored to have a submarine with a missile defense system. It is speculated to be owned by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates.

Source: CNN

$600 million: Russian billionaire Roman Abramovitch's yacht, dubbed the "Eclipse" is estimated to be anywhere from $600 million to $1.5 billion. The superyacht features several helipads, more than 20 guest cabins, two swimming pools, a sauna, and several hot tubs.

$4.8 billion: The History Supreme is made from solid gold and is the most expensive yacht in the world. It reportedly sold to a Malaysian businessman in 2011.

• Main content

The global authority in superyachting

• NEWSLETTERS
• Yachts Home
• The Superyacht Directory
• Yacht Reports
• Brokerage News
• The largest yachts in the world
• The Register
• Yacht Advice
• Yacht Design
• 12m to 24m yachts
• Monaco Yacht Show
• Builder Directory
• Designer Directory
• Interior Design Directory
• Naval Architect Directory
• Yachts for sale home
• Motor yachts
• Sailing yachts
• Explorer yachts
• Classic yachts
• Sale Broker Directory
• Charter Home
• Yachts for Charter
• Charter Destinations
• Charter Broker Directory
• Destinations Home
• Mediterranean
• South Pacific
• Rest of the World
• Boat Life Home
• Owners' Experiences
• Interiors Suppliers
• Owners' Club
• Captains' Club
• BOAT Showcase
• Boat Presents
• Events Home
• World Superyacht Awards
• Superyacht Design Festival
• Design and Innovation Awards
• Young Designer of the Year Award
• Artistry and Craft Awards
• Explorer Yachts Summit
• Ocean Talks
• The Ocean Awards
• BOAT Connect
• Between the bays
• Golf Invitational
• Boat Pro Home
• Pricing Plan
• Superyacht Insight
• Product Features
• Premium Content
• Testimonials
• Global Order Book
• Tenders & Equipment

The superyachts owned by tech moguls

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is set to join the exclusive club of yacht-owning tech tycoons as the rumoured owner of Oceanco's mighty 127m sailing yacht . Though it should come as no surprise - other big names in tech such as the late Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison and Paul Allen have been responsible for some of the biggest and most ground-breaking superyachts in the world...

The 127-metre Oceanco sailing yacht Koru, formerly Y721, was launched and reportedly delivered to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in April 2023. This three-masted schooner, meaning “new beginnings” in Maori, with an expected 33000 GT and a steel hull and aluminium superstructure, is the largest in the world and the longest built in the Netherlands at Oceanco. Knocking Lürssen's Eos , owned by Biller and Diane von Furstenburg, off the top spot, Koru harnesses design similarities with her black hull, white superstructure and classic lines. However, the intricate gold paintwork, scarlet bootstrap and elaborate figurehead on the bow particularly set her apart.

Larry Ellison

American business magnate Larry Ellison is the co-founder of the billion-dollar computer tech corporation Oracle. In 2004, he commissioned the 138-metre Lürssen superyacht Rising Sun (pictured), which stands today as the 15th largest yacht in the world. It was also the last yacht that ever came from the drawing boards of legendary designed Jon Bannenberg, sporting a military-esque profile with a lean destroyer-type hull and extensive use of structural glass . Rising Sun boasts 8,000m² of living space including a wine cellar and basketball court, with a crew of 45. One of her tenders, a catamaran, even carries the yacht’s 4x4 vehicle ashore. 

Ellison later sold the yacht to media mogul David Geffen and has since hosted a parade of Hollywood's glitterati on board including Leonardo DiCaprio, Steven Spielberg, Bruce Springsteen and Oprah Winfrey – to name a few. 

In 2011, Ellison appeared to downsize and took delivery of the 88-metre Feadship Musashi . Not unlike Rising Sun in its appearance, structural glass features heavily throughout with a central glass lift, surrounded by a stainless steel and glass staircase that passes through every deck.

More about this yacht

The late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is responsible for two of the most iconic superyachts in the world. At 126-metres in length, Octopus is perhaps his most famous. Built by Lürssen in 2003, this ice-classed superyacht was designed for extended cruising to the most remote locations on earth with a range of 12,500 nautical miles. Home to a helicopter garage, drive-in tender garage, six tenders, and a submarine, she packs a serious punch within her 9,932GT – not to mention the cinema, swimming pool, recording studio, basketball court and spa. At the end of 2019, she joined the market for the very first time , having completed an eight-month refit at Blohm+Voss, and remains the benchmark for exploration yachting.

Tatoosh is another honourable mention and was built by German shipyard Nobiskrug in 2000, three years prior to the delivery of Octopus . At 92-metres, she's smaller than her successor, but to describe Tatoosh as "small" would be a severe understatement. Highlights include a six-foot-deep swimming pool, a pair of helipads, a crew of 30, and a custom 12-metre Hinckley powerboat that she carries on her top deck. Tatoosh is also listed for sale following a refit earlier this year. 

Yachts for charter

The 78-metre Feadship Venus was built for the late Apple boss and founder Steve Jobs. Built under the codename Project Aqua, Venus was launched to international fanfare in 2012, heralded for its extensive use of glass and pared-back design courtesy of Philippe Starck . Innovative features include a false top deck that conceals the communication and television receivers from view and a passarelle that, when opened, looks like the charging port of an iPhone. Venus ’s interior details have been closely guarded since its launch. Sadly, Jobs died a year before the yacht was delivered.

Charles Simonyi

Charles Simonyi led the team that built the first edition of the Microsoft Office software suite and was rumoured to have previously owned Lürssen’s iconic 71-metre SKAT .  Nearly two decades after her launch in 2002, she joined the market for the first time and now Simonyi is thought to have upgraded to the 89-metre Lürssen Norn . Both yachts, penned by Espen Onion, share similar design features. Standout features include an alfresco cinema and adapted depth pool floor with dance floor. Norn was delivered in May 2023.

Sergey Brin

Google co-founder Sergey Brin reportedly owns the high-speed SilverYachts superyacht named Dragonfly , after Google’s once-secret project to launch a censored search engine in China. Delivered in 2009, the 73.3-metre Dragonfly was hailed as the fastest, most fuel-efficient long-range cruising superyacht on the water with a transatlantic range at 22 knots and a fuel consumption of only 360 litres per hour at 18 knots, extending her range to 4,500 nautical miles. Dragonfly is said to have a dance floor and open-air movie theatre on board. The vessel was applauded for its contribution to the disaster relief effort in Vanuatu after Hurricane Pam devastated the island in 2015. The crew reportedly moved 62 metric tons of freshwater ashore, treated over 250 patients, facilitated three medical evacuations, and built shelters in multiple villages and cleared numerous helicopter landing zones for ongoing support.

Google’s billionaire co-founder Larry Page purchased the 60-metre explorer yacht conversion Senses from a New Zealand businessman Sir Douglas Myers back in 2011. The globe-trotting superyacht features interiors by Philippe Starck and can accommodate a total of 12 guests on board, with primary guests reaping the benefits of the master suite's gyro-stabilised bed. Senses also houses an exceptional toy box with three high-speed tenders, six wave runners, a jet board and a JetLev. According to the New Zealand Herald, Senses is currently undergoing a refit in Whangārei, New Zealand, after being sold to an unknown buyer in 2020. 

Barry Diller

The world’s largest three-masted schooner – also the third largest sailing yacht in the world – is owned by fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg and her husband Barry Diller, chairman and senior executive of IAC/InterActiveCorp and Expedia Group. The 92.92-metre sailing yacht, named Eos , was built in Germany by Lürssen and delivered in 2006 with a trio of masts that stand 61-metres tall. The sailing yacht has hosted the couple's star-studded group of friends including Andy Cohen, Gayle King, Bradley Cooper, Harry Styles and Karlie Kloss. The interiors were designed by Francois Catroux, who Vanity Fair named as “the super-rich's favourite interior designer" in 2016.

Mark Zuckerburg

The 107-metre Kleven superyacht Andromeda was built for serial superyacht owner Graeme Hart and delivered under the name Ulysses . In 2017, a year after its launch, rumours began circulating that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg had purchased the rugged, six-deck explorer (although a Facebook spokesperson was quick to stamp out the rumours and released a statement denying the claims). Andromeda can carry 36 guests and is equipped with an impressive inventory of toys and tenders, including six motorbikes, two ATVs, a helicopter and an amphibious rib. Five years after her launch, Andromeda still ranks among the largest explorer yachts in the world . 

Eric Schmidt

The former Google ceo Eric Schmidt backed out of the purchase of the abandoned 81.3-metre Oceanco Alfa Nero but has been said to have moved onto become the new owner of a 95-metre Lürssen. Kismet was sold in September 2023 to the billionaire as part of one of the biggest brokerage deal of the year. With the details shrouded in secrecy the yacht is now aptly known as Whisper . Espen Onio was responsible for her iconic exterior while inside was thanks to  Reymond Langton , achieving the original brief from the previous commissioning owner Shahid Khan of “caviar and champagne.” Standout details include the hi-tech, art deco saloon, a private observation platform and the Persian-inspired spa area.

The co-founder and former ceo of WhatsApp, Jan Koum, has been rumoured to own the 99.9-metre Feadship , Moonrise. The yacht’s clean and strong lines, penned by Chris Bottoms from Studio de Voogt , won the highly competitive class of best displacement motor yachts above 3,000 GT in the World Superyacht Awards 2021. Features include the helicopter landing deck and modern interiors by Remi Tessier . Accommodation is for up to 16 guests, and there are 32 crew members onboard Moonrise to attend to the guests' every need. The Ukrainian-American mogul is also said to own the accompanying support vessel Nebula.

Evan Speigel

The Silicone Valley ceo, Snapchat founder Evan Spiegel has been reportedly said to own the 94.8-metre Feadship Bliss. Delivered in 2021 the motor yacht penned by Feadship's Studio De Voogt Naval Architects has most recently been spotted cruising Auckland in September 2023. Spiegel is rumoured to be Feadship's younger client. Bliss can accommodate up to 18 guests across nine staterooms; however little else is known about the 2983 GT yacht.

Sponsored listings

Find anything you save across the site in your account

To revisit this article, select My Account, then   View saved stories

Inside an $35 Million Art Deco Superyacht Reportedly Owned by a Prince

By Katherine McLaughlin

For $35 million, you can own a piece of royal history. This superyacht’s most recent owner, r eportedly the Crown Prince of Dubai , Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, recently listed the floating palace for sale through Worth Avenue Yachts . 

The ship has plenty of room for outdoor living.

Named Dubawi the vessel was built in 1989 by Cantiere Navale Ferrari. However, for the first half of its nautical life, it was used as a cruise ship. Once the current owner acquired it in 2009, the ship was renovated by Platinum Yachts into a private superyacht. Since undergoing a two-year, multimillion-dollar refit, the boat has notably only had one owner, a rare feature for a ship of this size and class. Because of this, few people other than those invited on board have been able to see the inside, making the boat one of the most private of its category. 

Geometric decor is present throughout the yacht. 

Sailing at more than 297 feet long, the massive vessel has 22 staterooms, can sleep 44 people, has a gross tonnage of 4,184, and a volume similar to that of 110-meter yacht. It’s tremendous size leaves plenty of room for luxurious amenities, including a nightclub with a lighted dance floor, a guest lounge, two salons, an elevator, a fountain, a swimming platform, a hospital room, and a private owner’s deck with 180-degree views and a jacuzzi. 

The fully equipped nightclub is on the lower deck. 

Though the yacht’s features are no doubt impressive, they’re not necessarily unusual for a vessel of this category. However, the Art Deco interior design and decor of the space, full of rich purples, blues, greens, and oranges, is something you don’t see everyday. In addition to the vibrant hues, the ship is also full of geometric patterns and stately furniture. 

Purple motifs, often associated with royalty, are common throughout the yacht. 

By Mayer Rus

By Charlotte Collins

The interiors were designed by Platinum Yacht’s in-house interior design team, who made use of a large selection of materials including marble, rare woods, mosaic tiling, and custom-made carpets.

The boat can sleep 44 people, and this dining area ensures there’s room for all of them to eat.

And if the yacht’s layout isn’t exactly what the new owner desires, there is plenty of square footage in both of the salons to rearrange the space to include new features like a game room or theater. Whether cosmetic upgrades happen or not, the ship underwent various maintenance checks before being put on the market to ensure it’s smooth sailing when handed over to the whoever acquires it next. 

The space is truly fit for royalty. 

By Katie Schultz

By Thea Glassman

By Joyce Chen

By Alexandra Owens

• Nautic Shows
• America’s Cup
• Classic Yachts
• Motor Yachts
• Sailing Yachts
• Superyachts
• Yachts News
• Destinations
• Yacht Clubs
• Boat Racing
• Meta Yachts

If this were a real James Bond scenario, it would be a darn good one. A James Bond-themed superyacht, aptly called 007 and restyled to resemble something the world-famous spy would sail, has been refloated, six full months after it was intentionally run aground.

On September 2, 2022, 007 ran aground off the coast of Greece, in Kolona Bay, some 15 meters (49.2 feet) from the beach. Initial reports said that some kind of navigation error had steered the vessel off course, so it hit rocks when it entered shallow waters. The hull was pierced and it started taking on water, so, to prevent it from sinking into deeper waters, the captain ran it aground.

After that, 007 tilted to the port side and eventually capsized, ending up on its side. It spent the next six months that way, with authorities seemingly in no rush to salvage it, though they did put up floating walls to keep pollution under control. As of this moment, the exact damages to the ecosystem are unknown.

On March 6, Greek authorities began the salvage operation, which concluded on March 22, with 007 refloated. If this happened in a James Bond movie, it would probably be the scene before the end credits, and Bond himself (Bond, James Bond) would make an appearance alongside the lady of the moment, and they would kiss as the camera would zoom out on the beautiful vessel, back in an upright position.

But this is no movie, and the situation continues to remain very strange, beyond the fact that authorities waited half a year to remove a vessel that posed a danger to the picturesque area.

By the looks of things, 007 has been abandoned by the owner, a millionaire businessman who was also the captain, amid claims that he deliberately ran it aground for other reasons than those having to do with the danger of sinking. One particular report, included in the second video available at the bottom of the page, says that he did it because the ship was no longer seaworthy and may have had severe balance issues brought on by repeated modifications to the hull.

Delivered in 2006 by Aegean Yachts as Royal Enterprise, 007 was initially a 32-meter (105-foot) that was modified extensively in subsequent refits. When it ran aground, it was 49 meters (160 feet) long and featured all the trappings of larger superyachts, including a touch-and-go helipad and an additional deck that wasn’t in the original design by Yavuz Mete.

According to the latest reports in the Greek media, the millionaire owner has been given one month to recover his superyacht, now that it’s been refloated, after which he will be liable to huge fines. Whether he’s actually coming back for it, after it spent half a year half-underwater, remains to be seen

RELATED ARTICLES

Sergei naumenko, owner of phi, unsuccessful in appeal against yacht’s detention, nancy walton’s $300 million megayacht ‘kaos’ seeks safe haven in monaco after vandalism threats, draft law proposes banning internal combustion charter boats in balearic islands from 2030, sanlorenzo to build the world’s first superyacht powered only by green methanol, self-sufficient superyacht with monster range saves the day, roman abramovich’s $600 million megayacht eclipse was quietly sold off.

Subscribe to our newsletter

To be updated with all the latest news, offers and special announcements.

LATEST ARTICLES

Rorc caribbean 600 winners rescued after yacht struck by lightning , vendée globe press release with reference to clarisse crémer’s rule 69.2 hearing, 2024 barcelona boat show is preparing a special edition within the framework of the america’s cup, resilient, determined armel le cléac’h takes third in the arkea ultim challenge-brest, kiwi cup cyclors do laps of the velodrome, editor picks, canadian beau lake introduces the tahoe ’14 and lugano ’14 electric runabouts, underwater adventure and exploration with deepflight’s super falcon 3s, driving performance on land and on water: 41′ amg carbon edition, popular posts, young designer of the year 2022: ioana valentina corcodel reveals 65m ophelia concept, mirabaud sailing video of the century: celebrating 2 decades of passion, superyacht the flying fox seized in the dominican republic, popular category.

• Regatta 797
• America's Cup 367
• Motor Yachts 258
• Boating 214
• Superyachts 180
• Sailing 175
• Yachts News 172
• Sailing Yachts 161

A billionaire ally of Roman Abramovich and a Russian owner of a brand new superyacht lost their appeals challenging the UK’s sanctions regime, bolstering the government’s pursuit of Russian assets.

Eugene Shvidler, who’s been described as Abramovich’s “right hand man,” lost his attempt to lift the asset freeze, in the first Court of Appeal decision on the strict measures imposed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

He argued he’s faced “serious hardships” after he saw his private jets impounded by the UK, and pushed back at suggestions he was a close confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Separately, Sergei Naumenko, a wealthy Russian property developer who isn’t sanctioned, lost his appeal over the detention of his superyacht in London’s Canary Wharf.

The rulings were handed down Tuesday against the backdrop of wider government discussions over the confiscation of around $300 billion of frozen assets held by the Russian central bank. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has  called  for Western nations to be more aggressive in seizing frozen Russian assets and passing the proceeds on to Ukraine to finance its defense.

“I would accept that these sanctions are both severe and open-ended,” Judge Rabinder Singh said in the ruling. “If sanctions are to be effective, a serious price has to be paid.”

In the UK, the government has so far won every court challenge made by sanctions targets. 

“I suspect there will be a few sighs of relief in Whitehall,” said David Savage, a lawyer at HFW. “The UK has cast a very wide net of sanctions and asset seizures, and the position of the courts has been that the importance of ending the turmoil in Ukraine outweighs any infringement of individual right.”

Shvidler had sought to argue that the-then Transport Secretary Grant Shapps pressured the Foreign Office to place restrictions on him. He’d said that the government rushed the sanctions out against him as Shapps’ officials worried that they would have to release his aircraft from a private airfield without the formal restrictions. 

The billionaire, who now lives in the US, plans to appeal the judges’ finding to the Supreme Court, according to his lawyers.

“The Court of Appeal has clearly given considerable deference to the government in matters of foreign policy. If it stands, it will make it virtually impossible for any person sanctioned by the UK Government to bring a successful legal challenge,” they said.

Meanwhile Shapps also faced criticism from the judge over his comments when the superyacht Phi was detained. He’d incorrectly accused Naumenko of being “connected with Putin,” a statement that “ought not to have been said,” the judge wrote.

“Today’s ruling, once again validates our decision to detain the Phi superyacht,” a spokesperson for the transport department said. “We’ll continue to act where necessary to crack down on those benefiting from Putin’s regime and their illegal war in Ukraine.”

Latest in Finance

• 0 minutes ago

Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Ozempic boom saved Denmark’s GDP from a no-growth 2023—and will help double its expected growth this year, country’s largest bank says

Volkswagen hit with 2 lawsuits claiming that a Porsche EV battery triggered the massive 2022 fire that sank a  cargo ship with thousands of cars on board

The chairwoman of Sweden’s biggest pension fund—which has a track record of awful investments—quits after just 1 week on the job

Swiss voters back boosting pensions—something they hadn’t done in 176 years—as high cost of living takes toll

Meet Europe’s answer to the ‘Magnificent 7’—the high-flying ‘Granolas’ that Goldman Sachs is betting will prosper in the continent’s flatlining economy

European inflation has now fallen from its 10.6% peak after the Russian invasion of Ukraine to just 2.6%

Most popular.

Taylor Swift reportedly got millions from Singapore to only perform there in Southeast Asia. Now Thai and Philippine politicians are hitting back

Polestar CEO says rivals like Mercedes, Ford, and Aston Martin that are delaying EV production to wait for consumers to catch up are falling into ‘an incredible trap’

Gen Z and millennials aren’t buying lab-grown diamonds because they’re ‘sustainable’ says Pandora CEO, they only care about price and design

Hotshot Wharton professor sees $34 trillion debt triggering 2025 meltdown as mortgage rates spike above 7%: ‘It could derail the next administration’

Chinese retailers like Shein have offered Americans deep bargains on clothes for years—but that could soon change

New ruling in SEC’s Coinbase insider trading lawsuit comes as a blow to the crypto industry as judge finds secondary token sales were securities

Financial Reporting and Analysis Software

• Our products:
• Financial Analysis
• Reporting Tool
• US Industry Benchmarking
• Russian Entites Profiles

Russian Company OOO "SPEKTRUM"

Brief profile.

active Commercial

Facts to Consider

The organization specified as its auditor a firm that is not listed in the audit registry.

The founder of the organization has changed.

A significant amount of the taxes paid (290 mln. RUB.).

The company has been in business for 13 years.

show 1 more positive fact

Complete Profile

• 1. General Information
• 2. Registration in the Russian Federation
• 3. Company's Activities
• 4. Legal Address
• 5. Owners, Founders of the Entity
• 6. OOO "SPEKTRUM" CEO
• 7. Entities Founded by Company
• 8. Number of Employees
• 9. Company Finance
• 10. Entities related to OOO "SPEKTRUM"
• 11. Timeline of key events
• 12. Latest Changes in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities (USRLE)

General Information

Full name of the organization: OBSHCHESTVO S OGRANICHENNOI OTVETSTVENNOSTIU "SPEKTRUM"

TIN: 5053068643

KPP: 505301001

PSRN: 1105053000656

Location: 144010, Moscow Oblast, Elektrostal, ul. Ialagina, 3, pomeshcheniia 10-14,16,17

Line of business: Wholesale of metals and metal ores (OKVED code 46.72)

Organization status: Commercial, active

Form of incorporation: Limited liability companies (code 12300 according to OKOPF)

Registration in the Russian Federation

The tax authority where the legal entity is registered: Mezhraionnaia inspektsiia Federalnoi nalogovoi sluzhby №6 po Moskovskoi oblasti (inspection code – 5031). The tax authority before 08/23/2021 – Inspektsiia Federalnoi nalogovoi sluzhby po g.Elektrostali Moskovskoi oblasti (code 5053).

Registration with the Pension Fund: registration number 060055017323 dated 29 March 2010.

Registration with the Social Insurance Fund: registration number 501900550750191 dated 6 April 2010.

Company's Activities

The main activity of the organization is Wholesale of metals and metal ores (OKVED code 46.72).

Additionally, the organization listed the following activities:

Legal Address

OOO "SPEKTRUM" is registered at 144010, Moscow Oblast, Elektrostal, ul. Ialagina, 3, pomeshcheniia 10-14,16,17. ( show on a map )

Before 07/31/2019 the organization was located at .

No other organizations are listed at the current registered address.

Owners, Founders of the Entity

The founder of OOO "SPEKTRUM" is

The former founder was:

The legal predecessor of OOO "SPEKTRUM": OOO "SMP" (liquidated 05/25/2021)

OOO "SPEKTRUM" CEO

The head of the organization (a person who has the right to act on behalf of a legal entity without a power of attorney) since 26 January 2024 is general manager Kulikov Andrei Alekseevich (TIN: 503102732002).

Also Kulikov Andrei Alekseevich is a founder of 2 organizations:

• OOO TPK "SATURN"
• OOO "METALL PROEKT SERVIS"
• (general manager from 05/10/2018 until 01/26/2024 * )
• (general manager from 03/25/2010 until 05/10/2018 * )

Entities Founded by Company

OOO "SPEKTRUM" is not listed as a founder in any Russian legal entities.

Number of Employees

In 2022, the average number of employees of OOO "SPEKTRUM" was 15 people. This is 2 people less than in 2021.

Company Finance

The Authorized capital of OOO "SPEKTRUM" is 5 million RUB. This is significantly higher than the minimum authorized capital established by law for LTD (10 thousand RUB).

In 2022, the organization received the revenue of 3.9 billion RUB, which is 570 million RUB, or by 16.9 %, more than a year ago.

As of December 31, 2022, the organization's total assets were 2 billion RUB This is 55.9 million RUB (by 2.7 %) less than a year earlier.

The net assets of OOO "SPEKTRUM" as of 12/31/2022 totaled 414 million RUB.

The OOO "SPEKTRUM"’s operation in 2022 resulted in the profit of 187 million RUB. This is by 10.8 % less than in 2021.

The organization is not subject to special taxation regimes (operates under a common regime).

Information about the taxes and fees paid by the organization for 2022

The organization had no tax arrears as of 11/10/2023.

Entities related to OOO "SPEKTRUM"

Based on the data from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, the following legal entities and people are directly or indirectly related to the organization.

Timeline of key events

• The new founder – Kulikov Andrei Alekseevich .
• is no longer listed as the founder in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities.

Latest Changes in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities (USRLE)

• 01/26/2024 . Change of information about a legal entity contained in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities.
• 12/29/2023 . Change of information about a legal entity contained in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities.
• 01/26/2023 . Change of information about a legal entity contained in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities.
• 08/23/2021 . Entering information about accounting with the tax authority.
• 05/25/2021 . Reorganization of a legal entity in the form of a merger with another legal entity.
• 11/25/2020 . Entering information about the beginning of the reorganization of another legal entity in the form of joining another legal entity.
• 07/31/2019 . State registration of changes made to the constituent documents of a legal entity related to changes in information about a legal entity contained in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, based on an application.
• 05/10/2018 . Change of information about a legal entity contained in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities.
• 12/26/2016 . Change of information about a legal entity contained in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities.
• 12/24/2012 . State registration of changes made to the constituent documents of a legal entity related to changes in information about a legal entity contained in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, based on an application.

* The date of change in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities is shown (may be different from the actual date).

The data presented on this page have been obtained from official sources: the Unified State Register of Legal Entities (USRLE), the State Information Resource for Financial Statements, the website of the Federal Tax Service (FTS), the Ministry of Finance and the Federal State Statistics Service.

Start free Ready Ratios financial analysis now!

No registration required! But once registered , additional features are available.

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy

Login to Ready Ratios

If you have a Facebook or Twitter account, you can use it to log in to ReadyRatios:

Have you forgotten your password?

Are you a new user ?

Russia's newest robber barons are taking luxury to next level

MOSCOW — The billboard appears at mile 3 of the post-Soviet boulevard of big-ticket dreams that is the Rublyovka Highway. "Any house," the sign by a prestigious homebuilder proclaims. "Helicopter as a bonus."

Only in the millionaires' suburb of Rublyovka are houses so pricey that a helicopter is thrown in like a carpet upgrade.

How elite is Rublyovka? So tony that real-estate prices have streaked skyward even on Kutuzovsky Prospekt, the "Rublyovka adjacent" avenue in northwest Moscow — presumably because people who drive along it, as almost anyone who is anyone in Russia does, are probably on their way to Rublyovka.

The Rublyovka Highway shuts down twice each day as President Vladimir Putin is chauffeured between work and his Rublyovka estate in his black Mercedes 600 Pullman, prompting an elite traffic jam that locals love to fume about to acquaintances consigned to lesser bottlenecks.

Russians throughout history have lived large, from the gilded palaces and Fabergé eggs of the czars to the epic miseries of World War II.

Today's prosperity is no exception. Fourteen years after the arrival of capitalism, Forbes magazine's annual survey of the wealthy last year found Moscow with more billionaires than any other city on Earth. (But a new survey shows the city dipping slightly below New York, thanks to the Yukos Oil prosecution's disastrous effect on the company's stock.)

Crass consumerism gone

The net worth of the nation's 36 richest men and women, according to Forbes' calculations, is more than $110 billion, equal to 24 percent of the nation's gross domestic product.

In some cases, the new "new Russians" are the same businesspeople who got rich in the shady privatizations of the 1990s. Now, most have reached their late 30s and 40s, and they've moved their businesses toward legitimate operations. They own oil companies and huge metal mining operations, cellphone companies and real-estate development enterprises.

And after more than a decade of traveling among Paris, London, New York and Moscow, they have begun to expect at home — in districts such as Rublyovka and a growing number of other high-end Moscow neighborhoods — the kind of amenities they have long enjoyed abroad.

Rublyovka, once the exclusive retreat of Joseph Stalin, Leonid Brezhnev and other Soviet leaders, has become the subject of a best-selling new novel, "Casual," the first-ever portrayal of the privileged lifestyle behind its towering, closely guarded walls.

Lots in the community are being snatched at the equivalent of $5 million apiece, and miles of forest are falling under the bulldozers to make way for $10 million homes, some with elaborate turrets, Russian Empire facade styling, private chapels and, in one case, a motorboat grotto. But the trail of Russia's millionaires doesn't end there.

Crocus City, on the north side of Moscow, bills itself as the largest luxury mall in the world — and that's before construction begins on an expansion that will double the size of the shopping center and include 15 high-rise office buildings, a yacht mooring terminal, helipad, 1,000-room hotel, 216,000-square-foot casino and 16-screen movie theater.

Meanwhile, Gucci, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada and Armani are ensconced fewer than 10 miles away, in a cobblestone nook off fashionable Tverskaya Street downtown. They are within walking distance of an array of high-end clubs and restaurants distinguished mainly by the scowling bodyguards standing beside cars with tinted windows outside and the jewel-and-mink-draped beauties inside — often until 5 or 6 in the morning.

Café Galleria, this year's hot spot, requires a weeklong wait for reservations to dine in its sleek, yellow-and-black-columned halls. Even then, it won't admit those who might "spoil the atmosphere," as owner Arkady Novikov puts it.

California rolls — in a city suddenly mad for sushi, not a single fashionable restaurant can afford to be without it — go for $17 each. A hunk of creamy burrata cheese with cherry tomatoes costs $24. "Practically every restaurant in Moscow has to have this cheese now. Russians can't live without it," Novikov says of the coveted mozzarella, which must be flown in fresh from Italy.

Novikov owns a network of eateries that have at one time or another been at the center of Moscow's social beehive, including the tiny but tony Vogue Cafe downtown and the popular Czar's Hunt and Veranda u Dachi restaurants in Rublyovka. He operates 15 acres of greenhouses outside the city to keep his clients in arugula and wild strawberries throughout the Russian winter.

"People are becoming more sophisticated," he says. "The attitude of people with money had changed toward many things, first of all toward the money itself. Now the money is no longer falling on your head from the sky, like before, and the culture of the people has changed for the better.

"We learned a lot of things from the West, including how to dress, how to behave and how to eat."

Poor little rich girl

Ksenia Sobchak, Russia's 23-year-old answer to Paris Hilton, grew up far from underprivileged circumstances — her father was mayor of St. Petersburg — but insists she's no spoiled debutante.

"Me myself, I never considered myself to be rich, though I get a real big salary. So how did I get this image of this golden rich girl?" wonders Sobchak, who hosts a reality television show and lives with her millionaire fiancé in an apartment on Tverskaya Street.

Then she answers her own question: "I really am a socialite. I don't like to spend time at home in a cozy armchair. I really enjoy going to cinemas, visiting friends, going to restaurants. For me, Moscow is the best city in the world. If you want to have fun for 24 hours, you can have fun."

This summer, Sobchak is preparing for the "it" marriage of the season, to Russian-American businessman Alexander Shustorovich, a Harvard graduate who helped broker a $2 billion business deal when he was 30. Sobchak is planning a "simple" and "nice" wedding, at a resort near St. Petersburg, for 300 people.

Today's wealthy Russians, she says, are sensitive to the issues that have sent thousands of pensioners into the streets to protest the partial loss of their benefits. There are 25 million Russians who live on less than $87 a month, and the average monthly wage is less than $240. Many of the well-to-do, the young celebrity says, remember what it's like to have nothing.

"I was a Pioneer," Sobchak recalls, referring to the old Communist youth groups. "I remember the songs about Lenin. I remember those huge lines. I remember buying kilos of green bananas and putting them under the bed to ripen, because you didn't know when you'd be able to get bananas again."

Russia's wealthiest classes, says Eduard Dorozhkin, editor of Rublyovka's local newspaper, Na Rublyovkye, "know they made mistakes in the past, and their mistake was to show how rich they are. It's impolite to look rich in a country with so many poor people."

At the same time, many say, the memory of penury is what inspires an abundance of wealthy Russians to spend with abandon.

"If Americans have $1 million, they're not going to spend $200,000 on a car," said Alla Verber, vice president of Mercury Ltd., which operates luxury shopping centers in downtown Moscow. "The Russians, they will. The Russians think, 'You only live once, and God knows what's going to happen in five years.' "

These days, though, most ostentation is anonymous — a phenomenon attributable as much to nervousness about government tax crackdowns and the ever-present possibility of Mafia violence as to a lingering sense from the Soviet years that being splendidly rich is anything but politically correct.

The city's many Humvees and their even-more-fortified Russian equivalent, the $144,000 Kombat, have tinted windows. Neighbors often have no idea who lives in the gated palace at the end of their street. The magazine Arkhidom, Russia's equivalent of Architectural Digest, features glossy pages of ornately decorated mansions and penthouse apartments but not a word about who owns them.

Oksana Robski's "Casual," which sold 50,000 copies in the first 10 days after publication, provided ordinary Muscovites with another peek at life in Rublyovka, which even in the Soviet era was the storied enclave of Politburo members, nuclear scientists and presidents. Today, former Presidents Boris Yeltsin and Mikhail Gorbachev have homes there; so does Nobel Prize-winning author Alexander Solzhenitsyn.

The world Robski portrays, however, is mostly about Rublyovka wives: the thin, carefully coiffed, Dior-clad women who were lucky enough to snag a business mogul, then spend much of the rest of their lives plotting to keep from being dumped for a younger woman.

"These women in the book, they exist," says Roman Kondratov, a stylist at the Place in the Sun hair salon in Zhukovka, one of several elite neighborhoods that make up the district known as Rublyovka.

He says, "Let's see. The typical Zhukovka woman: First, she gets up at 2 p.m. Then gym, spa, hair. They come in here and some of them look like Christmas trees, jewels everywhere. And the things they talk about, they're mind-boggling for me.

"Where they're going on vacation. What they're going to buy. Mostly, they think about clothes. What they're wearing, what their friends are wearing, where they're going to buy the clothes they want, where they're going to fly to buy them. The kind of money they talk about spending is almost incomprehensible to me. And plastic surgery, endless talk about plastic surgery. Most of them go to the States, to the guy who did all Michael Jackson's work."

"It was important for me to portray this world not as it is reflected in tabloids and magazines. It's interesting to show that these people not only go to hairdressers and get manicures, but they live there," says Robski. "They live their lives and lose their loved ones and die of incurable diseases. They fall in love and get betrayed. I think it's stupid to say that only those people who possess nothing have feelings inside."

Robski knew whereof she wrote when her heroine's husband was killed in a contract hit. Her second husband died the same way.

Her next book will deal with Rublyovka as well, but it will take readers far into the world beyond it. Robski plans to write about the female bodyguard agency she once ran, providing stylish armed protectors to wealthy businessmen throughout Russia.

Indeed, for a growing number of wealthy Russians, even Rublyovka is too confining — especially now, when tawdry new dachas are lined up on the roadside and Putin's traffic jams are simply impossible.

UFI approval for Moscow Boat Show

• Inspiration

Related News

Popular news this week, popular news this month, latest news.

• Yacht Charter & Superyacht News >

Written by Zuzana Bednarova

September 17 was marked by meeting of the UFI Executive Committee. During the event, the Committe approved the admission of Crocus Expo IEC as a full member of UFI in categories of “Exhibition Organizers” and “Exhibition Centres. Moscow Boat Show has been granted the status of “UFI Approved Event”.

Moscow Boat Show

UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry is the association of trade show organizers, fairground owners, national and international associations of the exhibition industry, and its partners. As of 2012, it has 608 members in 224 cities from 86 countries covering 6 continents. The association members are responsible for the management and operation of over 4 500 profile events. The association represents more than 1 000 000 of exhibitors and more than 150 000 000 visitors.

The Crocus Expo Exhibition Centre is a listed member of the International Association of Congress Centres (AIPC), the Russian Union of Exhibitions and Fairs, the Guild of Exhibition and Fair Operators by the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Donald Tramp fund has awarded Crocus Expo IEC Diamond Excellence Award.

Crocus Expo IEC is an ideal venue for running of large international and national exhibitions of different profile including congress events, conferences and scientific symposiums.About 50% of all exhibition events of Moscow take place in Crocus Expo and average exposition space load comprises 85%.

Moscow Boat Show provides the perfect platform from which to preview new products, evaluate market trends, and establish long-lasting and commercially profitable partnerships. Despite the dynamic changes taking place in Russia and the rapid growth of the yachting sector, the show continues to complement and reflect the industry’s demand and is a promotional opportunity not to be missed!

The exposition space will increase up to 45 000 sq m in 2013. More than 350 Russian and foreign companies will participate in the show. The scale of the project confirms confident positions of its positive development.

Moscow Boat Show is the largest project in Russia presenting all the best in the world of yachting. The exhibition annually shows high level of attendance and has already proved as significant and noteworthy event in the world of yachts and boats.

Please contact CharterWorld - the luxury yacht charter specialist - for more on superyacht news item "UFI approval for Moscow Boat Show".

• Charity & Fund Raising
• CharterWorld News
• Classic Yachts
• Coronavirus
• Cruise Ship
• Ecological Yachts
• Expedition Yachts
• Expert Broker Advice
• Feature Superyachts
• Interior Design
• Legal & VAT Yacht Issues
• Luxury Catamarans
• Luxury Gulet
• Luxury Phinisi
• Luxury Trimarans
• Luxury Yacht Design
• Luxury Yachts
• Marinas & Harbours
• Marine Ecology
• Marine Electronics
• Marine Equipment
• Mega Yachts
• Modern Yachts
• Motor Yachts
• New Launch Yachts
• New To Charter
• Open Style Sports Yachts
• Private Jets
• Sailing Yachts
• Social Media
• Sports Yachts
• Superyacht Crew
• Superyacht Photographers
• Superyacht Products & Supplies
• Superyacht Refits
• Superyacht Reviews
• Superyachts
• Uncategorized
• Yacht Builders
• Yacht Charter
• Yacht Charter Destinations
• Yacht Charter Picks
• Yacht Charter Specials
• Yacht Delivered to Owner
• Yacht Designers
• Yacht Events & Boat Shows
• Yacht Fashion
• Yacht Industry News
• Yacht Photos
• Yacht Racing
• Yacht Racing & Regattas
• Yacht Safety Equipment
• Yacht Support Vessels
• Yacht Tenders
• Yacht Videos
• Yachting Associations
• Yachting Awards
• Yachting Business
• Yachts For Charter
• Yachts For Sale

Quick Enquiry

Superyacht news:.

Email Your Yachting News to: news @ charterworld.com

Luxury Yachts At Events

The Caribbean

The Mediterranean

Ferretti Group announces its presence at Moscow Boat Show 2013

Dates for the 6th International exhibition of boats and yachts Moscow Boat Show 2013 revealed

VIP Mega-Yacht Destination Flisvos Marina to participate in Moscow Boat Show 2013

Official Opening of Moscow Boat Show 2013 on March 12

Discover our Top 10 brand new yachts available for charter worldwide this year

Heesen announce the sale of 50m superyacht PROJECT JADE (ex. YN20350)

30m sailing yacht ONYX: Experience luxury and adventure on board this Nautor Swan classic

Take advantage of the exceptional 15% discount by 44m charter yacht BLISS in Greece

Discover summer in New England aboard a luxury charter yacht: Escape to this beautiful northeast corner of the USA

49m sailing yacht ANIMA MARIS is offering discounted rates for the remaining summer weeks in Croatia

Last minute yacht charter deals in the Bahamas

55m superyacht IRIS BLUE is delivered to her owners – the first deliver of 2024 for Heesen

65m Feadship superyacht PROMISE.D delivered

Looking ahead to the 2024 MYBA Charter Show in Genoa

42m luxury explorer yacht KASIF showcases her Hot Lab designed interiors

Ground-breaking 52m sportfisher motor yacht PROJECT 406 prepares for launch