A Look Into Roman Abramovich And His NEW Superyacht SOLARIS
Being incredibly rich means you can afford some things that would sound straight-up
impossible to an ordinary person. Like how British Billionaire Richard Branson bought
a couple of islands for himself or how Greek multi-millionaire Onassis purchased an island
and a mountain for John Kennedy's wife. Yes, when the rich don't know what to spend
their money on, they often just go bigger. A bigger house, a bigger plane, A bigger Yacht?
The Russian billionaire, Roman Abramovich, is one of the most famous soviet Billionaires,
even though he is not the richest. One of the reasons for this is his total lack of
fear when spending his hard-earned money. According to Forbes, Abramovich is worth $14.5
billion, but the Bloomberg index puts his wealth at around $16 billion.
And while finance and media companies have been bickering over his worth, the billionaire has
stunned the world and acquired a Super Yacht named Solaris that would make even the most avid Yacht
owner blush red. This is not the first yacht he has owned, and this might not likely be the last,
but, right now, it is the most special vessel on the seas, and we will get
into why in a second. But first, you must understand who we are dealing with here.
Before we dive in, if you are new around here, subscribe to our channel to never miss out on
our future videos! Let's begin...
Before Roman Abramovich acquired his billions and started buying everything from football
clubs to Superyachts, he was born poor to a Russian Jewish family in the economic
council of the Autonomous Republic of Komi. By the age of 4, Roman Abramovich had lost both
his parents and was an orphan, but he grew a determined mindset as a child,
and he turned out to be a shrewd businessman. In the start, Abramovich dabbled and struggled.
He was initially a street trader before he became a mechanic.
After a while, he started selling imported rubber from his apartment in Moscow.
The next couple of years turned into quite the adventure for Roman Abramovich. At some point, he
decided to pursue formal education, and he studied at Gubkin Institute of Oil and Gas in Moscow.
After that, he traded commodities for a Swiss trading firm called Rubicom,
legitimized his old business then started a Doll manufacturing company with his first wife.
Before we continue, you should know that Abramovich has been married three times,
all of those ended up in divorce, and he has seven children. He divorced his 3rd wife in 2017,
divorced the second one in 2007, and had a wife at some time between 1989 to 1990 that
no one knows anything about. That was the wife he started the doll manufacturing business with,
and this was years before he became the billionaire that we know today.
In the '90s, Abramovich began to get very ambitious, and his wealth grew exponentially.
He diversified and began to sell everything from oil and timber to livestock and foodstuff.
As the Soviet Union fell in 1991, Abramovich began making
his billions by selling state-owned assets. In 2003, he sold a 26% stake of Russian airline
company Aeroflot to the National Reserve Bank. In 2005, he sold his 70% stake in Russian oil company
Sibneft for almost $10 billion. He also offloaded his aluminum assets for more than $2 billion.
Today, Abramovich owns the largest share of Evraz, Russia's second-biggest steelmaker. Abramovich
also owns stakes in the world's largest refined nickel producer,
Norilsk Nickel .
With his wealth solidified as one of the richest men on earth,
Abramovich found himself in two worlds; sports and politics. In 2000, Abramovich became governor
of the Chukotka region in Russia, and he stayed in office until 2008. During his time there,
he invested over US$1.3 billion in that region. In 2003, he bought Chelsea Football Club,
the London-based team, from Ken Bates for a complete bargain, the ultra-low sum of $233
million, and brought the club to the level of importance and fame it has achieved today.
I know $233 Million might be a lot of money but not for one of the best clubs in all of England,
although I must say 2003 was almost 20 years ago, and times were different. Chelsea is now
one of the most profitable football teams in the world, valued at $2.6 billion in 2019.
Apart from football clubs, Abramovich also lavished millions of dollars on luxury houses
around the world. He bought a $118.4 million home in Kensington Palace Gardens in London,
an area nicknamed "Billionaires' Row." In New York City, he owns millions of dollars
worth in real estate. He paid $96 million for four townhouses on New York City's Upper East Side,
which he planned to turn into one megamansion. However, his 3rd wife got the house as part
of the divorce settlement. On the French Riviera, Abramovich also poured in millions
to acquire a stunning home in the Antibes. He acquired a gorgeous mansion in 2021 called
Chateau de la Croe that overlooks the Mediterranean Sea, which was once a summer
retreat for the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. After acquiring it, Abramovich spent over $40 million
renovating it to his specified taste. And the Caribbean. I mean, are you really
a billionaire if you don't have real estate in the Caribbean?
Abramovich handpicked a Caribbean island called St. Barts that he chose to dominate by acquiring
a $90 million 70-acre real estate. Now, having conquered the land,
Abramovich felt that it would only be fitting to take over the sea too.
In true Russian Billionaire fashion, Abramovich has acquired 7 Superyachts in his lifetime, and he
hasn't shown any signs that he intends to stop. His first move in the exclusive Yacht-owning
community began in 2004 when he spent hundreds of millions of dollars to acquire
the SuperYacht Pelorus, which was the 11th largest yacht in the world at the time.
He would eventually lose that yacht to his ex-wife Irina as part of the divorce settlement,
which she decided to sell for $300 million. Abramovich's second was acquired in 2010,
a massive 533 feet long yacht called Eclipse that was the world's largest yacht at that
time before the 590-foot Azzam overtook it in 2013. This yacht continues to hold
the title for the most expensive superyacht at a whopping $1.5 Billion. And Abramovich
still owns it at the time of this video. The Eclipse has two helicopter pads, cabins that
can host as many as 24 guests, two swimming pools, a disco ball, and a missile detection system.
If you're asking why his yacht has a missile detection system, just remember that somebody
of this caliber could be easily targeted. All in all, Eclipse required around 70 staff
members to operate and cater to its guests. While Abramovich has been known to go for only the
most luxurious yachts, it seems none of them come remotely close to this latest acquisition.
Much secrecy goes into manufacturing a Superyacht, and most times, no one knows who owns what yacht
until we see the billionaires lounging under the sun on the top deck. With the Solaris,
it was almost impossible to keep this massive vessel and its owner a secret.
When photographs of a 455-foot-long explorer superyacht undergoing sea
trials in the North sea were leaked, it went viral all over the internet worldwide.
Unsurprisingly, everyone finally got to know Abramovich owned it,
and it was said to be smaller, less expensive than his other Yachts. However, what it loses in size,
it covers in technology, and SOLARIS is the world's most technologically advanced and
one of the most expensive custom yacht s ever to be created. This fantastic
superyacht costs a jaw-dropping $600 Million, making it the second most expensive superyacht
out there, tied with the unique vessel "Azzam," the largest one to date.
If you want to see the complete list of the most expensive superyacht
s out there, make sure to watch our video on the World's Most Expensive Superyachts at the end of
this video, you will be amazed. Back to Solaris.
The vessel is around 460 feet long and has 48 cabins across eight decks. It
can accommodate a crew of 60 staff members and has space for 36 guests. Yes, this yacht also
comes with a missile detection system that is radar-controlled. It has bulletproof windows,
armored protection and has been touted as one of the safest vessels in the world.
Of course, Abramovich and his guests have excellent amenities which they can enjoy,
like a state-of-the-art gym, Sauna, Jacuzzi, and beauty salon for leisure. But, That's not all.
There is also a nightclub and wait for it... 'an outdoor beach club' on its upper deck. If you
are confused and wondering what that even means, then don't worry because I've got you covered.
The Beach club is usually on superyachts. The space at the aft of the vessel is dedicated to
a stylish lounge area and swim platform, creating additional space for effortless
indoor-outdoor living and entertaining. And Solaris has JUST THAT. Here Abramovich and his
guests are sure to have a fabulous and relaxing time while exploring the east Mediterranean,
where it spends most of the time. To crown it off, the yacht also has a
fleet of jet skis and its own helipad. This monument to luxury was created by a
German Shipyard called Lloyd Werft and is still undergoing sea trials from Barcelona
to Cape D'Ail. But it should be officially delivered later this 2021. Abramovich has
been known to use his other Yacht, Eclipse, for traveling anytime he wants to be sea-bound.
Still, we can only imagine the excitement the Russian billionaire is holding back
as he waits to launch his latest expensive toy. There you have it, guys, a look into Roman
Abramovich's life and his SuperYacht Solaris, which will soon be sea bound and oppressing the
high waters, but before that happens, why don't you tell us what you think about it in the comment
section. Are Superyachts excessive, and if you were a billionaire like Roman Abramovich, would
you buy one of these? We would love to know. Also, don't forget to like this video, subscribe,
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Stay wealthy, and I'll see you in the next video.