Russion billionaire, Chelsea Football Club owner, and the world's 15th richest person -- Roman Abramovich (who's net value is estimated at US$23.5 billion) -- has decided to add another luxury yacht to his 5-yacht "navy".

Called the "Eclipse", the yacht will built at a cost of around US$345 million. It will be 550-feet long (half the size of World War II battleship Bismarck), making it the largest private yacht ever built.

Of course, a man with such wealth and a super-yacht cannot sail anywhere without top-rated protection. Pirates are hiding in international waters: in August pirates raided a luxury yacht in the Mediterranean, and in September Somali pirates seized a Ukranian ship and demanded a US$35 million ransom. According to the International Maritime Bureau, last year, pirates attacked 269 vessels, took nearly 300 hostages and killed five people.

The boat will have bullet-proof windows, armor plating on the bridge and around the 41-year-old Russian tycoon's cabin, radar equipment designed to give warnings of incoming missiles, anti-bugging equipment, and 70 crew members that include former SAS and Special Boat Service personnel. Should his yacht be attacked, he can escape in a yellow submarine that can dive up to 160 feet. The rest of the information on the boat is a secret. All pretty James Bond, eh?

Filed under: Russian Federation, Transportation