10 of the world’s most expensive superyachts and their owners
Billionaires and industry magnates are known to splash their cash on huge, lavish superyachts -- as status symbols, to entertain fellow moguls and to cruise the world in privacy. Russian Roman Abramovich (center) used his previous superyacht Pelorus as a base during the Euro 2004 soccer tournament in Portugal. Here are 10 of today's world's most expensive superyachts and the identity of their uber-rich owners.
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Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen built Octopus in 2003 for a reported $200 million. Allen regularly lends the ship to exploration and scientific research projects and for rescue missions.
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Lady Moura, owned by Saudi Arabian businessman Nasser Al-Rashid, sparked a beach pollution alert at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007 after colliding with rocks as it was navigating a short distance offshore.
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The 133-meter yacht Al Mirqab -- owned by Qatar's former prime minister Hamad Bin Jassim Al Thani -- was built in 2008 and contains a movie theater, indoor swimming pool and helipad.
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Considered the world's largest yacht by overall size, Dilbar is owned by Arsenal major shareholder Alisher Usmanov. Named after the owner's mother, the 156-meter superyacht boasts two helipads and has a top speed of 22.5 knots.
The luxury sail-assisted motor yacht Sailing Yacht A is estimated to have cost $450 million. Owned by Russian industrialist Andrey Melnichenko, it was built in Kiel, Germany and designed by Philippe Starck. The yacht's masts measure 100 meters tall -- higher than the Statue of Liberty -- and at 143 meters long, it is the eighth longest superyacht in the world.
Rising Sun, previously owned by Oracle founder Larry Ellison, is seen during the 2010 America's Cup off the coast of Valencia, Spain. The superyacht was sold to music industry mogul David Geffen for a reported fee of $590 million in 2010.
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Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich upgraded his superyacht fleet when he built Eclipse for roughly $485 million in 2009. The vessel is reportedly equipped with a submarine and a German-built missile defense system.