Mega Yacht: Le Grand Bleu

Overview

Le Grand Bleu is a 370 foot mega yacht (114 meters) built in 2000 by Bremer Vulkan under the supervision of Claus Kusch. In May 2004, Le Grande Bleu received international attention as the home base for Roman Abramovich during Chelsea Football Club's attempt to beat AS Monaco in the UEFA Champions League. Currently owned by Eugene Shvidler, she is one of the largest private mega yachts in the world.

Construction

Le Grande Bleu was built at the Vulkan yard in Germany and launched in 2000. Design and construction were handled by Kusch Yachts. In 2002, Abramovich bought Le Grande Bleu and had her lengthened and refitted by HDW in Kiel. In 2008, under the ownership of Eugene Shvidler, Le Grande Bleu was refitted again in Jackson, Florida. Le Grande Bleu's redesign includes a greener wastewater treatment system as well as Lloyd's certified system, which allows the mega yacht to reuse wastewater after treatment rather than discharging wastewater into the sea.

Features

Le Grand Bleu has a 74-foot sailboat and a 67-foot speedboat stored on her aft deck. She also makes room for a helicopter. The interior of Le Grande Bleu was designed by Terence Disdale. Le Grande Bleu has a crew of 50.

Owner

Le Grand Bleu was originally owned by John McCaw Jr., an American businessman and brother of Craig McCaw, the founder of McCaw Cellular and Clearwire. In 2002, Le Grande Bleu was sold to Russian billionaire and owner of Chelsea Football Club Roman Abramovich. In 2006, Roman Abramovich presented Le Grand Bleu as a gift to old friend Eugene Shvidler, an asset-management and one-time oil Russian billionaire who became an American citizen and is the present owner of the vessel.

Resources

View pictures of Le Grande Bleu.

An article in The Sun about Roman Abramovich's gift of Le Grande Bleu to Eugene Shvidler.

View a profile of Eugene Shvidler.