After years at anchor in Turkish waters, Roman Abramovich’s 140-meter superyacht Solaris has once again turned heads as it docked in İzmit Bay for scheduled maintenance. The $600 million vessel, launched in 2022, has been described as one of the most technologically advanced yachts ever built, complete with a missile defense system and other discreet security features that make it as much a fortress as it is a floating palace.
For Abramovich, whose other giant, Eclipse, is also currently headed for repair, the Solaris represents not just wealth and luxury but a masterclass in design, technology, and survival.
Solaris: The futuristic fortress of the seas
Designed by Australian industrial designer Marc Newson, best known for his work on the Apple Watch, Solaris is as much a product of Silicon Valley-inspired thinking as it is of classic German engineering. Built at the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany, it stands as Newson’s most ambitious marine project to date.
The Apple connection is more than trivia; it underscores a philosophy of blending minimalist elegance with cutting-edge technology, a hallmark of both Apple products and this superyacht. Solaris carries the same sleek curves and understated design language that Newson applied to consumer tech, except here, the canvas is 460 feet of steel and glass.
The superyacht boasts eight decks, 48 cabins, and the capacity to host 36 guests alongside 60 crew. Its amenities include a helipad, a swimming pool, an outdoor beach club, and multiple jacuzzis. Below the glamour, however, lies a serious commitment to security. Like Eclipse before it, Solaris is believed to have bulletproof glass, armor plating, and state-of-the-art surveillance systems.
Reports suggest that it also carries an anti-missile defense system, an extraordinary feature for a private yacht and a reflection of Abramovich’s insistence on absolute safety at sea. Propelled by twin Azipod electrical engines that can rotate 360 degrees, Solaris is remarkably agile for its size, rendering the traditional rudder obsolete.
Why İzmit Bay became Solaris’ port of call
Solaris has spent most of the past three years around Turkey’s southwestern coast, particularly in Bodrum, Göcek, and Marmaris, after leaving MB92 Barcelona in early March 2022. Given that the yacht was delivered in 2021 and underwent an extended yard period in Barcelona through early 2022, its current stop in İzmit Bay looks like routine servicing and class work rather than a deep technical overhaul. In fact, Turkish media have also described it as “bakım,” or maintenance, rather than major refits
Solaris was spotted in the Kocaeli Kosbaş Free Zone, as reported by Turkish website Turizmgazetesi. The port has become one of Turkey’s most important shipbuilding and yacht service hubs. Billed as the country’s third-largest shipyard region, it hosts names like Yachtley, Turquoise Yachts, AKYacht, and UZMAR. The area’s deepwater quays, floating docks, and vast sheds are designed precisely for vessels of Solaris’ magnitude, making it an ideal location for this type of maintenance. For Turkey, the arrival of Abramovich’s yacht adds to the growing reputation of its superyacht sector, which has quietly expanded through policy-driven growth and land investments.
Operating a yacht of this scale also means astronomical costs. When Solaris refueled in Marmaris in April 2023, local media reported a payment of 15 million Turkish lira, roughly $790,000 at the exchange rate at the time. For locals, those figures turned the vessel into a symbol of extravagance and curiosity, drawing crowds to the shoreline whenever it moved.
Now, as Solaris undergoes its current maintenance, its presence once again captures the intersection of geopolitics, wealth, and technology. Sanctions have barred Abramovich’s fleet from EU and UK ports, leaving Turkey as a de facto safe haven. With Eclipse and Solaris both in Turkish waters and receiving care, the yachts are as much political exiles as they are floating luxury retreats.
For Abramovich, Solaris remains a testament to resilience — part masterpiece of design, part fortress against uncertainty, and part spectacle for all who glimpse its stunning silhouette cruising along the Turkish coast.
