In a twist worthy of an international spy thriller, perhaps written by Tom Clancy and directed by the Russo brothers, Roman Abramovich’s $600 million superyacht Eclipse has found itself at the center of a digital heist. No, the yacht wasn’t stolen, boarded, or hijacked in the traditional sense. Instead, hackers slipped in through the virtual backdoor, hijacking Eclipse’s identity like a cybercriminal slipping into a tuxedo and ordering champagne on someone else’s tab.

According to NK News, the digital pirates weren’t ordinary tech-savvy scammers. They were North Koreans. And what did they do with the identity of one of the most recognizable and luxurious yachts in the world? They used it to smuggle banned coal into China, because, of course, nothing screams “low profile” like impersonating a floating palace that belongs to one of Russia’s most sanctioned oligarchs.

Eclipse in Marmaris

The plot thickened on May 6, when maritime tracking systems noticed a North Korean-flagged vessel sailing in the Yellow Sea, transmitting AIS (Automatic Identification System) signals that identified it as Eclipse.

While the real Eclipse was sunbathing 4,700 miles away in Marmaris, Turkey, where it has been moored for nearly three years, the impostor glided into China’s Yantai Port and quietly unloaded its forbidden cargo. Because nothing to see here, folks, just a luxury yacht delivering… coal?

Eclipse isn’t just a boat; it’s a floating Bond villain lair with better interior design. Built in Germany by Blohm & Voss and launched in 2010, the 162.5-meter vessel is the third-largest yacht in the world and perhaps the most heavily accessorized.

It has not one, but two helipads. A mini-submarine? Naturally. A missile defense system? You bet. There’s also a cinema, two swimming pools, a spa, multiple hot tubs, and a laser system designed to block paparazzi cameras, because heaven forbid the tabloids catch you mid-massage.

Onboard, up to 36 guests are pampered by a crew of 70. The yacht is more than just a pleasure cruiser; it’s an ocean-going, titanium-armored, five-star bunker, crafted for a man whose fortune once came with a Premier League club and whose passport caused mild diplomatic episodes.

What makes this story deliciously ironic is that Roman Abramovich’s assets, including Eclipse, were later frozen and largely unwelcome in Western waters after sweeping international sanctions. The yacht fled to Turkey for sanctuary, escaping European seizure. And now, here it is, being digitally weaponized by another pariah state trying to wriggle out from under its own pile of international sanctions. A sanctioned asset helping another sanctioned actor dodge sanction. You can’t make this stuff up.

Roman Abramovich’s other superyacht, Solaris, is also docked in Turkey.

This bizarre, digital doppelgänger scheme underscores a new maritime reality: the age of cyber-piracy is no longer coming; it’s already here. And luxury vessels, once safe behind steel hulls and high fences, now have to worry about firewalls, not just sea walls.

The Automatic Identification System (AIS) is essentially a marine tracking system, like GPS for ships with a public broadcast function. It transmits data including a vessel’s name, location, speed, and destination to nearby ships and monitoring stations. (Luxury Launches, but headline rejigged)