Russian business mogul Roman Abramovitch’s Eclipse – the biggest private yacht (albeit of the motor variety) in the world – has been refused mooring in the exclusive French Riviera port of Antibes because there is insufficient space for her 163.5m (536ft) length.

Antibes is Europe’s biggest yachting harbour but only one of its 2,000 moorings is large enough to take Eclipse – if it is free.

The billion-dollar Bermuda-registered megayacht, the biggest of three in the Chelsea football club-owning tycoon’s fleet, was pipped to the spot by the relatively-small Kingdom KR5, a mere 265-footer owned by a Saudi prince.

The Eclipse had to turn around and drop anchor out to sea – fortunately just a few hundred metres from Mr Abramovitch’s local beachfront villa.

Operated by a crew of 70, the 13,000-tonne Eclipse has two helicopter pads, two swimming pools, a spa, a mini-submarine, anti-paparazzi lasers (they fire at camera lenses, not the photographers), bullet-proof windows and its own missile-defense system.

_{Image: Keld Gydum}