How Much It Costs To Refuel A $600 Million Superyacht

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How Much It Costs To Refuel A $600 Million Superyacht

Image: Romer Macapuno/DMARGE

There are a lot of things you could do with $1.5 million. You could donate it to UNICEF. You could buy a bunch of Porsches and Ferraris. You could even buy a house in Sydney. Though that might sound like a hefty chunk of money to some people, to others it’s just what you have to pay to refuel your $600,000,000 yacht.


Much like supercars, the costs of owning a superyacht go far beyond simply the ‘sticker price’. You’ve got mooring fees, the cost of employing enough staff to keep ’em running, not to mention the eye-watering amount of insurance you have to buy… There’s a reason that only the very wealthiest people in the world can own superyachts. You’ve also got to put fuel in them – and a superyacht sips a bit more fuel than a Bugatti…

But how much does it really cost to fuel up a superyacht? Enter the following video. Posted by The Yacht Mogul, an Instagrammer who claims to be the “world’s largest yachting profile,” the video shows Dilbar, the sixth-longest yacht in the world that’s worth $600 million, getting pumped with $1.5 million worth of fuel.

WATCH one of the world’s biggest and most expensive yachts being fuelled up below.

The video was shot in Italy, with a Vigili del Fuoco (Italy’s institutional agency for fire and rescue service) vehicle making an appearance at the start of the video.

A caption then flashes up on the screen claiming that the 500,000 litres of fuel cost $150,000 (though some social media users have questioned that, making such comments as “500,000l for 1.5 million? That makes it $3 a litre…)

So yes, according to The Yacht Mogul, Dilbar‘s tank holds 500,000 litres, which – according to AutoEvolution’s calculations – if we assume that $3 a litre figure is accurate, would bring the total cost up to $1,500,000.

Dilbar is a particularly famous superyacht, owned by Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, one of Russia’s richest men (something which lends credence to some of the quips found in the Instagram comments section, like: “Bro they don‘t pay fuel… They f***ing sell it to us.”)

Dilbar in all her glory. Image: BOAT International

However, German police seized Dilbar (and allegedly confiscated millions of dollars worth of art stored on the ship) last year in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and sanctions levied against Usmanov. Usmanov has been described as “one of Vladimir Putin’s favourite oligarchs”.

Why is Dilbar so expensive?

Dilbar is the sixth-longest yacht in the world (and the third-largest when judging by gross tonnage). At one point, it was the biggest yacht in the world.

It can accommodate 100 crew members, has the largest ever swimming pool installed on a superyacht, has two helipads, its own onboard garden, boasts almost the same amount of cables as the total land borders of the country of Bhutan (to power all the amenities and facilities) and is powered by a 30,000kW electric diesel power plant.

This electric diesel design supposedly helps reduce Dilbar’s emissions while still providing a top speed of 22.5 knots.

Want one last fact? The interior features over 1,000 sofa cushions. It’s a cushy life for some…