A German billionaire who has put his factory workers on short-time and cut their wages has bought himself a luxury megayacht according to DailyMail.

Screw manufacturer Reinhold Würth (#93 on the Forbes 2009 list) has ordered 1,250 of his 5,000 employees in Germany to reduce their working hours and cut their pay by 15 percent.

The rest of his workers are being forced to take a solidarity pay cut of five percent. At the same time, though, the convicted tax evader also celebrated the christening of his new super yacht, the Vibrant Curiosity.

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich’s new $400 million, 555-ft. Eclipse, designed to be the world’s biggest (and so named because Abramovich desires that it overshadow all other boats at sea) will have a military-grade missile defense system to keep the oligarch safe.

Abramovich owns three other megayachts already: the 377 ft. Pelorus, the 282 ft. Ecstasea and the 160 ft. Sussurro but the Eclipse will be 25 ft. longer than Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s 530-ft. Platinum, currently ranked as the biggest yacht in the world.

French luxury products group LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton said Monday it has signed an exclusive agreement with Dutch investment company Egeria to acquire Royal van Lent, the Dutch designer and builder of luxury custom mega-yachts sold under the Feadship brand.

The talks with owner Egeria, a Dutch investment firm, are based on an acquisition price worth approximately 11 times net profit. The estimated price equates to a transaction value of less than 500 million euros, a source familiar with the talks said.

This acquisition will enable LVMH to enlarge its scope of activities and to expand its presence in products and services at the top of the luxury market.

Royal van Lent’s yachts target an ultra-exclusive clientele and are built to the highest quality standards using specific know-how. Feadship’s attributes of creativity, craftsmanship, innovation, quality and exclusive positioning are shared by all the luxury businesses operated by LVMH.

Founded 160 years ago, Royal van Lent enjoys a leading market position. It designs and builds custom mega-yachts under the Feadship brand, one of the most exclusive and prestigious brands in the world for motor-yachts measuring over 50 meters.

The custom-built ultra-luxury mega-yacht sector offers strong global growth prospects. By targeting exclusively ultra-high net worth individuals, Royal van Lent offers an outstanding growth opportunity that is resistant to economic cycles. Since 2000, the worldwide order book for custom-built luxury yachts measuring over 50 meters has grown by more than 20% per annum.

Those luxury watch sell for an average 30 million euros ($44 million) each. (source)

Luxury Motor Yacht Princess Mariana, was built in 2003 in the Danyard Aalborg in Denmark and then refurbished in 2006 for charters. She is a 258 Oeino which has six decks. This modern and stylish yacht is full of modern innovative features, has an impressive six decks, and can accommodate 12 permanent guests on board.

One of the most impressive features on board Princess Mariana is the Beach Club. This is a dry dock for the custom built tender which can be “flooded” when the tender is outside and forms a 12 metre swimming pool with underwater lighting and steps.

There is also a helipad on board – and when the helicopter has left, it becomes a golf driving range with a massive screen showing a host of well-known courses. There is also a cinema on the main deck with seating for 13 guests !

It will cost you $606,500 a week ($1 per second !!) to rent this megayacht that CNNMoney has called the most desirable charter !

This $400 million super-yacht was built for a Russian oligarch, Andrey Melnichenko, 37, who is worth $9.2 billion and was ranked 172 on the Forbes list of the world’s richest people.

There is a large master suite as well as six luxury cabins for up to 14 guests and enough room for 42 crew members.

Designed by Philippe Stark, the 400ft long superyacht is said to have its own discotheque featuring a glass roof which is situated directly under the swimming pool.

SETZER DESIGN, one of the world’s most respected yacht design studios, has unveiled Two Stunning Additions to Its “Vision Line” of Megayachts.

Cerise, a sleek 50 meter/165-foot plumb bow, and Javelin, a grand 73 meter/240-foot vessel are the latest to emerge among Setzer Design Group’s new, futuristic Vision Line of mega-yacht designs.

The “VL-50” Cerise brings an elegant, refined design to life via the studio’s spin on the plumb-bow trend, yet at a more manageable, main-stream market sizing. Expressed in vivid red, the design’s unique styling is underscored by the long, sweeping, retro elements of its superstructure.