The activity observed on Thursday evening in Parikia, Paros, suggested that a prominent figure was arriving from the sea by tender. Very quickly, the more observant noticed that the trips originated from the yacht Opera, a floating palace 147 meters long and worth €500,000,000.

The vessel belongs to the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi and Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who has been vacationing in Greece for the past few days. The Opera is anchored off Parikia, and almost daily its tenders transport the Sheikh and his friends to secluded coves of the island for swimming.

On Thursday evening, he dined with a large group—together with his security there were more than 35 people—at the well-known restaurant Crios, after prior arrangements had been made with the staff for the meal they enjoyed.

See photos of the Sheikh’s holidays on secluded beaches of Paros

For the occasion, seven black vans were deployed to transport all the guests to the restaurant, while a special menu was prepared exclusively for the Sheikh and his company, accompanied by the finest wines.

The construction of the Opera, delivered from the Lurssen shipyards two years ago, cost €400,000,000. It can accommodate 36 guests in 18 suites, while the crew can number up to 50.

After dinner, the powerful minister of the Emirates and the others boarded the vans again, which took them to the port, where the Opera tenders were waiting to return them to the yacht.

The vessel remains anchored off Paros, offering the necessary privacy to the Emirati minister, who chose Greece this year to relax.

Last year, his yacht was seen in Sardinia and the cosmopolitan Costa Smeralda, always anchored offshore, avoiding docking at the Porto Cervo marina.

The powerful Sheikh

As a prominent member of the Al Nahyan family, which rules Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan is considered one of the richest men in the world.

The problem is that even highly reputable financial magazines such as Forbes cannot determine the exact size of his personal fortune.

Scattered reports place it at between €20 and €40 billion, although even that estimate is not considered certain.

He is the ninth son of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founder of the United Arab Emirates, and was born on April 30, 1972, in Abu Dhabi.

He studied political science, and at 51 years old, besides being Foreign Minister, he also holds the title of Deputy Prime Minister. He is married and father of five children.

The construction of the Opera, delivered from the Lurssen shipyards two years ago, cost €400,000,000. It can host 36 guests in 18 suites, while the crew can reach up to 50 people.

It features a gym, sauna, cinema room, beauty salon, usually sails at 18 knots, and can cover a distance of 5,000 nautical miles thanks to its 900,000-liter fuel tanks.