The oligarchs’ yacht fleet faces storm in every port as luxury vessels run aground around the world as restrictions on Russians due to war in Ukraine begin to bite
Roman Abramovich moved two of his superyachts to Turkey seeking asylum to protect his wealth from sanctions.
Solaris has been joined by the giant ship Eclipse as Chelsea’s owner seeks to avoid their capture in the country, which has said it has no plans to impose sanctions. Abramovich is believed to have been in Istanbul last week but not on board either of the yachts when they arrived in Turkey.
The £430 million 430-foot Solaris is the newest addition to the Abramovich fleet since it went to sea last year.
It has 48 cabins on eight decks, a crew of 60 and space for 36 guests who can use the helipad and beach club. Designed by Australian Mark Newson and built by a German shipyard, it features the largest glass panels ever built into a yacht. Sister ship Eclipse, one of the world’s largest yachts at 533 feet, is reported to have built-in missile defenses.
The £430 million 430-foot Solaris is the newest addition to the Abramovich fleet since it went to sea last year.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy yesterday called on Italy to confiscate a £500 million superyacht believed to be owned by Vladimir Putin.
The Scheherazade, which is currently moored for repairs in Tuscany, is said to be manned by Putin’s “personal bodyguard” and owned by him through a secret front company. In a speech before the Italian parliament, Zelenskiy said the country should freeze all assets owned by the Russian elite.
He insisted: “Freeze their property, their accounts, their yachts – from Scheherazade to the smallest.” The British captain of the ship, Guy Bennett-Pierce, denied seeing Putin on board. Last night, his mother Debbie told The Daily Telegraph that her son would never work for a “killer”.
Italian police are currently investigating ownership of the 460-foot vessel, which is said to have a built-in weapon system capable of shooting down drones.
The Scheherazade, which is currently undergoing repairs in Tuscany, is said to be manned by Putin’s “personal bodyguard”.
A luxury yacht belonging to sanctioned Russian steel tycoon Dmitry Pumpyansky remained hijacked in Gibraltar last night.
Authorities in the British Overseas Territory have detained a £57m Axioma after it docked there on Monday. Pumpyansky, who is worth an estimated £1.8 billion, has come under UK and EU sanctions. The Gibraltar government said Axiom had requested permission to berth and “it has been confirmed that an arrest has been made in the Gibraltar Supreme Court by a leading international bank.” At present, the ship is subject to arrest by the marshal of the admiralty until further notice. He left Antigua on 27 February. The Axiom has five decks with a cinema and a swimming pool.
Previously, it could be rented privately for £420,000 per week.
The 236-foot yacht hosted British Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton and Kendall Jenner, half-sister of reality TV star Kim Kardashian.
A luxury yacht owned by sanctioned Russian steel magnate Dmitry Pumpyansky remained hijacked in Gibraltar last night.
A £58 million superyacht owned by former KGB officer Vladimir Strzhalkovsky is stranded in Norway – not because of sanctions, but because locals refuse to sell fuel to him.
The converted 223-foot icebreaker Ragnar has been moored in Narvik since Feb. 15 and has been abandoned by suppliers to protest the invasion of Ukraine. Mining tycoon Strzhalkovsky, 67, is not sanctioned but is believed to still be linked to Vladimir Putin after they served in the KGB together. Local oil supplier Sven Holmlund said: “Why should we help them? Let them row home or set sail!
British yacht captain Robert Lankester pointed out that none of the crew is Russian, insisting: “We have nothing to do with the owner.” The crew hoped to sail soon last night after finding a supplier for 300,000 liters of diesel fuel for the vessel, which is equipped with jet skis, snowmobiles and an English-style pub.
The converted 223-foot icebreaker Ragnar has been docked in Narvik since Feb. 15, but suppliers have abandoned it in protest of the invasion of Ukraine.