Yachts Of Russian Oligarchs Went To The Open Sea

BARCELONA – Just a few weeks ago, the 230ft Galactica Super Nova was listed for sale here.

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Potential buyers from the United States and the United Arab Emirates recently boarded the vessel, which has a waterfall and infinity pool on one of its upper decks and is valued at around $83 million.

But on February 25, the day after Russia invaded Ukraine, the ship’s captain returned early from vacation and appeared at the pier. He gave the crew 48 hours to prepare for sailing. “We’re leaving on Sunday,” he ordered, according to a person on board at the time. The ship set off a full day ahead of schedule.

Galactica is owned by Vagit Alekperov, president, chief executive and largest shareholder of Russian oil company Lukoil, according to SuperYacht Fan, which maintains a database of the owners of the world’s largest yachts, and according to a former crew member. Mr. Alekperov also owns the shipyard where the yacht was built.

Mr. Alekperov is not sanctioned, but he is on the Treasury’s list of political figures and oligarchs the US believes have close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. This makes his yacht a potential target for any subsequent sanctions. Lukoil did not respond to Mr. Alekperov’s request for comment.

The invasion of Ukraine and the slew of sanctions imposed by the West in response have sparked a struggle among Russia’s richest people to get their biggest assets out of the threat of expanding restrictions. Western capitals have imposed sanctions on Russia’s central bank, other banks, companies and individuals that they hope will pressure Mr. Putin to change course in Ukraine.

Galaxy Super Nova

Released February 26

Governments can freeze the assets of sanctioned individuals indefinitely without proving criminality. Sanctions can be challenged, but litigation can take years.

Among this wider network, the superyachts of the Russian super-rich have taken on incredible symbolism. France and Italy, in sometimes dramatic operations, have seized several ships they say belong to sanctioned individuals. A Russian-linked yacht is stuck in Norway because no one will sell it fuel. Another yacht, owned by a sanctioned Russian businessman, was partially sunk by its chief mechanic, a Ukrainian, on the island of Mallorca. The ship was later confiscated by the Spanish authorities.

President Biden, speaking to Russia’s politically connected elite, pledged in a late-February address to Congress to “find and confiscate your yachts, your luxury apartments, your private jets.”

A few days after leaving Barcelona, the Galaxy arrived in Tivat, Montenegro. Montenegro is not a member of the European Union, so EU sanctions do not apply to it. However, on the day the yacht came ashore, the country’s government announced that it would join the tightening of EU sanctions. The Galaxy was on its way until dawn the next day, according to ship tracking websites.

Galaxy Super Nova

Linked to Vagit Alekperov, president, chief executive officer and largest shareholder of the Russian oil company Lukoil, the 230-foot yacht sailed from Barcelona to Tivat in Montenegro. The day after Russia invaded Ukraine, the captain told the crew that they were on their way. After a stop in Tivat, he disappeared from ship tracking sites.

On March 8, another yacht left Barcelona: the 460-foot Solaris, owned by Russian oil tycoon Roman Abramovich. The ship was under repair while preparing to sail from Barcelona. “It was clear that they wanted to leave the port as soon as possible,” said the port worker.

In the end, the Solaris also arrived in Tivat, where it dropped anchor. No one left the ship, whose view of the small village across the bay was completely obscured by the towering vessel, dockers said. An employee from a yachting agency in Tivat boarded the Solaris just long enough to check the passports and documents of more than 50 crew members, according to the port chief.

According to this chief, the captain of the Solaris planned to refuel, but instead abandoned the idea and hurriedly left. Representatives for Mr. Abramovich did not respond to requests for comment.

According to ship tracking websites, the yacht is currently off the coast of Turkey.

Solaris

Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich’s 460-foot Solaris superyacht has left Barcelona, where it has been undergoing repairs for the past three months. A few days later he arrived in Tivat. The ship anchored in the open sea, and the crew remained on board. The captain decided not to refuel before returning to sea. Solaris is currently located off the coast of Turkey.

The Galactica Super Nova radio beacon was turned off shortly after leaving Tivat, making it impossible to track. However, a fan of the yacht spotted her in Turkey and posted the photo to a YouTube channel popular with yacht lovers.

Other ships owned by Russian oligarchs have not taken to the high seas. A few days after the start of the invasion, the General Directorate of the Spanish Merchant Marine sent a message to the port authorities asking them to report megayachts owned or operated by Russia without any explanation.

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Spanish, French and Italian authorities confiscated a number of yachts from sanctioned Russian oligarchs.

Amore Vero (owned by Igor Sechin)

Captured at La Ciotat, France.

Lena (owner Gennady Timchenko)

Lady M (owner Alexey Mordashov)

SYa (owned by Andrey Melnichenko)

Valeria (owner Sergey Chemezov)

Captured in Barcelona, Spain.

Lady Anastasia (owned by Alexander Mikheev)

Captured at Tarragona, Spain.

Spanish officials boarded the 280-foot yacht Valerie while she was in Barcelona. They said they were investigating ownership of the ship. SuperYacht Fan points out that the vessel is owned by Russian oligarch Sergei Chemezov, head of state defense contractor Rostec. Rostec did not respond to a request for comment.

Dilbar, another superyacht regularly spotted in Barcelona, was undergoing repairs in Hamburg when the war broke out. The US alleges that the yacht is owned by Russian steel and mining oligarch Alisher Usmanov, who has been sanctioned by Washington.

The yacht’s surveyor, Lloyd’s List, recently retired the vessel. This designation makes Dilbar uninsured, according to a person familiar with its legal status. According to yachtsmen who contacted the crew, almost all of the 95 crew members were fired.

“This ship cannot sail,” said the captain from another yacht. He said he was getting resumes by email from a job-seeking team. A spokesman for Mr. Usmanov’s holding company USM Group did not respond to a request for comment.

Solaris, owned by Roman Abramovich, was moored in Barcelona in early March.

Photo: ALBERT GEA/REUTERS

Alisher Usmanov’s superyacht Dilbar is docked during repairs in Hamburg.

Photo: FABIAN BIMMER/REUTERS

In the Norwegian fjord city of Narvik, Rob Lancaster is the captain of the Ragnar, whose corporate records indicate he is owned by a company with at least one Russian director. SuperYacht Fan cites the owner as Vladimir Strzhalkovsky, a former KGB intelligence officer who is exempt from sanctions. It was not possible to contact representatives of Mr. Strzhalkovsky.

This association attracted unwanted local attention. According to Captain Lancaster, the police boarded the ship on 2 March, checked the ship’s papers, and left. Since the invasion began, local suppliers have refused to refuel the ship, he said. Instead, the team roasted freshly caught cod.

“We didn’t understand why there was so much noise around us,” the captain said. “It happened so fast.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, the US and its allies have imposed tough sanctions on Russia. Shelby Holliday of the WSJ details how these sanctions affect everyone from President Vladimir Putin to ordinary Russian citizens. Photo: Pavel Golovkin/Associated Press

Write to Benoit Faucon at [email protected] and Eric Silvers at [email protected]