VIDEO: Abramovich-linked superyachts dock in Turkey
Two superyachts linked to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich have docked on Turkish shores, outside the reach of sanctions imposed by the EU and UK.
Abramovich, an oligarch and the owner of Chelsea FC, is linked to superyachts Solaris and Eclipse, which both arrived in Turkey this week and are reported to each be worth more than US$500m.
The 140m Solaris docked in Bodrum on Monday, with 163m Eclipse arriving 16 hours later into nearby Marmaris on Tuesday.
A group of 10 Ukrainian protesters, including eight children from a junior sailing team, attempted to prevent Solaris from docking by sailing in front of it in a small dinghy. Readers can see footage of the incident in the video below, published by Euronews.
The Association of Ukrainians in Bodrum group claimed credit for the protest, telling media the intervention was ‘successful’ until the coastguard intervened and held the protestors back.
The arrival of both yachts means they are — for now — safe from sanctions designed to punish the oligarchs who are close to Putin in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
The EU, USA and UK have all said they will target superyachts alongside other luxury goods. At least ten superyachts linked to Russian oligarchs have now been immobilised or detained across Europe.
Readers can click here to see a round-up of all the yachts that have been sanctioned so far.
Many more remain at large, moving around the world in a game of cat and mouse, or otherwise moored in ‘safe havens’ including the Maldives. Turkey has made it clear it has no intention of joining the EU sanctions, and is still allowing flights from Russia, unlike most countries in Europe.
The captain of one vessel linked to a wealthy Russian told the BBC that Turkish officials indicate that Russian ships are “very welcome and will be treated as any other vessel”.
Solaris, a Lloyd Werft superyacht that features a helipad, swimming pool, eight decks and a crew of 60, left Barcelona on 8 March before docking in Montenegro. Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK on 15 March, while the vessel was underway near the Greek coastline.
The ship then changed course to avoid EU waters, before arriving in Turkey on 21 March.
The secretive Eclipse, built by Blohm & Voss, is one of the biggest superyachts in the world. Across its nine decks, it’s understood to have three helipads, two pools and a submersible. There are also rumours it has a missile-defence system, bulletproof glass and a laser-directed light system to deter photographers from snapping the boat.
Until the start of the month, Eclipse had been in Sint Maarten in the Caribbean, a Dutch overseas territory with links to the EU. Since sanctions were imposed on Abramovich, it has been sailing through the Mediterranean, hugging the north of Africa, until arriving in Marmaris on 22 March.
