A superyacht belonging to a sanctioned Russian oligarch has been seized in Gibraltar and has become the latest vessel seized by the authorities.
Axioma for $ 75 million belonging to billionaire Dmitry Pumpyansky – owner and chairman of the steel pipe manufacturer OAO TMK, which is a supplier to the Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom – was seized on Monday by the authorities in the British overseas territory.
The news emerged when two of Roman Abramovich’s superyachts were seen docked in ports in Turkey after sailing to new locations following the extension of sanctions to include the Chelsea FC owner.
Yachts belonging to several Russian oligarchs have hastily arranged unplanned voyages, apparently moving them to avoid the seizure of governments enforcing sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Turkey has not yet acceded to Western economic sanctions against Russia.
Following the authorities’ seizure of Pumpyansky’s yacht off Gibraltar, Britain’s Secretary of Transport Grant Shapps said he was doing “everything I can to paralyze Russia’s aviation and shipping industry”.
“It is not just here in the UK that the sanctions apply either. They are also being reflected in our overseas territories.”
Pumpyansky was added to the UK and EU sanctions lists earlier this month.
The yacht Eclipse, at almost 163 meters (535 feet) long the largest in the fleet attached to Abramovich, arrived in Marmaris Tuesday morning.
According to data from the website Marine Traffic, it had crossed EU waters south of the Greek island of Crete on its journey.
Eclipse, flying the flag of Bermuda, had earlier in March set sail east from St Maarten in the Caribbean toward international waters, shortly after the yachts of other oligarchs were seized.
The yacht boasts nine decks, two helicopter berths and a 16-meter-long swimming pool that can be converted into a dance floor, and is the most expensive vessel owned by individuals on the growing US, EU and UK sanctions lists.
Meanwhile, the super-yacht Solaris, worth an estimated $ 600 million and also owned by Abramovich, arrived at the Turkish port of Bodrum on Monday afternoon.
The nearly 138-meter-long ship, which was delivered in 2021, left the port of Barcelona, where it had been under repair on March 8, and it appears to be joining the unplanned voyages of Russian oligarchs moving their superyachts to avoid seizure of governments enforcing sanctions.
Solaris was tracked past the southern coast of Sicily on its voyage to Turkey, although the tracking did not include any information on who was on board.
A spokesman for Abramovich did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The arrival of Solaris and Eclipse comes days after a Gulfstream private jet belonging to Abramovich was reported to have flown to Istanbul from Tel Aviv, according to flight tracking websites. Abramovich was photographed in the VIP lounge at Tel Aviv airport.
Sign up for the daily Business Today email or follow Guardian Business on Twitter at @BusinessDesk
The tycoon was added to the list of sanctioned individuals by Britain and the EU earlier in March.
In addition to the assets, including yachts and jets associated with the oligarch, Abramovich and his family have amassed a British property collection worth more than £ 250 million, numbering around 70 homes, buildings and plots of land.
The information was compiled by the Russian asset tracker, a partnership involving the Guardian, Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and other international news organizations reporting on the wealth of Russia’s most powerful operators.