Chelsea owner and Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich (55) tries to get his superyachts and private jets to safety. Both the European Union and the British government imposed sanctions against Abramovich at the beginning of this week because of the war in Ukraine. They were imposed to punish Russia and wealthy businessmen around President Putin for the war in Ukraine. Both ships are currently sailing through the Mediterranean. The destination is unknown.
Two Roman Abramovich superyachts are currently sailing south through the Mediterranean. This is evident from data from websites that track the location of ships.
The primary concern is the superyacht ‘My Solaris’, which has only been in use for a year. Abramovich, who is as rich as the sea, paid a sloppy 496 million euros for it. The boat is 140 meters long, weighs 11,000 tons, has eight floors and can accommodate 36 guests, served by 60 staff. On-board facilities include a swimming pool, spa, beach club and helipad.
My Solaris
The yacht ‘My Solaris’ left Montenegro on Monday. That does not belong to the European Union, but according to Bloomberg, the country made it clear that it would join sanctions imposed by Europe.
‘My Solaris’ is currently located in the Ionian Sea off the Greek coast. The ship appears to be heading south, possibly toward the Middle East. The last time it was docked in a port was in Barcelona. There it departed on March 8 without specifying a destination.
Eclipse
Also ‘Eclipse’, an older superyacht of Abramovich, is on the move. The ship has been in service since 2010, when it was the largest yacht in the world.
The 162.5-meter-long boat has two swimming pools, it contains bulletproof glass and is said to have a missile defense system. On board, there is room for 3 helicopters and a submarine, 36 guests and 70 staff. The boat cost 340 million euros, but is now said to be worth more than half a billion.
Normally, this superyacht is anchored in Sint Maarten, an island in the Caribbean Sea, for a large part of the year. However, it left there on February 21 – three days before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
VesselFinder data shows that this vessel is also currently in the Mediterranean Sea, heading south. It is currently located off the coast of Sicily.
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Unknown destination
The destination of both ships is unknown. They may sail to Israel, and Abramovich hopes they are safe there. Reuters writes that Turkey was previously shown as a destination.
It is not clear to what extent both superyachts are at risk of seizure when they sail through European waters, according to Reuters news agency. Italian police seized the world’s largest sailing yacht in the port of Trieste early this week because owner Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko is on the list of EU sanctions. Superyachts owned by oligarchs have also been detained in France and Spain.
Private jets in Aruba
Abramovich is also said to have registered a private jet in Aruba. At least ten aircraft registered in Aruba are owned by Russian oligarchs. Abramovich is said to have registered a Boeing 787 Dreamliner and a Boeing 767 Extended Range.
So far, no action has been taken against this. Aruba belongs to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. According to the Dutch Minister of Transport Ursell Arends, Aruba will take measures against the Russian owners “if necessary”.
Another private jet of Abramovich is provisionally grounded at Europort Airport near Basel, Switzerland. Due to Swiss airspace restrictions, he cannot leave there.
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Ukraine war to end
A clearly tired Roman Abramovich, who also has Israeli nationality, was spotted at Tel Aviv airport on Monday evening. He was said to have boarded a flight to Moscow. According to the German newspaper ‘Bild’, Abramovich met Gerard Schröder in Moscow last week, just before the former German chancellor himself had a meeting with Putin. Sources told Reuters news agency Ambramovich would like the war to end.
Chelsea
Abramovich’s fortune is estimated at 11.5 billion euros. An attempt by the billionaire to sell his football club Chelsea was stopped by sanctions from the British government. According to British MP Chris Bryant, he also quickly tried to sell a 15-bedroom townhouse in London, for which he paid more than 100 million euros in 2011.
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