Fiona Govan
The world’s most expensive yacht, which belongs to Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, has sailed from a Barcelona dockyard to avoid being seized under threatened sanctions for his links to Putin.
The Solaris, a $600 million superyacht quietly sailed out of Spanish waters last Tuesday according to ship-tracking data MarineTraffic.
It was reported to have docked in Montenegro, which is outside of the European Union and therefore not obliged to impose EU sanctions against Russia, although it may make the decision to do so.
Abramovich was among seven Russian oligarchs who had their assets frozen in the U.K. on Thursday for alleged links with Russian President Vladimir Putin after the invasion of Ukraine.
The 140-meter (459 feet) Solaris has 18 cabins that can accomodate 36 guests. It has eight decks, a helipad and a swimming pool that can be converted into a dance floor.
It reportedly has a flotilla of 20 high-speed jet-skis and at least one helicopter to transports guests from ship to shore, and is rumoured to also have a personal submarine.
Amramovich is not the only Russian billionaire to have docked his yacht in Spain.
The same dockyard in Barcelona is currently home to the 74-metre Aurora owned by Russian construction magnate Andrey Molcahnov who has an estimated worth of over €1 billion.
A third vessel in the Barcelona shipyard, the 70-metre Galactica Super Nova belongs to Vagit Alekperov, president and chief executive of Lukoil, who also has a 36.8% stake of the football club Spartak Moscow.
Across the water in Mallorca, is the 77-metre Tango owned by Russian telecom billionaire and close cohort of Vladimir Putin, Viktor Vekselberg.
All have been tipped as likely to be among assets frozen by authorities in Spain if the EU approves sanctions against individual Russians.
Other vessels known to be owned by associates of Putin have recently left Spanish ports to head out to international waters as the conflict in the Ukraine intensified.
Huh? The invasion and sanctions began weeks ago… Why was his yacht not already seized? And why did the Harbour Master allow it to leave? I wonder who got paid to look the other way just long enough for Abramovich to save his yacht and escape the sanctions…