23rd March, 2022
A second superyacht Eclipse linked to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich docked in a Turkish resort on Tuesday.
The yacht, which is one of the world’s biggest at 162.5 metres (533 feet), docked in the resort of Marmaris in southwest Turkey after skirting Greek islands.
It sails under a Bermuda flag, Reuters reports.
The vessel is reported to have two helipads, nine decks, a swimming pool and built-in missile defences.
Solaris, another superyacht linked to Abramovich, arrived a day earlier in the resort of Bodrum some 80 km (50 miles) away, after having also avoided the waters of European Union countries that have sanctioned the oligarchs.
They are among a string of yachts owned by Abramovich, according to reports in luxury goods publications SuperYachtFan, SuperYacht and Forbes.
Western governments have targeted Abramovich and several other Russian oligarchs with sanctions as they seek to isolate President Vladimir Putin and his allies over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. read more
While strongly criticising the invasion, Turkey has said it opposes sanctions imposed by its NATO allies on principle.
That could set it up as a possible safe haven for Russians seeking to make investments and preserve assets.
Abramovich, the owner of English football club Chelsea, was in Istanbul briefly last week, according to flight tracking data and people familiar with the travels. There was no indication he was aboard either yacht.
A source in Ankara with knowledge of recent conversations with Abramovich said he and other wealthy Russians were looking to invest in Turkey given the sanctions imposed elsewhere.
“He wants to do some work and may buy some assets,” the source said, adding that the oligarch already had some assets in Turkey. The source did not give details.
Another source in Ankara said Turkey was not currently considering joining sanctions action and expected wealthy Russians to purchases assets and make investments.
“We act sensitively on issues such as bringing the oligarchs’ money to Turkey,” the person said.