abramovich yacht in marmaris

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Second roman abramovich superyacht docks in sanctions-free turkey.

A second superyacht linked to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich docked in a Turkish resort on Tuesday, and sources familiar with the discussions said he and other wealthy Russians were looking to invest in Turkey given sanctions elsewhere.

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.

While strongly criticizing 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.

Eclipse, which is one of the world’s biggest yachts at 162.5 meters (533 feet), docked in the resort of Marmaris in southwest Turkey after skirting Greek islands, according to a Reuters witness and tracking data. It sails under a Bermuda flag.

The vessel is reported to have two helipads, nine decks, a swimming pool and built-in missile defenses.

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.

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.

A spokesperson for Abramovich did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The foreign and interior ministries did not immediately comment on whether Western governments had requested that Turkey seize sanctioned assets. Last week, the banking regulator told Reuters it was monitoring sanctions applied on Russia but had not instructed banks to limit citizens of any country.

Boat protesters

A small group of people on a motor boat protested in front of Solaris as it docked, holding Ukrainian flags emblazoned with the words “no war,” footage shared by the expat association “Ukrainians in Bodrum” showed.

With the arrival of Eclipse and Solaris, Abramovich has for now stationed upwards of $1.2 billion of his fortune in Turkey, with each vessel estimated to be worth $600 million or more. Russian-linked yachts are stuck in several countries including Italy, Spain and Germany.

Sanctions are delicate for Turkey, which has close trade and diplomatic links with both Russia and Ukraine. Critics of President Tayyip Erdogan’s government have said the balancing act could leave it vulnerable internationally.

“The anchoring in Turkish marinas of yachts embargoed in European countries may leave Turkey in a difficult situation in the international arena,” Utku Cakirozer, an MP from the main opposition CHP party, told Reuters.

After meeting Erdogan in Ankara on Tuesday, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he supported Turkey’s role in maintaining dialogue with both Ukraine and Russia.

“Turkey is doing everything that it can do. It is one of the few open lines we have with both,” he told a news conference.

“We would very much favor for Turkey to implement all the sanctions but I think we also have to be happy with the fact that Turkey is playing its diplomatic role.”

Russia calls its invasion a “special military operation” aimed at disarming Ukraine and removing what it says are dangerous nationalists in government. Ukraine and Western allies say that is a false pretext for an unprovoked war.

Turkey has sought to mediate a ceasefire and peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv.

The 140-meter (460-foot) Solaris, which also sails under a Bermuda flag, remained moored in Bodrum on Tuesday, a week after it left Montenegro’s Adriatic resort town of Tivat.

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A Russian oligarch's 2 superyachts worth a total of more than $1 billion have docked in Turkish ports, avoiding sanctions risks at EU harbors

• Roman Abramovich's $600 million yacht Solaris docked in Bodrum, Turkey, on Monday, per ship-tracking data.
• The oligarch's $700 million superyacht arrived Tuesday in Marmaris, Turkey, Marine Traffic shows.
• Turkey has criticized Western sanctions against Russia, but has also supported Ukraine.

Two superyachts belonging to sanctioned Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich have docked in Turkey, ship-tracking data showed, following weeks of speculation over the vessels' destination amid a crackdown on oligarchs' assets.

Abramovich's $700 million luxury superyacht, Eclipse, arrived in the tourist resort of Marmaris in southwest Turkey, on Tuesday, after cruising around the Greek island of Crete, according to the tracking website Marine Traffic .

The 533-foot vessel had set sail from St. Martin in the Caribbean in late February and had been traveling for 28 days, Marine Traffic showed.

It arrived a day after Abramovich's $600 million superyacht, Solaris , docked in the port of Bodrum in southwest Turkey on Monday, per Marine Traffic data.

The yacht departed from Tivat in Montenegro on March 13, avoiding other destinations in Europe that may have left it vulnerable to EU sanctions, before arriving in Turkey.

After US, UK and EU governments announced sanctions targeting Russian oligarchs, the location and movements of their luxury assets, such as private jets and yachts, have been closely followed.

Governments have seized some vessels at European ports in recent weeks, as governments implement measures designed to pressure the Russian elite and President Vladimir Putin over Moscow's decision to invade Ukraine. 

Bodrum has been popular with Russia's wealthy in the past, but the country's ports may also have been chosen due to Turkey's stance on Moscow's decision to invade Ukraine, which potentially leaves oligarchs' assets at less risk of being impounded.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticized sanctions levied against Russia, while at the same time supporting Ukraine.

Abramovich was sanctioned by the EU on March 15, meaning his assets have been frozen and he's been barred from doing business there.

Related stories

The Chelsea Football Club owner's private jet flew into Istanbul last week, according to flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 . Abramovich was spotted in a VIP lounge at an Israeli airport on March 14 before the jet landed in Istanbul on the same day, Reuters first reported. It then flew back to Moscow on Wednesday, FlightRadar24 showed.

Solaris had been docked in the Barcelona shipyard of the Spanish yacht-maintenance firm MB92 since late 2021. It left Spain on March 8, two days before Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK, and sailed to Tivat in Montenegro on March 12.

NATO member Turkey, which has good relations with both Russia and Ukraine , doesn't want to fall out with Moscow because of its strategic interests — but it also needs to support Ukraine and its NATO allies over any threat to European security.

"We believe that the sanctions will not resolve the problem," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said last week at a diplomatic forum in Antalya on Sunday, cited by Russian state-owned news agency TASS.

Reuters reported that Erdogan has described the West as a "hindrance" in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

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Chelsea owner Abramovich's second yacht also docks in Turkey

Turkish media reports say a second superyacht belonging to chelsea soccer club owner and sanctioned russian oligarch roman abramovich has docked in a resort in southwestern turkey, article bookmarked.

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A second superyacht belonging to Chelsea soccer club owner and sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich has docked in a resort in southwestern Turkey — a country which is not applying sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine , Turkish media reports said Tuesday.

The private DHA news agency said the Bermuda-registered Eclipse docked at a port in the resort of Marmaris, amid international efforts to freeze assets belonging to top Russian businessmen linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin .

A day earlier, Abramovich’s Bermuda-flagged luxury yacht My Solaris arrived in the nearby resort of Bodrum, triggering a protest by a group of Ukrainians who boarded a small motor boat and tried to prevent the yacht from docking.

Last week, the European Union updated a list of individuals facing asset freezes and travel bans over their ties to the Kremlin and began imposing sanctions on Abramovich. The 55-year-old had already been punished in Britain.

NATO-member Turkey has close ties to both Russia and Ukraine. It has criticized Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine but has also positioned itself as a neutral party trying to mediate between the two.

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