TIVAT – A superyacht belonging to the Russian billionaire owner of Chelsea football club sanctioned over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine anchored off Montenegro yesterday, an AFP photographer said.
Roman Abramovich’s 140-metre-long Solaris cruised into the Porto Montenegro marina on the Balkan country’s Adriatic coastline.
Local media who have been monitoring the ship’s movements over recent days on maritime tracking websites said the boat left the Spanish Mediterranean port of Barcelona on March 8.
The United Kingdom on Thursday hit Abramovich with an assets freeze and travel ban as part of new sanctions against seven Russian oligarchs it described as part of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle. The football club owner has denied any association.
Canada followed suit the next day, saying he and four other individuals would “be prevented from dealings in Canada and their assets will be frozen”.
The 55-year-old businessman, who has often been reported to be cruising off Montenegro and neighbouring Croatia, is rumoured to own half a dozen yachts.
The UK sanctions also targeted Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska.
Montenegro media have reported that one of Deripaska’s boats, Sputnik, was spotted leaving Porto Montenegro on Friday. The vessel is often seen accompanying his own superyacht, Clio.
Abramovich had already announced his intention to sell Chelsea before the UK sanctions, with a host of potential buyers declaring their interest in a club that have won 19 major trophies since he bought it in 2003.
The UK government is still open to a sale but would have to approve a new licence, on the condition no profit would go to the Russian. – AFP, March 13, 2022
