A superyacht belonging to a sanctioned Russian oligarch has been seized in Gibraltar, becoming the latest vessel to be impounded by authorities.
The $75m (£57m) Axioma belonging to billionaire Dmitry Pumpyansky – owner and chairman of steel pipe manufacturer OAO TMK, which is a supplier to Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom – was seized by authorities in the British overseas territory on Monday.
The news emerged as two of Roman Abramovich’s superyachts were spotted docked in ports in Turkey, having cruised to new locations following the extension of sanctions to include the Chelsea FC owner.
Yachts belonging to several Russian oligarchs have hastily arranged unplanned sailings, apparently moving them to avoid seizure by governments enforcing sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Turkey has not yet joined western economic sanctions against Russia.
Following the seizure of Pumpyansky’s yacht by authorities in Gibraltar, the UK’s transport secretary, Grant Shapps, said he was doing “all I can to cripple Russia’s aviation and shipping industries”.
“It’s not just here in the UK those sanctions apply, either. They are being mirrored in our overseas territories too.”
Pumpyansky was added to the UK and EU sanctions lists earlier this month.
The yacht Eclipse, at nearly 163 metres (535ft) long the largest in the fleet linked to Abramovich, arrived in Marmaris on Tuesday morning.
It had skirted EU waters south of the Greek island of Crete on its journey, according to data from the website Marine Traffic.
Eclipse, which flies under the flag of Bermuda, had set sail east from St Maarten in the Caribbean towards international waters earlier in March, shortly after other oligarchs’ yachts were seized.
The yacht boasts nine decks, two helipads and a 16-metre swimming pool that can be converted to a dancefloor, and is the most expensive vessel owned by individuals on the growing US, EU and UK sanction lists.
Meanwhile, the superyacht Solaris, worth an estimated $600m and also owned by Abramovich, arrived in the Turkish port of Bodrum on Monday afternoon.
The almost 138-metre vessel, which was delivered in 2021, left the Barcelona port where it had been undergoing repairs on 8 March, appearing to join the unplanned sailings of Russian oligarchs moving their superyachts to avoid seizure by governments enforcing sanctions.
The Solaris was tracked passing the southern coast of Sicily on its voyage towards Turkey, although the tracking did not include any information about who was on board.
A spokesperson for Abramovich did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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The arrival of Solaris and Eclipse comes just days after a Gulfstream private jet linked to Abramovich was reported to have flown to Istanbul from Tel Aviv, according to flight tracking websites. Abramovich was photographed in the VIP lounge at Tel Aviv airport.
The tycoon was added to the list of sanctioned individuals by the UK and the EU earlier in March.
Alongside the assets including yachts and jets connected to the oligarch, Abramovich and his family have amassed a UK property collection worth more than £250m, numbering about 70 homes, buildings and pieces of land.
The information was compiled by the Russian asset tracker, a partnership involving the Guardian, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and other international news organisations that are reporting on the wealth of Russia’s most powerful operators.
