Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea Football Club, is one of several Russian billionaires hit by UK sanctions last month as part of the government’s efforts to put pressure on Vladimir Putin to end the invasion of Ukraine. Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, described the sanctioned individuals as having “the blood of the Ukrainian people on their hands”.
Solaris, which is 140 metres long and has a helipad and swimming pool, left Bodrum Cruise Port on Monday. It is now at anchor off Yalikavak beach in south-eastern Turkey, according to the shipping data service Marine Traffic.
Pressure had been building for Global Ports Holding (GPH), the Mayfair-headquartered company that runs Bodrum Cruise Port, to refuse services to Solaris.
Legal experts had said the London-listed company was taking “a very big risk” by allowing a superyacht owned by a sanctioned individual to use one of its ports. The Bodrum port is one of 22 terminals run by the firm.
© Copyright LaPresse