- Roman Abramovich's $600 million yacht left a Turkish port for a "scenic cruise," tracking data shows.
- The yacht, Solaris, left Bodrum, southwest Turkey, on Monday after docking there for two weeks.
- Solaris has avoided European countries that sanctioned Abramovich after Russia invaded Ukraine.
A $600 million superyacht owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich set sail on a "scenic cruise" in the Mediterranean on Monday, tracking data shows.
The 460-foot Solaris departed the port of Bodrum in southwest Turkey on Monday morning, having been docked there for two weeks, according to the ship-tracking service Marine Traffic.
Solaris' destination was last reported by Marine Traffic as "scenic cruise." As of 5:21 a.m. ET on Monday, Solaris was heading north-east after rounding a headland on the Turkish coast.
Abramovich, the billionaire owner of Chelsea Football Club, was among the oligarchs sanctioned by the European Union on March 15, meaning his assets were frozen and he was banned from doing business in the bloc. The sanctions were imposed as part of Western efforts to punish Russia and President Vladimir Putin over the invasion of Ukraine.
Having been docked in Spain in early March, the Solaris has since been avoiding European countries that sanctioned Abramovich, of which Spain is one.
In late 2021, the Solaris was under repair in a shipyard in Barcelona. It set sail from there on March 8, 2022, some 12 days after Russia invaded Ukraine. The Solaris arrived in Tivat, Montenegro, on March 12 — two days after Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK and three days before the EU sanctions were imposed on March 15.
Solaris left Tivat a day after it arrived and headed towards Turkey. The yacht arrived in Bodrum on March 21, per Marine Traffic data cited in an earlier report by Insider.
The Solaris can accommodate up to 96 guests and crew members and has a price tag of $600 million, according to SuperYacht Fan.
Governments in Europe have seized some vessels linked to rich Russians, including the UK detaining a $50 million yacht and Gibraltar's government impounding a $75 million vessel.