- A yacht linked to oligarch Roman Abramovich changed hands hours after Russia invaded Ukraine.
- Abramovich appears to have transferred it to his associate, David Davidovich, The Guardian reported.
- At 164 feet, the Aquamarine is modest compared to Abramovich's 536-foot Eclipse and 460-foot Solaris 460 feet.
On February 24, the day that Russia invaded Ukraine, a $40.3 million superyacht named the Aquamarine changed owners, according to an investigation The Guardian published Friday.
Based on public records, Roman Abramovich transferred ownership of the Aquamarine to an associate, the businessman David Davidovich, the outlet reported.
Forbes has called Davidovich "Abramovich's much lower-profile right-hand man."
The Guardian tracked the yacht's apparent ownership swap through two companies, MHC Jersey Ltd, which is registered in New Jersey, and an entity called Norma Investments, which is listed in the British Virgin Islands.
Abramovich was thought to be in charge of Norma Investments, but mere hours after Russia attacked Ukraine, Davidovich became the owner, per securities filings previously reported by the Wall Street Journal.
The Guardian reported that Norma Investments is the only listed shareholder in MHC Jersey Ltd, per New Jersey public records. MHC Jersey Ltd is also the owner of the Aquamarine yacht, per MarineTraffic.
The Aquamarine is currently dry-docked Vlissingen, a port in the Netherlands, and while Dutch authorities seized 14 yachts on Wednesday, representatives declined to comment to The Guardian if the Aquamarine was among them.
Compared to Abramovich's megayachts, the Eclipse and the Solaris, the Aquamarine is modest: it comes in at 164 feet. The Eclipse is 536 feet, and the Solaris is 460 feet.
The $600 million Solaris and the $700 million Eclipse are docked in Turkey, and two other yachts are in the Caribbean. All appear to be on the run from sanctions.
The UK, EU, and Canada have sanctioned Abramovich, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked the US not to sanction him, saying that Abramovich could potentially be a peace negotiator, the Wall Street Journal reported. He has reportedly assisted with prisoner exchanges and escape routes.
Davidovich told The Guardian in a statement that he could "confirm that I am the owner of MHC Jersey Ltd and the Aquamarine yacht," as well as the majority owner in Norma Investments, and said he did not think the Aquamarine was subject to sanctions.
Representatives for Abramovich told The Guardian that he is not the ultimate beneficiary of MHC Jersey.
The Aquamarine is currently moored for repairs at Damen Shiprepair, where an anonymous source told the Guardian it was "generally understood that it had been Abramovich's yacht," the outlet reported.
The source added that the vessel went into Damen in November 2021 but that no one but its existing crew has worked on it since March 10, when Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK.
In addition to his status as a Russian oligarch, Abramovich is known as the owner of Chelsea FC, the English Premier League soccer team, which he bought in 2003. Last month, he announced plans to sell the club amid sanctions, apparently for $2.5 billion, the New York Times reported.