- Russian oligarchs are staying away from their favorite Mediterranean party islands, ship-tracking data suggests.
- Only Roman Abramovich's yacht Solaris has entered the Balearic Sea this spring, per the data, reported by Bloomberg.
- European countries are seeking to seize yachts belonging Russian oligarchs under Ukraine war sanctions.
Superyachts linked to sanctioned Russian oligarchs are staying well away from Ibiza and other Mediterranean party islands that have long been popular holiday destinations for the ultra-rich, ship-tracking data shows.
This spring, only the Solaris, a $600 million yacht linked to sanctioned oligarch Roman Abramovich, has sailed through the Balearic Sea, which lies off the east cost of Spain and is home to Ibiza, Majorca, and Menorca, per Spire tracking data provided to Bloomberg.
From 2019 to 2021, in March and April of those years, at least nine yachts owned by now-sanctioned Russian oligarchs stopped at islands in the Balearic Sea, sometimes visiting the area more than once, Spire's data showed.
European Union countries and other Western nations are seeking to seize yachts and other luxury assets belonging Russian oligarchs as part of Ukraine war sanctions.
The Solaris was under repair in a shipyard in Barcelona until March 8, when it set sail for Montenegro. Spire's data suggests this is the only time a Russian oligarch's yacht has crossed the Balearic Sea since the Ukraine war began.
Spanish authorities have already detained a $153 million superyacht linked to Sergei Chemezov, and helped the US to seize Viktor Vekselberg's $90 million yach Tango in Mallorca. Yachts belonging to Igor Sechin and Alexander Mikheev were also detained by Spain.
Since March 21, Solaris has remained in Turkish waters, where there's a lower risk of seizure. Abramovich's other luxury yacht, Eclipse, is also located in Turkey, along with three other ships belonging to Russian oligarchs.