Sanctioned Russian Oligarch’s Superyacht Sailed 12,000 Kms In ‘Dark’ To Reach Safer Waters In Turkey

The 280-foot and $150 million luxury superyacht Pacific, owned by sanctioned Russian billionaire Leonid Mikhelson, moored at the port of Marmaris on Thursday after traveling more than 7,000 miles.

Spire Global Inc, a global data and analytics company, tracked the luxury superyacht and found that over the past month, it sailed from Costa Rica through the Panama Canal and the Atlantic to dock at the port of Marmaris.

Spire Global Inc and news agency Bloomberg also collected data of other luxury superyachts which the US and the other western nations are pursuing to deterRussia from continuing its war on Ukraine.

It took a risk by sailing “dark” for nearly half of the trip – meaning that its automatic identification system was turned off – which is in violation of international maritime law.

The luxury superyachts owned by Russian oligarchs are no less than floating palaces but following imposition of sanctions the US and its allies are after every single one of them.

The Pacific sailed from Marina Papagayo near Culebra Bay and headed southeast on May 5.

On May 8, the Pacific turned off its automatic identification system while cruising in the Caribbean Sea northeast of Colon.

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It resurfaced 12 days later near the Spanish archipelago Canary Islands despite indicating earlier on May 8 that it was headed to Nassau in the Bahamas.

It, however, said that it is headed to Barcelona but it reappeared, this time indicating that it is headed to Egypt’s Port Said before mooring in Marmaris, Turkey.

The Pacific is a mega luxury superyacht built in 2010 by German company Luerssen Verwaltungs GmbH.

In pictures released on social media, one helicopter was also seen on the helipad of the yacht which also can accommodate another helicopter and boasts an elevator, pool and smaller speedboat, and room for 12 guests and 28 crew.

The Pacific now joins The Eclipse and My Solaris, linked to former Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich and also steel billionaire Alexander Abramov’s $100 million Titan, all of whose ships are now in Turkey.

Aluminum billionaire Oleg Deripaska’s Clio is also docked in Turkey.

Their data shows that to evade sanctions some of these luxury superyachts have logged more than 5,000 nautical miles since the start of the war.

The US and its allies have seized more than a dozen yachts worth over $2.3 billion to punish Russian tycoons who are part of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s close circle.

Italian authorities seized the $700mn yacht, the Scheherazade, linked to Putin and authorities in Fiji also seized the $325 million Amadea, owned by another Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, following instructions from their US counterparts.

These super yachts are prestige symbols for Russian oligarchs and the US on several occasions said they are determined to seize all of them if they can.

(with inputs from Bloomberg)

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