Two yachts worth almost $60 million moored on the Caribbean island of Antigua have been revealed to belong to Roman Abramovich.
Sanctions-hit oligarchs have been moving their superyachts around the globe in an attempt to avoid the reach of the West.
The two vessels, docked in Antigua’s Falmouth Harbour, are registered with a British Virgin Island company, Wenham Overseas Limited, which the Financial Times revealed had links to Mr Abramovich, who has recently been sanctioned by the UK.
It led island authorities to ask for the British government's help in identifying if he was the true owner.
The yachts involved are Halo, worth $38m, and Garcon, worth $20m.
Antigua’s minister of foreign affairs Paul Chet Greene wrote to the British High Commissioner to Barbados to verify the yachts' ownership in light of the allegations.
In response, the British High Commission said the Financial Investigation Agency of the British Virgin Islands "states the beneficial owner of Wenham Overseas Ltd is Roman Abramovich”, the paper reported.
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'My Solaris', a superyacht linked to sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, is pictured in Bodrum, south-west Turkey. Reuters -
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'Quantum Blue', Russian billionaire Sergei Galitsky's yacht, docked in the port of Monaco. AFP -
The world's largest expedition yacht, 'Luna', owned by Roman Abramovich, at the port of Sibenik in Croatia. Shutterstock -
The luxury 68m superyacht 'Triple Seven,' owned by Alexander Abramov, on the River Thames in London. EPA
The letter said that Antigua “will provide full assistance to the Government of the United Kingdom” if it receives a request.
Mr Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea Football Club, has been placed under sanctions by the UK and the EU, for his allegedly close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
World governments are seeking to isolate Mr Putin and his allies over the invasion of Ukraine.
Last month Antigua announced it would enforce all US, EU and UK sanctions on Russian entities and individuals.
The UK government has designated more than 1,200 individuals and organisations close to Mr Putin – including 76 oligarchs and 16 banks with a global net worth of £150 billion ($197.04bn) and £500bn respectively.
