One way, he said, would be to impose sanctions on companies that serve the yachts of the oligarchs in Turkey – marinas, caterers and refueling companies. In this case, not only Russian yacht owners, but also the many American yacht owners currently in Turkish waters would have to do business elsewhere, while banks that do business with these companies could close their accounts in order to avoid becoming a target.
Superyachts are an important source of revenue for marinas, as well as other businesses in the region. In one example, Turkish media reported in April that Mr Abramovich’s largest yacht, the 533-foot-long Eclipse, cost $1.66 million in fuel in the port city of Marmaris. Its tanks took 22 hours to fill.
One of four superyachts linked to Mr Abramovich, the 460ft Solaris, is moored in Yalıkavak Marina in Bodrum, a trendy resort town in southern Turkey. At the stop, it still has 20 crew members who go back and forth every day to supply it, supply it with water and electricity and evacuate its waste, according to a port employee with direct knowledge of the file, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak publicly.
Solaris also gets a food truck each week through a catering company, he said, adding, “Twenty cases of asparagus – what would you do with that many asparagus?”
Yalıkavak is Turkey’s most luxurious marina, with stores like Prada, Louis Vuitton and Valentino on a palm-lined promenade overlooking the harbour. At least three yachts recently offered for charter by Imperial, the sanctioned management company, and three other yachts owned or linked to oligarchs moored at Yalıkavak Marina this summer, according to the Times analysis.
In an emailed statement, the marina said that even though Turkey did not adopt sanctions, because it recognizes “international concerns”, the Solaris was kept outside the marina’s boundaries. Regarding vessels associated with Imperial Yachts, the marina said it did not know, as summer is “a pretty busy time” and it did not have a system in place to check whether a individual yacht could fall under international sanctions. .