Roman Abramovich offloaded Dutch-built yacht on first day of war

A Dutch-built yacht belonging to sanctioned Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich was offloaded on the first day of the invasion of Ukraine.

The Guardian reported that the vessel, which is currently sitting in dry dock in Vlissingen, was transferred to David Davidovich, a ‘close associate’ of the former Chelsea owner.

Davidovich also took control of Norma Investments Ltd, a company listed in the British Virgin Islands that holds stakes in renewable energy and tech startups, according to the Wall Street Journal last month.

Norma Investments is the only registered shareholder in MHC Jersey Ltd, a Channel Islands-based company which is the official owner of Aquamarine. Both companies were transferred to Davidovich on February 24.

Davidovich told the Guardian in a statement: ‘I can confirm that I am the owner of MHC Jersey Ltd and the Aquamarine yacht.’

The Netherlands last week announced it had seized 14 superyachts linked to Russians named on the European Union’s sanctioned list, including two that are in Dutch dockyards for repairs, but Davidovich said he was unaware of any sanctions applying to Aquamarine.

The 50m-long four-deck Aquamarine was built by Oss-based Heesen Yachts and finished in January 2021, with a reported price tag of €33 mn.

Abramovich moved two other yachts from his fleet to Turkey just before the sanctions took effect and has two more boats moored in the Caribbean.