Abramovich yacht "moved to Jersey company on day of Ukraine invasion"

Tuesday 12 April 2022

The ownership of a superyacht linked to Roman Abramovich was transferred to a Jersey company on the day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to media reports.

A Guardian investigation has found that the former owner of Chelsea passed the ownership of the 50m ‘Aquamarine’ – which is currently in dry dock in the Netherlands – to a Jersey-based company controlled by a close associate of his on 24 February.

That was the day Russian missiles, aircraft and artillery began to strike Ukraine, shortly after its president, Vladimir Putin, had announced a ‘special military operation’ against the country.

The associate, Russian businessman David Davidovich, confirmed to the newspaper that he was the owner of Aquamarine as well as the Jersey-based company MHC Jersey Ltd, which is the registered owner.

Pictured: Aquamarine undergoing sea trials off the Dutch coast.

Mr Davidovich also said he was the majority owner of the British Virgin Islands-listed Norma Investments, a vehicle that is listed as the only shareholder of MHC Jersey Ltd.

Aquamarine is undergoing a refit in the Dutch port of Vlissingen. The Guardian reported that the ship had arrived for “structural changes” on 16 November but no work had been carried out by the shipyard since 10 March, the day that the UK sanctioned Mr Abramovich. 

Aquamarine is a relatively small superyacht compared to others in Mr Abramovich’s fleet. The 140m Solaris and 162m Eclipse were both moved to Turkey just before sanctions against him came into force and two other boats reportedly sailed to the Caribbean.