The FT reported this week that the vessels docked at Antigua’s Falmouth port belonged to a British Virgin Islands company linked to Abramovich, prompting the Caribbean nation to ask the UK government to help confirm whether the he was their absolute owner. In a letter to the British High Commissioner to Barbados, Antigua’s Foreign Secretary Paul Chet Green said the island government had requested information on whether BVI’s owner Wenham Overseas Limited was on the UK sanctions list. in light of the “Financial Times’ persistent allegations that the ships could belong to Mr Roman Abramovich”. The letter further confirmed that the British High Commission had provided the Antiguan authorities with a letter “from the British Virgin Islands Economic Research Service, stating that the real owner of Wenham Overseas Ltd is Roman Abramovich”. Abramovich, owner of the Chelsea Football Club, has been sanctioned by the United Kingdom and the EU, though not the United States, for his alleged close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. While Antigua said this month it would impose all US, EU and UK sanctions on Russian entities and individuals, the island nation initially struggled to verify ownership of the two vessels. Antigua’s confirmation of Abramovich’s ownership of the yachts raises the prospect that they could be seized. The letter states that Antigua “will provide full assistance to the Government of the United Kingdom” if it receives a request under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty of the two nations.

British officials have confirmed that the government was in contact with the Antigua and Barbuda authorities and provided assistance. The United Kingdom has said it will not comment on the talks. These yachts – called Halo and Garçon – are worth about $ 38 million and $ 20 million respectively, according to the VesselsValue valuation service. Halo was made for Australian billionaire James Packer and was originally named EJI from the initials of his three children. However, the casino’s heir put the yacht up for sale a few months after it was delivered in 2018, reportedly because it was “too small”. The Garçon is a 67-meter exploration vessel designed to carry helicopters and a “water toy fleet” and was built for Ukrainian billionaire Yuriy Kosiuk, who sold the so-called support yacht last year.