Authorities in Gibraltar have seized a superyacht linked to the owner of Russia’s biggest steel pipe manufacturer.

Footage showed the Axioma, believed to belong to Dmitrievich Pumpyansky, owner of steel group TMK, moored at Gibraltar and flying a Maltese flag.

The West has imposed sanctions on hundreds of Russian individuals and entities after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, sparking an exodus of luxury yachts from Europe.

Steel group owner linked to superyacht

Refinitiv data shows the 72m vessel is owned by a British Virgin Islands holding company called Pyrene investments, with an article published by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists as part of the Panama Papers naming Mr Pumpyansky as a beneficiary of the holding.

Forbes and specialist publication Superyacht Fan also list him as the owner of the Axioma.

The Gibraltar government said the Axioma arrived in port after asking permission to enter and “was confirmed to be the subject of an arrest action by a leading international bank in the Supreme Court of Gibraltar”.

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“The vessel is now subject to arrest by the Admiralty Marshal until further order,” it said.

Refinitiv shipping data showed the Axioma left the Caribbean island of Antigua on 27 February and spent the last three weeks crossing the Atlantic before reaching Gibraltar.

Two superyachts linked to Abramovich dock in Turkey

Also on Tuesday a superyacht linked to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich docked in the Turkish tourist resort of Marmaris, a day after another of his yachts arrived in Bodrum.

Protesters in a small inflatable dinghy waved Ukrainian flags with the words “No War” on them as they attempted to block the Solaris as it docked in Bodrum.

It was not known if Mr Abramovich was aboard the yacht or if it was moved to Turkey to avoid sanctions.

Last week Mr Abramovich travelled from Jerusalem to Turkey aboard his private jet before departing for Moscow the next morning.

Claims superyacht in Italy belongs to Putin

Meanwhile, allies of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who was found guilty of additional fraud charges in Russia on Tuesday, have claimed a yacht docked in Italy belongs to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Italian police are currently investigating the 140m Scheherazade for ties to sanctioned Russians, but Mr Navalny’s team reported that nearly half of its Russian crew members were employed by Russia’s Federal Protective Service, the FSO, which provides personal security for Mr Putin.

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