After the visit of the Opera earlier in the week, a yacht belonging to Sheikh Abdulah bin Zeyed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s Minister of State, the luxury refueling stops in Las Palmas continued for the big vessels.
The latest to grace the bay of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is the Anna, a sharply styled vessel owned by the Russian oligarch Dimitri Rybolovlev.
The tale of the fertilizer king is one of a taste for expensive things, reserved for an elite that rubs shoulders with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. It is a tapestry of multimillion-dollar artworks, football clubs, islands, a high-profile divorce, private jets, mansions, and luxury yachts.
With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United States placed him on a list of tycoons close to Putin, though France has since clarified that the connection is not as clear as it once seemed. At least for now.
Mines, Fertilizers, and Football
In 2010 Rybolovlev sold his stake in Uralkali, the Russian company that built his fortune in the fertilizer and mining sectors near the Urals. He then established a base in Monaco and bought the football club in 2011. His investments earned him a top league presence, a probe into corruption, and a claim of influence in the Champions League after a squad led by Kylian Mbappé reached the semifinals. The team, according to sports media, is reportedly up for sale.
Another sign that ties him away from the Kremlin orbit is his family, which has long lived in Switzerland and other parts of Europe, as have the headquarters of his main companies in places like Cyprus and Greece.
Forbes estimates his wealth at 6.4 billion dollars, and his 2015 divorce became known as one of the most expensive in history.
Trump’s Mansion
Among his notable ventures is the 95 million dollar purchase of a Palm Beach mansion in 2008, the Greek island of Skorpios once owned by the Onassis family, and an art collection valued at around two billion dollars.
Earlier this year he sued Sotheby’s over alleged collusion with a Swiss dealer who misled him in buying 89 lots of art priced above market. Eleven of those works reached Sotheby’s, but a New York judge narrowed the case to four paintings and a sculpture, including pieces by René Magritte, Gustav Klimt, Amedeo Modigliani, and Leonardo da Vinci.
Rybolovlev lost the case, but the outcome was not a total loss. The crown jewel of the lot, Salvator Mundi by Da Vinci, was bought by a dealer for 83 million and sold to Rybolovlev for 127.5 million; he later placed it with Christie’s for 450.3 million, according to reports from the trial held last January.
To the Mediterranean via Africa
Among his yachts, besides the Anna, the luxury yacht Skorpios stands out. It bears the name of the island once owned by his daughter and is seen in Caribbean regattas and races. The Anna, perhaps the most opulent vessel under his ownership, features a 110-meter length. Built in 2018, its value is around 250 million dollars.
In the capital of Gran Canaria he paused for a half-day, refueled, and continued toward the Mediterranean with a final stop planned in the port of Algiers. Flying under the Cayman Islands flag, the yacht avoids European embargos tied to the war in Russia and arrives from South Africa, same as the Opera. This underscores that the superyachts of the super rich are steering clear of the Red Sea route to skirt around Africa and reach Europe for leisure travel.
The Cabo de Buena Esperanza route solidifies as an alternative to the Suez Canal, placing the Canary Islands on the map for East-West maritime travel.