Billionaire Tzaneros women go to ground after family shipping empire's collapse: Poppy's discreet dash to 'queen bee' socialite's mansion - and the estranged sister who may have the last laugh

A billionaire family has sparked chatter among Sydney high society as its shipping firm goes into administration owing $60million to the Australian Taxation Office.

Maree Andrews and Barbara Coombes, heiresses of the wealthy Tzaneros family, have made their social media accounts private after news broke last Friday that their father and brother's company, ACFS Port Logistics, was in financial distress. 

The freight giant, founded by Tzaneros patriarch Terry and his CEO son Arthur in December 2005, is set to hit the auction block after entering voluntary administration and receivership on August 6 with multimillion-dollar debts. 

Now, Maree and Barbara, who are respectively married to Andrews Meat heir Peter Andrews and property tycoon Michael Coombes, have closed ranks on their inner circle, taking a step back from public appearances as their family makes headlines. 

The sisters have flicked their Instagram accounts over to private, and it appears that Maree hasn't uploaded a post to her grid since July. 

Likewise, sister-in-law Steffanie Tzaneros (née Roberts), who is married to Tzaneros heir Michael, has also set her socials to private.

Meanwhile, Poppy Tzaneros (née O'Neil), who is the daughter of Rose Bay Marina owner Denis O'Neil and married to Anthony Tzaneros, has kept her social media public, though she hasn't posted to her grid since June.

However, the Daily Mail understands the socialite hasn't completely stepped away from making public appearances, as she was spotted at an Olivia Bond jewellery event last week.

Poppy also marked her 40th birthday at the exclusive Charlie Parker's cocktail bar in Paddington, owned by billionaire Justin Hemmes' Merivale group, in May, months before reports emerged about the Tzaneros family's financial troubles.

She had hired out the venue for the occasion, with photos from the event showing a lavish floral installation at the entrance.

It was the sort of soirée that the eastern suburbs does best - a no-expense-spared affair with free-flowing champagne and a glittering guest list. 

Poppy is the only sister of brothers Ned, Jake and Toby O'Neil, who together run property development company Addenbrooke, whose projects include residential, commercial, hotel and marina developments.

Among the guests were condom heir Michael Porter and his husband Billy Mitchell, along with Lou O'Neil (née Hay) and Sydney socialite Montarna McDonald.

Chambers Cellars heir Joshua Chambers and his wife Catherine may have enjoyed festivities a little too enthusiastically, as staff reportedly asked him to make an early exit from Charlie Parker's, the dimly lit bar beneath Fred's on Oxford Street.

If whispers from the night are to be believed, the party was as lively as expected, with at least two notable guests reportedly not making it home until 9am.

Since her birthday knees-up, however, Poppy appears to have kept a markedly lower profile, much like the rest of the Tzaneros women.

She was seen on Wednesday making a discreet arrival at the home of her friend and socialite Deborah Symond O'Neil, who is the daughter of Aussie Home Loans founder John Symond and the wife of Poppy's brother Ned.

Deborah had earlier been seen stopping by a Double Bay hair salon, garbed in a monochrome khaki ensemble with a Hermès Birkin over her arm. 

Poppy was later pictured arriving at Deb's home carrying a designer Camilla and Marc garment bag, sporting a pair of shades and a grey coat over a black shirt. 

Elsewhere in the Tzaneros family, Arthur, the CEO of ACFS Port Logistics, recently jetted off to Mykonos, despite the millions his company owes to the taxman. 

He and wife Maude are also said to have hosted a Valentine's Day bash on board the multimillion-dollar superyacht Mischief, before Maude celebrated her 50th birthday in May with a no-expense-spared celebration at Little Felix.

But as members of the Tzaneros clan either go to ground or flaunt their wealth, one relative appears entirely unfazed by reports of the firm's financial troubles. 

Natasha Abrams (née Tzaneros) is the sister of Arthur, Anthony, Michael, Barbara and Maree; however, it is believed she has been estranged from the family since her marriage to nightclub impresario Adam Abrams.

Adam is wealthy in his own right, earning his keep as a successful hospitality entrepreneur and co-founder of iconic Sydney venues The Island, Matteo Restaurants, Osborn House and Tanuki. 

He and Natasha have been living the good life, enjoying their spoils away from the Tzaneros family and becoming independent fixtures among Sydney's elite. 

In 2019, they bought a five-bedroom, three-bathroom family home in North Bondi for $3.725million after welcoming a child together and selling their Potts Point apartment.

It comes amid reports that receivers for ACFS Port Logistics will likely seek to sell off the company and its assets to pay off the $60million debt to the ATO.

The container logistics empire fell into administration last week, with Salea Advisory appointed as administrators, and Andrew Sallway and Duncan Clubb of BDO appointed as receivers by ScotPac.

'The receivers and managers of the companies... will likely be undertaking a sale campaign for the sale of the business and assets of the companies... as a going concern,' Salea said in a statement on Friday, according to The Australian Financial Review.

The appointment also applied to ACFS Investments 1 and TZI 1, two other companies controlled by the Tzaneros family.

A scheduled hearing for the wind-up application, which was set to be heard before the Federal Court last Friday, has been adjourned for August 21. 

Neil Chambers, the director of the Container Transport Alliance Australia, previously said the administration could impact customers, retailers, ACFS employees and ports.

However, Arthur Tzaneros, the CEO of ACFS Port Logistics, shared an update to the company's website on Monday, assuring that this would not be the case.

'I absolutely understand that an administration process can cause concern. I have spent the last three days speaking with customers and partners and answering your questions about what this situation means for you,' he wrote.

'There have been public suggestions that this process will interrupt the business. That is not the case. There are not expected to be any impacts on customers, retailers, employees or ports through this process.

'This includes: No loss of jobs across the ACFS workforce, or delays in wages and weekly superannuation payments, or impact on entitlements or conditions.

'No interruption to service delivery for customers and partners. No impact on e-Depot access. No impact on ACFS NZ operations, which are not subject to this administration.

'The Tzaneros family secured approval (subject to pre-completion conditions) for recapitalisation funding ahead of the Administration appointment, and remain fully committed to recapitalising the business. 

'With the company now in Administration, the family is working alongside the Receivers and Managers to secure the future of the business, its customers and its employees.

'As we communicated over the weekend, we have been deeply moved by expressions of support from across the industry. 

'We all know this is a difficult business that has had to navigate sustained challenges across the operating environment. I am confident that through this administration process, ACFS Australia will emerge stronger.'

Arthur went on to say that ACFS Australia was not likely to shut down, calling it 'a stable' and 'operationally profitable' business.

He did not confirm or deny that receivers would be selling ACFS Port Logistics, but said the process of administration 'can sometimes result in the sale of that business'.  

'It will be up to the Administrators of ACFS Port Logistics to determine the best ownership to carry the business out of administration,' he added. 

'The management will be working closely with the Administrators to ensure that during this process, ACFS continues to deliver for customers and partners.'