Russian-owned superyachts are being seized in the waters of countries that have imposed sanctions on Russian companies and oligarchs, according to international broadcasters and social media. While these reports have circulated, the sources behind some of these stories have remained largely unknown; we will continue to update this article as additional yachts are sanctioned.
The 136m Lürssen-built superyacht Flying Fox has been detained in the Dominican Republic, according to reports. According to Autoevolution, the US Department of Homeland Security Investigations searched the yacht on Friday before ordering the Dominican government to detain it. Flying Fox is thought to be owned by the CEO of Moscow’s Domodedovo airport, who is sanctioned by the US.
Flying Fox was launched in 2019 and is arguably the most desired charter yacht in the world. Espen Ino International created her exterior, and Mark Berryman Design created her interior. With 9,022 GT of interior volume, Flying Fox has plenty of room for 22 guests, who will be looked after by 54 crew members.
Axioma arrested in Gibraltar (confirmed)
According to Reuters, the 72-metre motor yacht Axioma by Dunya Yachts has been detained by Gibraltar authorities. Axioma is thought to be owned by the CEO of the steel company TMK. “The vessel is now subject to arrest by the Admiralty Marshal until further order,” the Gibraltar government said in a statement.
Axioma was introduced in 2013 with an exterior design by Sterling / Scott and an interior design by Alberto Pinto. She has a 1,620 GT interior volume and can accommodate up to 12 guests. She is managed by a team of 20 people. The arrest comes only six days after the seizure of Crescentin Spain.
Royal Romance arrested in Croatia (unconfirmed)
The 92.5-metre Feadship motor yacht Royal Romance was apprehended in Rijeka, Croatia, according to a Tweet from Clash Report. Viktor Medvedchuk is thought to be the owner of the 2,901 GT superyacht.
Royal Romance was launched in 2015 and is Feadship’s 12th largest yacht. De Voogt Naval Architects designed the exterior and naval architecture, and Seymour Diamond designed the interior.
Crescent arrested in Spain (unconfirmed)
According to Reuters, the 135-metre Lürssen superyacht Crescent has been detained in the Catalan port of Tarragona. According to reports, the superyacht’s owner is the CEO of the Russian oil company Rosneft.
The yacht, the world’s 25th largest superyacht, was launched in 2018 by the German yacht builder to designs by Espen Ino and interiors by Zurretti Interior Design. The news comes just a day after Valerie was arrested in Barcelona and the Spanish Prime Minister stated that more yacht arrests would be made.
85.1-metre Valerie arrested in Barcelona (confirmed)
A headline on Reuters online news outlet has announced; “Spain seizes Russian oligarch’s yacht in Barcelona”. The vessel which was built by Lürssen and launched in 2011, has been arrested in Barcelona and the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on La Sexta television; “Today we seized – the technical term is provisionally immobilised – a yacht belonging to one of the principal oligarchs, we are talking about a yacht that we estimate is worth $140 million.”
The Prime Minister added, “There will be more”, though without mentioning any vessels by name. The 85.1-metre superyacht’s owner was not among those named in the latest sanctions list, however according to Reuters the EU imposed measures against him for separate actions in 2014.
The yacht will be detained until the Spanish authorities confirm her ownership details and her owner’s name appears on a sanctions list. This is the first instance of a yacht being arrested despite the owner’s name not appearing on a sanctions list.
Sailing Yacht A arrested in Trieste
According to the Italian newspaper Il Piccolo, the 142.81-metre Nobiskrug superyacht Sailing Yacht A has been apprehended by the Guardia di Finanza in Trieste, Italy. The motor sailing yacht, the world’s largest sail-assisted superyacht, was launched in 2017 and is unquestionably one of the most recognisable yachts in the world.
International governments imposed sanctions on the vessel’s owner as part of their efforts to put pressure on Russian elites and oligarchs in order to end the conflict in Ukraine. The Guardia di Finanza boarded the vessel on Friday evening, according to the report, which had been undergoing maintenance work in the region.
Dilbar Sanctioned (confirmed)
On Tuesday evening, the German news broadcaster NDR reported that left-wing German politicians had demanded the seizure of the 156-metre Lürssen superyacht Dilbar. We received messages from industry insiders the next morning announcing that she had been arrested; however, the German government made no statement to verify the claim, leading us to believe that the claims were hearsay rather than fact.
Dilbar has been undergoing maintenance at Lürssen’s Hamburg facility (formerly Blohm & Voss). She arrived at the facility in late October 2021 and was partially covered in scaffolding in the drydock.
The storey was announced yesterday by the American newspaper Forbes, which cited three sources in the yachting industry without naming who or where the information came from. While many governments have put pressure on Russian oligarchs by freezing their assets, whether they have been able to seize them in the case of Dilbar remains to be seen.
(03-03-2022, 15:01) A spokesperson for Hamburg’s economic authority has now stated, “No yachts have been confiscated.” A handover [of the yacht to its owner] is also not currently planned. No yacht will leave the port if it is not authorised to do so.” According to the Guardian.
Amore Vero Arrest (confirmed)
However, only moments ago, French media announced that the 85.5-metre Oceanco superyacht Amore Vero had been seized in La Ciotat.
This news has now been verified by Oliver Dussopt, the French Minister of Public Action and Accounts, who tweeted: “As part of the implementation of European Union sanctions against Russia and in support of Ukraine, we seized a first yacht.”
In addition, news outlet The Local Fr, reported that Finance minister Bruno Le Maire then said: “We thank the French Customs for this seizure carried out as part of the implementation of the European Union sanctions against Russia.”
Quantum Blue Arrest (unconfirmed)
The 104-metre Lürssen superyacht Quantum Blue was prevented from leaving the Principality, her home port for the last two years, according to the Monégasque newspaper Monaco-Matin yesterday.
While her owner is not one of the Russians named in the various sanctions, he had planned to leave the marina, but the port authorities prevented him from doing so. The article stated that the yacht was scheduled to depart on March 1st, but was delayed due to technical difficulties – the veracity of this claim is unknown.
Quantum Blue has now left Monaco and is sailing south, currently cruising along the west coast of Corsica.
Lady M Sanction and Lena (unconfirmed)
According to the Italian press, Russian-owned superyachts in Liguria, Italy, are now subject to similar sanctions as those reported in France and Germany. Both the 64.5-metre Lady M and the 40-metre Lena are said to have been affected by the recent events. The veracity of these assertions has yet to be established.
Concerning the current conflict, the Italian shipyard Sanlorenzo, which built Lena, stated that “the backlog amount as of 31 January 2022, equal to €1,002.6 million, related to customers of Russian nationality does not reach 10% of the total, spread over three fiscal years.” The company also specifies that these are subjects not subject to international sanctions, whose payments are regular, and no orders have been cancelled as of today.”
What is causing this?
These developments follow American President Joe Biden’s announcement on Wednesday that the US and its allies will act against Russian oligarchs and “find and seize their yachts, luxury apartments, and private jets.” Some have questioned the legality of this action; however, under American law, at least, it is legal under the Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act, which allows assets to be forfeited to the government in connection with foreign crimes. Assets may become the property of the seizing government in this case.
It remains to be seen whether other international governments will follow the French government’s lead.
