SanctionsGerman authorities have seized a mega yacht belonging to Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, US business magazine reports Forbes based on three anonymous sources. The European Union placed Usmanov on its sanctions list on Monday.
The vessel seized is the Dilbar, which is 156 meters in length and estimated to be worth nearly $600 million. The yacht was impounded in Hamburg, where it had been in a shipyard for maintenance since October. Onboard features include the largest swimming pool ever built on a yacht, two helipads and a sauna.
Five other ships belonging to Russian oligarchs have been moved to the Maldives in recent days, according to a database that monitors ship movements. The Maldives is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean.
The United States announced on Sunday that it will set up a task force to locate and seize the property of Russian oligarchs that have been sanctioned.
Russian Oligarchs are in the spotlight because of their – often – very good relationship with “friend” Vladimir Putin who has ordered the Russian army to invade Ukraine. The European Union has been targeting at least two yachts owned by sanctioned billionaires — Alexey Mordashov and Alisher Usmanov. Their personal belongings in the European Union, from private jets and superyachts to luxury real estate, can now be frozen.
Confidential
The American business magazine Forbes is now also making money and investigating the wealth of more than 100 Russian billionaires. Using data from yacht valuation experts Vessels Value, the magazine has compiled a list of all yachts owned by Russian billionaires
Normally, information about superyachts is strictly confidential, according to expert Sam Tucker in Forbes. His company is confident in its own records on these yachts, which are generally owned by offshore companies registered everywhere and nowhere: from the Isle of Man to the Cayman Islands. Collectively, the 32 yachts that are now being tracked would be worth more than 3 billion euros billion.
Owners often obscure their assets with complicated leasing systems, Tucker knows. A separate company in Malta can be the owner, but the oligarch is the only user. As Russia’s economy crashes under the weight of international sanctions, yachts owned by the country’s billionaires are anchored in much sunnier climes: from Monaco and Barcelona to Dubai and the Seychelles.
Forbes publishes then a long list of oligarchs and their floating toys.
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