A superyacht linked to one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s key allies sailed through the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, despite the continued blockage of this critical sea lane.
The 142m long, multi-deck luxury vessel, called Nord, is linked to sanctioned Russian billionaire Alexei Mordashov. Sailed from Dubai to Muscat in Oman over the weekend; one of the few private ships that have transited the strait in recent months.
This week, Iran held high-level talks with Russia as the impasse with the US over reopening the strait continues.
About a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies typically pass through this sea route.
Mordashov, who has close ties to Putin, is not listed as the formal owner of the Russian-flagged vessel. However, Nord files indicate that it was registered to a company owned by his wife in 2022.
The Nord, which has an estimated cost of more than $500 million, left Dubai on Friday night and docked at Al Mouj – a marina in Oman’s capital – on Sunday morning, according to data from the Marine Web platform say visitors.
The route detected by the platform has been used by vessels crossing under an agreement with Iran.
It is unclear whether Nord obtained permission from Iran to sail via that route.
Mordashov accumulated his wealth primarily through his Severstal steel and mining company, Russia’s largest.
With a fortune estimated at about US$37 billion, he is the richest Russian citizen, according to the list of the American financial magazine Forbes.
Iran has severely restricted shipping passage through the Strait of Hormuz in response to the US and Israeli attacks that began on February 28.
Earlier this month, Tehran warned that any vessel approaching the strait would be intercepted.
The United States announced that its forces would intercept or force back vessels sailing to or from Iranian ports.
The route of the Nord shown by the specialized site Marine Web says visitors does not indicate that the yacht docked in Iran.
US Central Command (Centcom) outlines the start of the blockade line furthest east of the vessel’s last reported location.
Shipping traffic through the Gulf Channel is currently at a fraction of prewar levels.
The conflict has contributed to a sharp rise in oil prices, with the benchmark Brent price hitting $109 a barrel on Monday.
The Nord yacht has a swimming pool, a submarine and a heliport, according to the details of the specialized magazine Superyatch Cases.
Mordashov has been the target of sanctions from Western nations including the UK, US and European Union since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
On previous occasions, Hong Kong and the Maldives refrained from intercepting the Nord despite calls from Western nations to seize the billionaire’s assets.
In March 2022, one of Mordashov’s smaller boats, the 65m-long Girl M, was seized by Italian police in the port of Imperia.
Several vessels of Russian oligarchs have been seized or denied entry to European ports under sanctions related to Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine.
That has prompted the transfer of those vessels to regions around the world that are considered outside the reach of sanctions, including ports in the Middle East and Asia.
While negotiations for a lasting peace with the United States remain stalled, Tehran focused its diplomatic efforts this week on cementing the relationship with its ally Russia.
Putin received an Iranian delegation in St. Petersburg on Monday, where Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi praised the two countries’ “strategic relationship.”
The Russian president told Araghchi that the Iranian people were “fighting bravely” for their sovereignty in the face of pressure from the US and Israel, the Russian state agency Tass reported.
Araghchi shared photos on X showing him smiling and shaking hands with Putin and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.
“Recent events are evidence of the depth and strength of our strategic partnership,” he wrote on the social network.
“As our relationship continues to grow, we are grateful for the solidarity and welcome Russia’s support for diplomacy.”
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