Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Forbes
Forbes
Lifestyle
Katharina Buchholz, Contributor

The Frozen Russian Superyachts (And Those That Got Away) [Infographic]

Media reports about the superyachts of sanctioned Russian billionaires being frozen or detained came a dime a dozen since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia one month ago. But did the authorities that are now keeping close watch over these floating displays of extreme wealth in European harbors and marinas catch any big fish when they made their moves on the assets?

The answer to this question is: kind of. Among the enormous yachts detained by European countries are some of the biggest known to be owned by now sanctioned oligarchs. This is according to information collected by the Russian Asset Tracker and several media reports by Forbes and others. The Crescent at a value of $600 million and a length of 443 feet is one of the largest yachts in the world. The boat that is said to feature a large glass-bottom pool, a helicopter hangar and a two-story glass atrium is linked to Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin and is currently being held in Tarragona, Spain, on the Mediterranean coast.

This chart shows sanctioned Russian billionaires' superyachts, by value and status as frozen/detained (as of March 23, 2022) Statista

Another enormous vessel was nabbed by authorities while undergoing repairs in Hamburg, Germany. The Dilbar owned by Metalloinvest’s Alisher Usmanov is the world’s largest yacht measured by interior volume and has a staggering length of 511 feet. The yacht is believed to have been even more expensive upon delivery in 2016 than the Crescent, which was finished in 2019. Finally, the world’s largest sailing yacht, three-master SY A owned by Andrey Melnichenko of EuroChem and coal company SUEK, was detained in Trieste, Italy.

Yet, several more of the biggest boats owned by sanctioned Russian billionaires are currently out of the reach of Western authorities, having been sighted in the Maldives, Dubai or Turkey, where two boats of yacht aficionado and Chelsea F.C. owner Roman Abramovich arrived in the past couple of days after carefully skirting EU waters around Greece. None of the aforementioned countries have imposed sanctioned on Russian individuals or have extradition agreements with the West.

Smaller fish among the superyachts

Compared to these boats, the value of the remaining superyachts that European countries could detain seems rather low in comparison despite their luxurious underpinnings. Sergei Chemezov’s Valerie, which was frozen by Spanish authorities in Barcelona, and another one of Igor Sechin’s yachts, Amore Vero, which was detained on the French Côte d'Azur, were the only ones valued at more than $100 million. For the two yachts, only the price at the time of delivery was available, so the actual value of the boats built in 2013 and 2011, respectively, would be even lower now.

Highly publicized detainments of superyachts also included Alexey Mordaschov’s Lady M and Gennady Timchenko’s Lena, both of which are being held up by Italian authorities. The vessels are only valued at $27 million and $8 million, however, considering loss of value after delivery. Several more boats in a similar price range were frozen in the islands of Mallorca and in Cannes, France. Dimitry Pumpyansky’s Axioma, the latest catch, was valued at $42 million when detained by authorities in Gibraltar Monday.

Charted by Statista

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.