Many of the world's most famous and expensive superyachts are now making headlines for different reasons, as they are either seized by authorities under ongoing sanctions or rushed to a safe location by their owners to hide away. So, what now?
Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, many countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and EU member states, have included Russian oligarchs on their sanctions lists and began to seize or temporarily hold their assets. Among the assets are the world's largest and most expensive sail-assisted yacht "A", a spectacular barque owned by EuroChem Group founder Andrey Melnichenko, Valued at US$600 million.
Sailing yacht "A" was arrested in Italy in early March 2022. At the time, the yacht was taken to the port of Trieste for refit and stored there. Authorities confirmed they were seizing the ship because of its ownership: Melnichenko is known to have close ties to Russian President Putin. Until last weekend, there hadn't been much news since the boat was impounded.
reports that the "A" has been refloated, meaning it has been removed from the dry dock and returned to the water. Its current status is "anchored," but for what it's worth, there don't appear to be any concrete official plans to get it out of port.
Superyachts refloated overnight to evade sanctions are real: $400 million The Flying Fox owned by Dmitry Kamenshchik in Dominica The Republic was arrested for a month, and then one day, it just drove off. It is now in safe waters where sanctions do not apply.
The same report states that the sailing yacht "A" may not attempt to escape, but rather be completed by the shipyard as it requires dry dock for another project. In this case, it makes sense to make room by placing it in water. The local government has yet to explain the change.
Sailing yacht "A" was delivered in 2015 and was built by Nobiskrug with an exterior design by Philippe Starck. The vessel is 469 feet (143 meters) long, has an internal volume of 12,558 GT, is spread over eight decks, and uses an hybrid propulsion system, as well as technology and materials developed specifically for the project. It is one of the most photographed yet mysterious vessels of all time, described by the shipyard as "one of the largest and most advanced superyachts in the world".
