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What Happens After a Superyacht Is Seized? It’s Uncharted Territory.

It's one thing to confiscate a yacht, another to sell it. analysts expect legal battles and hefty maintenance costs while the vessels are impounded., jaclyn trop, jaclyn trop's most recent stories.

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Six weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine, authorities are detaining more luxury yachts in global ports than ever. This week’s tally includes 12 vessels under construction in The Netherlands —the world’s foremost superyacht builder—and a $120 million yacht seized in Spanish waters on an FBI warrant.

The US Department of Justice worked with Spanish authorities to capture the 255-foot Tango , owned by Motiv Telecom founder Viktor Vekselberg. The US has joined a growing number of countries detaining superyachts suspected of belonging to businessmen connected to Vladimir Putin.

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“ Tango is not the first time the United States has ever asked a foreign government to assist in executing a warrant,” said Stefan Cassella, a lawyer who served as Chief of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section in the US Attorney’s Office in Maryland. “But it does seem to be the first time it’s happened in the context of property belonging to a Russian oligarch who was evading sanctions.”

Yacht seizures have been targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s cronies, and Putin himself. It’s rumored that he owns the $700-million Scheherazade, which is being held by Italian authorities.  Courtesy AP/Sputnik

US Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said on Monday that Tango “will not be the last” yacht belonging to members of Putin’s inner circle to be confiscated.

Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Finland and The Netherlands have detained over the last month billions of dollars in vessels believed to be owned by sanctioned Russians. Last week, the UK government seized its first superyacht, the 192-foot, $45 million Phi   in London’s Canary Wharf.

“The current situation is unprecedented,” Benjamin Maltby, partner at Keystone Law in the UK and an expert in yacht and luxury-asset law, told Robb Report.

The 433-foot Crescent was seized on March 17 by Spanish authorities.  Courtesy Sipa USA via AP

Most large yachts are registered by offshore corporations in island tax havens to obscure their ownership. “If the owner wants to make it difficult, then it can be very hard to trace,” Maltby said . Owners often use shareholders, directors and family members as proxies. The Phi , for example, is registered to a company based in the Caribbean but flies the Maltese flag.

The multinational effort to seize oligarch-owned yachts—which often come with swimming pools, helipads, and millions of dollars in annual maintenance fees—is expected to put economic pressure on Putin and his allies. Owning a superyacht, the ultimate status symbol, is practically a prerequisite for joining Russia’s oligarchy.

But there are multiple legal considerations. Freezing a yacht means that the owner can’t sell the ship or transfer ownership, or provide maintenance services. However, the sanctions don’t allow countries to take ownership of oligarch-owned yachts, giving rise to uncertainties over the fates of the superyachts accumulating in shipyards throughout Europe.

The seizure of Tango on Monday involved Spanish authorities working with FBI agents. The US seized the yacht after connecting it to Putin crony Viktor Vekselberg.  Courtesy AP/Francisco Ubilla

Maintaining a yacht is an expensive endeavor because it is continually exposed to the elements. “A vessel is treated very much like a person or corporation,” Michael Karcher, a maritime lawyer with Robert Allen Law in Miami, told Robb Report. “The boat can run up its own bills. Then, if the yacht is in someone’s boatyard, there’s the question of ‘Can we do any business with them?’”

The ripple effect extends to caterers, yacht brokers, mortgage and insurance companies, and dozens of other industries connected to the yacht’s operation and maintenance.

“When a yacht is seized while in a yard, the owner will remain liable for the maintenance costs,” Maltby said. “But if the owner is unable to pay, the yard is left in a difficult position.”

Equanimity was seized by Malaysia and sold off in 2019 for half of its value. But the yachting world has never seen anything like the mass seizures taking place with the Russian oligarchs.  Courtesy AP

The situation remains unclear for the shipyards and marinas docking the yachts.

Karcher said that he receives calls from shipyards each time the Treasury Department sends a new round of sanctioned names, asking whether they’ve dealt with anyone on the list. “Some are saying, ‘Hey, who is this guy.’ Then they realize there’s this boat taking up a few hundred feet of dock space. ‘Who’s going to pay for it?’”

The answer may vary by jurisdiction.

Roman Abramovich, who was in Turkey earlier this week to observe the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. His $600 million Solaris set sail from Istanbul for international waters this week, while his other yacht Eclipse remains in that country. Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the Maldives are not seizing the Russian oligarchs’ yachts, so many targeted vessels have moved into those waters.  Courtesy AP

The British government has said that Phi ’s owner will be held responsible for all maintenance costs while the boat is ordered to remain at Canary Wharf in London’s docklands. One legal expert said Spanish authorities are likely to maintain Tango while in their custody.

But at most marinas, “yard invoices are indeed just stacking up—unpaid and un-payable,” Maltby said. “Yet the judicial mechanisms for liquidation remain in place. Will we see some bargains coming onto the market in the summer months?”

Many analysts expect protracted lawsuits. “The United States and Western countries have considerable authority to seize property, but less authority to keep it,” wrote Jonathan Turley in USA Today . “The reason is that, unlike Russia, these countries are bound by property rights and rules of due process.”

Lady M was seized by Italian tax authorities on March 5. Owner Alexei Mordashov is on the sanctions list.  Courtesy AP

To take ownership of an oligarch’s yacht, governments have to show that the property was part of a crime. Turley wrote that it may be challenging for prosecutors to prove that the yachts are the result of “proceeds of illegal activity” rather than purchased via legitimate business channels. The seizures could take years in the courts to sort out.

For the moment, the yacht confiscations and freezing of assets seem to be accelerating. The list of detained superyachts include the $580 million Sailing Yacht A owned by coal and fertilizer magnet Andrey Melnichenko; the $153 million Valerie belonging to Sergei Chemezov, CEO of Russian state-owned defense conglomerate Rostec; and t he $120 million Amore Vero linked to Russian oligarch Igor Sechin.

Others are under the watchful eye of the US, UK, and EU, as well as amateurs watching VesselFinder ,  MarineTraffic , and other location-monitoring apps.

Town residents in La Ciotat, France, look at the impounded Amore Vera , owned by Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin.  Courtesy AP

On Monday, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich moved his $600 million Solaris from a Turkish port and into international waters. His $1.5 billion Eclipse , one of the world’s longest and most expensive superyachts, remains docked off the coast of Turkey. Abramovich is believed to own several other yachts as well.

Meanwhile, police in Italy are investigating the Scheherazade , a 460-foot superyacht thought to belong to Vladimir Putin that remains docked at a Tuscan resort.

No yachts have been seized in US waters, but the Biden administration has taken aggressive measures to punish Russians who have benefitted from “ill-begotten gains,” as President Joe Biden said in his State of the Union address last month.

Seizing a yacht is easy, selling it is much more complicated. Analysts expect many legal battles over the yachts.  Courtesy AP

Authorities say many yachts remain in international waters or docked in countries that have not imposed sanctions , such as the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and the Maldives.

That island nation is said to have a half-dozen Russian-owned superyachts in its waters, including Andrey Melnichenko’s 390-foot Motor Yacht A . The country’s chief prosecutor, Hussain Shameem, told Reuters that the idea of confiscating a Russian superyacht was “far-fetched” because of the country’s rudimentary legal system and lack of a military.

Congress is considering a bi-partisan bill called “Yachts for Ukraine” that would allow authorities to seize Russian-owned assets of $5 million or more. The bill permits the government to sell the assets and send the cash to aid humanitarian and reconstruction efforts in Ukraine. The Department of Justice also announced a $5 million reward for tips leading to yacht owners on the sanctions list, but so far has not disbursed any reward money.

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Roman Abramovich’s $1bn five-yacht fleet revealed

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Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich owns or is linked to a collection of five yachts estimated to be worth almost $1bn, including several vessels whose ownership remained secret until this week.

A Financial Times investigation into the billionaire’s assets has lifted the veil of secrecy he maintains over his wealth, even after the UK and EU imposed sanctions on him following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for his allegedly close relationship with President Vladimir Putin.

Authorities in the UK and EU are attempting to identify all of the assets owned by sanctioned oligarchs. Abramovich was already widely reported to be the owner of Solaris and Eclipse — worth $474mn and $437mn, respectively, according to yacht data service VesselsValue. But the FT revealed this week that he also owns Halo and Garçon, which are both moored in Antigua.

The Antiguan government was unaware of the ownership of the boats docked on the island before inquiries from the FT, highlighting the scale of the challenge UK and EU authorities face in enforcing sanctions.

Tom Keatinge, director of the Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies at the Royal United Services Institute think-tank said governments, banks and other institutions trying to enforce sanctions had to navigate a world where “ownership trails run cold and morph into a haze of front companies, nominees and cut-outs”.

Halo and Garçon are valued at $38mn and $20mn, respectively, and are now at risk of being seized.

In a letter to the British high commissioner to Barbados regarding the yachts, Antiguan minister of foreign affairs Paul Chet Greene said the island would “provide full assistance to the government of the United Kingdom” if it receives a request under the two nations’ Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty.

The letter noted that Antigua had requested information on the company that owns the two boats — British Virgin Islands-registered Wenham Overseas Limited — after “persistent allegations by the Financial Times that the vessels could be owned by Mr Roman Abramovich”.

In response, the British high commission provided Antiguan authorities with a letter, seen by the FT, “from the Financial Investigation Agency of the British Virgin Islands which states the beneficial owner of Wenham Overseas Ltd is Roman Abramovich”.

The letter also shows the billionaire’s address in Switzerland is listed simply as “Immeuble, Gatzby Le Magnifique”, which translates as “The Great Gatsby Building”.

Keatinge described the UK’s ability to demand full ownership information of companies registered in any of its overseas territories or crown dependencies as its “most powerful global weapon” in combating financial secrecy.

However, he asked: “How much is that weapon being used?”

A person with knowledge of Abramovich’s boat collection and documents seen by the FT indicate that the oligarch may also still be the owner of Sussurro, the first yacht he bought in 1998, despite reports he had given it to an ex-wife in a divorce.

The person who correctly identified the two yachts in Antigua as belonging to Abramovich told the FT the oligarch still owned Sussurro.

The vessel’s owner is listed in maritime registers as Vesuvius International Limited in the British Virgin Islands. BVI documents show this company was deregistered there in 2017. Another Vesuvius International was registered in Jersey the same year.

The owner of Jersey-based Vesuvius International is listed as Wotton Overseas Holdings Limited. This entity — which shifted from the BVI to Jersey in 2017 — is also the owner through a subsidiary of a helicopter that has been photographed landing on Abramovich’s Solaris several times.

Maritime tracking services show Sussurro, which means “whisper” in Italian and is valued at $11mn, is moored in La Ciotat in the south of France — the same port where the French government last month seized a $116mn superyacht belonging to a company tied to Igor Sechin, head of Russian oil group Rosneft.

Sussurro’s management company is Blue Ocean Management, a Cyprus-based company that also manages Le Grand Bleu, a 113-metre superyacht that Abramovich reportedly gave to his business associate Eugene Shvidler.

The UK placed Shvidler under sanctions last week.

The letter from the BVI’s financial investigation agency to its British counterparts also reveals that the owner of Le Grand Blue — Ashchurch Holdings Limited — is owned by “Zarui Shvidler”. Shvidler’s wife is commonly known as Zara Shvidler.

VesselsValue pegged Le Grand Bleu’s market value in a range of $110mn-$130mn, noting that the boat had last been tracked this week in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Puerto Rico.

Representatives for Abramovich and Shvidler did not respond to requests for comment.

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U.S. seizes mega yacht owned by oligarch with close ties to Putin

PALMA DE MALLORCA, Spain — The U.S. government seized a mega yacht in Spain owned by an oligarch with close ties to the Russian president on Monday, the first in the government’s sanctions enforcement initiative to “seize and freeze” giant boats and other pricey assets of Russian elites .

Spain’s Civil Guard and U.S. federal agents descended on the yacht at the Marina Real in the port of Palma de Mallorca, the capital of Spain’s Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. Associated Press reporters at the scene saw police going in and out of the boat on Monday morning.

The seizure was confirmed by two people familiar with the matter. The people could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity. A Spanish Civil Guard spokesman confirmed that officers from the Spanish police body and from the FBI were at the marina searching the vessel Monday morning and said further details would be released later.

A Civil Guard source told The Associated Press that the immobilized yacht is Tango, a 78-meter (254-feet) vessel that carries Cook Islands flag and that  Superyachtfan.com , a specialized website that tracks the world’s largest and most exclusive recreational boats, values at $120 million. The source was also not authorized to be named in media reports and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

The yacht is among the assets linked to Viktor Vekselberg, a billionaire and close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin who heads the Moscow-based Renova Group, a conglomerate encompassing metals, mining, tech and other assets, according to U.S. Treasury Department documents. All of Vekselberg’s assets in the U.S. are frozen and U.S. companies are forbidden from doing business with him and his entities.

The move is the first time the U.S. government has seized an oligarch’s yacht since Attorney General Merrick Garland and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen assembled a task force known as REPO — short for Russian Elites, Proxies and Oligarchs — as an effort to enforce sanctions after Russia invaded Ukraine in late February.

Vekselberg has long had ties to the U.S. including a green card he once held and homes in New York and Connecticut. The Ukrainian-born businessman built his fortune by investing in the aluminum and oil industries in the post-Soviet era.

Vekselberg was also questioned in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and has worked closely with his American cousin, Andrew Intrater, who heads the New York investment management firm Columbus Nova.

Vekselberg and Intrater were thrust into the spotlight in the Mueller probe after the attorney for adult film star Stormy Daniels released a memo that claimed $500,000 in hush money was routed through Columbus Nova to a shell company set up by Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen. Columbus Nova denied that Vekselberg played any role in its payments to Cohen.

Vekselberg and Intrater met with Cohen at Trump Tower, one of several meetings between members of Trump’s inner circle and high-level Russians during the 2016 campaign and transition.

The 64-year-old mogul founded Renova Group more than three decades ago. The group holds the largest stake in United Co. Rusal, Russia’s biggest aluminum producer, among other investments.

Vekselberg was first sanctioned by the U.S. in 2018, and again in March of this year, shortly after the invasion of Ukraine began. Vekselberg has also been sanctioned by authorities in the United Kingdom.

The U.S. Justice Department has also launched a sanctions enforcement task force known as KleptoCapture , which also aims to enforce financial restrictions in the U.S. imposed on Russia and its billionaires, working with the FBI, Treasury and other federal agencies. That task force will also target financial institutions and entities that have helped oligarchs move money to dodge sanctions.

The White House has said that many allied countries, including German, the U.K, France, Italy and others are involved in trying to collect and share information against Russians targeted for sanctions. In his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden warned oligarch that the U.S. and European allies would “find and seize your yachts, your luxury apartments, your private jets.”

“We are coming for your ill-begotten gains,” he said.

Wednesday’s capture is not the first time Spanish authorities have been involved in the seizure of a Russian oligarch’s superyacht. Officials there said they had seized a vessel valued at over $140 million owned by the CEO of a state-owned defense conglomerate and a close Putin ally.

French authorities have also seized superyachts, including one believed to belong to Igor Sechin, a Putin ally who runs Russian oil giant Rosneft, which has been on the U.S. sanctions list since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.

Italy has also seized several yachts and other assets.

Italian financial police moved quickly seizing the superyacht “Lena” belonging to Gennady Timchenko, an oligarch close to Putin, in the port of San Remo; the 65-meter (215-foot) “Lady M” owned by Alexei Mordashov in nearby Imperia, featuring six suites and estimated to be worth 65 million euros; as well as villas in Tuscany and Como, according to government officials.

Para reported from Madrid and Balsamo reported from Washington.

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Billionaire roman abramovich’s yacht is ‘the prize to seize’ amid russia conflict.

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich’s $500 million megayacht is the prize piece of hardware the international community wants to seize from the oligarchs, according to insiders.

Eclipse , the second-largest superyacht in the world, which is currently moored in St. Maarten, is equipped with a military-grade missile detection system, bulletproof glass, and a three-person submarine that is capable of submerging to 50 meters — sparking speculation that the vessel could be a refuge for President Vladimir Putin, of whom Abramovich is said to be a close confidant.

One Russian source told Page Six, “Yachts generally do not have bulletproof glass and antiballistic missile defenses. People in Russia and the Ukraine believe it was built for Putin. That yacht will definitely be top of the list to be seized by the Americans or the Europeans.”

Abramovich — who has always denied a personal link to Putin — nevertheless has been in Belarus helping with cease-fire talks with the Ukrainians on behalf of the Russians.

And he’s selling his prized Chelsea Football Club in the UK as he reportedly is rushing to offload assets including multiple properties in England before he is hit with possible sanctions.

Eclipse has hosted a litany of stars and power brokers over the years including Paul McCartney and Leonardo DiCaprio and has been at Abramovich’s annual New Year’s Eve party in St. Barts.

The vessel — built by renowned German shipbuilder Blohm + Voss — has three helipads, 24 guest cabins, two swimming pools, several hot tubs, and a disco hall. Around 70 crew members are needed to operate it.

It even is reported to boast an anti-paparazzi system that detects the use of digital cameras to click photographs of the boat and uses lasers to disrupt a potential photograph.

A spokesman for Abramovich didn’t immediately get back to us.

The first Russian yacht that appears to have been seized is owned by billionaire Alisher Usmanov. His 512-foot yacht Dilbar, valued at nearly $600 million, has been impounded by German authorities in Hamburg, where it was undergoing repairs, Forbes reported .

The ship has been in the yards of shipbuilder Blohm + Voss since late October for a refitting job, the outlet reported, adding the German government froze the asset.

Usmanov reportedly bought Dilbar in 2016 for $600 million, custom-built by German shipbuilder Lürssen, which describes it as “One of the most complex and challenging yachts ever built, in terms of both dimensions and technology. At 15,917 tons, the 156-meter superyacht features entertainment and recreation spaces never before seen on a yacht. These include a 25-meter swimming pool that holds an incredible 180 m³ of water, the largest pool ever to have been installed on a yacht.” It can host 24 people in 12 suites and carries a crew of nearly 100.

Multibillionaire Usmanov’s fortune spans stakes in iron ore and steel giant Metalloinvest and consumer electronics firm Xiaomi, Forbes also reported. He is of the earliest investors in Facebook, a former stakeholder of Arsenal Football Club and also owns impressive real estate assets in the West, from two estates in the UK — Beechwood House in London and Sutton Place in Surrey, valued at a combined $280 million — to luxury homes across Germany, Switzerland, Monaco and Sardinia.

Usmanov said in a statement that he had been targeted by “restrictive measures” by the European Union, and “I believe that such decision is unfair, and the reasons employed to justify the sanctions are a set of false and defamatory allegations damaging my honor, dignity, and business reputation,” he wrote. “I will use all legal means to protect my honor and reputation.”

The move comes after President Biden fired a warning shot at the oligarchs during his State of the Union address , saying, “We are joining with our European allies to find and seize your yachts, your luxury apartments, your private jets.”

And French authorities have seized a yacht that they say is linked to Russian oligarch Igor Sechin, considered a close ally and “de facto deputy” of Putin. 

The 280-foot Amore Velo was taken on March 2 in La Ciotat Shipyards, in the South of France, the country’s finance minister, Bruno Le Maire, announced on Twitter .

Meanwhile, a growing number of superyachts belonging to Russian tycoons have made their way to the Indian Ocean , cruising around the Maldives and Seychelles. 

And according to German reports, Putin’s own superyacht slipped out of European Union waters a few days before the invasion of Ukraine to avoid being impounded.

The $100 million vessel named Graceful left port in Hamburg abruptly before finishing repairs, according to the reports from German newspaper Bild , moving into Russian waters near Kaliningrad along the Baltic coast.

The superyacht features an indoor pool that can be transformed into a dance floor as well as a helipad, and can accommodate 14 guests.

But despite the craft being out of the reach of the EU, members of the “hacktivist” collective Anonymous managed to change Putin’s superyacht’s call sign to “FCKPTN” and the ship’s destination to “hell.”

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Photos show the luxury mega yachts that belong to Russian oligarchs — some of whom have hidden their ships as the UK ramps up sanctions.

• Sanctions targeting Russian oligarchs threaten their luxury assets — including their mega yachts.
• Many countries have implemented sanctions targeting Putin and Russian oligarchs following Russia's attack on Ukraine.
• Insider compiled a photo list of some of the luxury vessels.

Russian billionaires' assets — including their megayachts — are in danger of being seized as countries continue to impose sanctions on Russian oligarchs in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden announced that the US will make a substantial effort to seize Russian oligarchs' assets.

"We are joining with our European allies to find and seize your yachts, your luxury apartments, your private jets," Biden said in his State of The Union address on March 1. "We are coming for your ill-begotten gains."

Since the US is not in "armed conflict" with Russia it may be legally tricky to seize assets like yachts, Insider reported . 

"The threshold for seizing assets under sanctions is that the US has to be in armed conflict with the owner of the assets," Brian O'Toole, an economic sanctions expert, tweeted last Friday. "The idea of turning Russian corruption into Ukrainian assistance is lovely but this idea is illegal, period."

It can also be difficult to find out who the owners of these yachts are.

Offshore companies typically own the luxury vessels, but enough "public speculation" pointing to a Russian oligarch as an owner is likely "sufficient for a seizure," Insider reported . 

Many of the oligarchs moved their yachts to places where they can't be seized, such as the Maldives, which does not have an extradition treaty with the US.

Insider has compiled a list of photos with mega yachts linked to Russian oligarchs.

Galactica Super Nova

Amid sanctions and seizures targeting Russian billionaires, Galactica Super Nova — said to be linked to the CEO of Russian oil firm Lukoil — is no longer detectable via ship tracker site MarineTraffic , The Daily Beast reported Thursday. 

The superyacht — whose owner is named Vagit Alekperov — had just been in Montenegro last week, Insider reported .

Alekperov is not currently the target of any sanctions. 

The yacht is almost 230 feet long and can hold up to 12 guests and 16 crew members, according to the ship maker Heesen Yachts .

The ship also has a helicopter pad that can turn into an outdoor movie theatre, also according to the ship maker.

The Amore Vero

France seized Amore Vero, a 281-foot megayacht linked to oligarch and politician Igor Sechin, on March 3.

The yacht, Amore Vero, is estimated to have a value of $120 million . It has a swimming pool that doubles as a helicopter pad and a private deck for its owner, according to Oceana , the ship maker.

Per The Wall Street Journal , officials believe that Amore Vero is "owned by a company whose majority shareholder was Mr. Sechin," though the outlet does not provide the name of the company.

Sechin is the CEO of Rosneft, Russia's oil giant, and a former deputy prime minister. A known Putin ally , he was sanctioned by both the EU and the US before France seized his yacht last week .

Sechin was one of seven oligarchs sanctioned by the UK on Thursday. 

People in Russia have referred to Sechin as "Darth Vader" and "the scariest man on Earth," according to The Guardian .

Alisher Usmanov has been sanctioned by the EU, the US, the UK, and Switzerland. His boat remains in Germany, but the country says it hasn't seized it.

Usmanov's Dilbar is "is the largest motor yacht in the world by gross tonnage," according to Lürssen , the German ship's maker.

It's 512-foot long and weighs 15,917 tons. The ship has been docked in Germany for months undergoing a "refitting," but last week Forbes reported that it was unable to leave the dock.

Germany, however, has denied that it formally seized Dilbar.

Forbes said that "the German federal customs agency is the 'responsible enforcement authority' and would have to issue an export waiver for the yacht to leave, and that 'no yacht leaves port that is not allowed to do so.'" 

Still, multiple outlets reported that Usmanov has fired the crew on the Dilbar.

The Uzbekistan-born oligarch is a supporter of Putin. 

"I am proud that I know Putin, and the fact that everybody does not like him is not Putin's problem," Usmanov told Forbes  in a 2010 interview. 

Suleyman Kerimov was sanctioned by the US, and his son, Said Kerimov, owns ICE. The superyacht is worth is an estimated $170 million.

The Kerimov family owns the majority of Polyus Gold, Russia's biggest gold producer .

ICE was dubbed "Superyacht of the Year" in 2006 at the World Super Yacht Awards, according to Boat International . It is approximately 300 feet and has its own resident helicopter, according to Club Yacht .

Quantum Blue

Sergey Galitsky's ship, Quantum Blue, has an estimated value of $250 million and is last known to be docked in Monaco.

Galitsky is the founder of one of Russia's largest supermarket chains, Magnit.

His name is not currently on the list of sanctioned Russian oligarchs,

Though he also is not the target of any current sanctions, Vladimir Potanin's superyacht, Nirvana, is one of at least four ships docked in the Maldives .

Potanin is the Former First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia and was a longtime trustee for the Guggenheim museum before stepping down on March 2, according to The New York Times . 

Nirvana is not Potanin's only superyacht, he also owns another named Barbara, according to Fortune .

Alexander Abramov's Titan, Alexei Mordashovis' Nord, and Oleg Deripaska's Clio are also located in the Maldives.

At 533 feet long, Roman Abramovich's Eclipse was the largest yacht on the globe until 2013 when the 590-foot Azzam overthrew it. 

Abramovich, once Russia's richest man , is the departing owner of Chelsea FC soccer club. He was sanctioned by the UK on Thursday along with six other oligarchs, Insider reported .

The luxury boat has a host of amenities, including two helicopter pads, a missile detection system, and a swimming pool more than 50 feet long. It also has space for up to 36 guests and 70 crew members, according to Yacht Harbour .

Insider previously reported that it is currently docked in the Caribbean .

Another yacht named Solaris is linked to Abramovich. The vessel, worth approximately $600 million, left Spain Tuesday after having been under repair since late 2021, Insider reported.

Solaris is 460 feet and can host a total of 36 guests, according to SuperYachtFan .

Tango, owned by the US-sanctioned Viktor Vekselberg, is currently located in Palma, Spain.

Tango can host up to 14 people and is 254 feet long, won the 2012 World Superyacht Awards, and has an estimated worth of $120 million, according to SuperYachtFan .

Vekselberg is a Ukrainian-born businessman who owns Renova, a Russian conglomerate, according to The Guardian .

He was one of nearly two dozen Russian oligarchs and officials that the US sanctioned on Friday.

The US Treasury Department claims that he has close ties with Putin, and has announced that assets such as his $90 million jet and his superyacht Tango have been frozen, Insider reported .

Graceful, a yacht reported to belong to Russian President Vladimir Putin, left Germany just before his invasion of Ukraine, Insider reported in early February.

—Manu Gómez (@GDarkconrad) February 9, 2022

Graceful is 270 feet long and has a saloon, gym, spa, library, and an indoor pool nearly 50 feet long that doubles as a dance floor.

Scheherazade

A mystery yacht remains untouched as the owner remains a mystery.

The owner of the 459-foot Scheherazade is suspected to be a Russian billionaire, though the owner was never publically identified, The New York Times reported .

Many people believe it belongs to Vladimir Putin, nicknaming the vessel "Putin's Yacht."

SuperYachtFan estimates the ship's value sits at $700 million.

Stella Maris

Stella Maris is linked to oil and gas tycoon Rashid Sardarov. It was last seen in Nice, France, according to The Washington Post .

The luxury vessel is priced at $75 million, is 237 feet long, and can hold up to 14 guests, per SuperYachtFan .

Sardarov is not being sanctioned. 

Sailing Yacht A

Sailing Yacht A is believed to belong to Andrey Melnichenko. The boat was seized by Spanish officials Saturday, Reuters reported .

The ship is more than 465 feet long and can hold up to 20 guests, according to SuperYachtFan . The website says that Sailing Yacht A also features an underwater observation area and has a value of more than $500 million.

Melnichenko is an EU-sanctioned Russian billionaire who works in coal and fertilizers, according to Forbes . The magazine also reported that he owns a second yacht, Motor Yacht A, which is similar to a submarine. 

Oligarch Gennady Timchenko's superyacht "Lena" was seized in the port of Sanremo, Italy on March 5, Reuters reported.

Timchenko is the owner of a private investment group, Volga Group and a shareholder of Bank Rossiya. The oligarch has been sanctioned by the EU, which describes him as a "long-time acquaintance of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin."

Timchenko was also sanctioned by the UK on February 22. 

The superyacht is valued at around 50 million euros ($54 million), Reuters reported. It has fold-down terraces, as well as an "owner's suite" which opens out onto the sea with "gull-wing doors," according to its manufacturer, Sanlorenzo.

Italian authorities also seized a $71 million super-yacht belonging to one of the wealthiest men in Russia , Alexei Mordashov. 

The 215-ft "Lady M" superyacht was seized in the Port of Imperia, northern Italy, a source confirmed to Reuters.

The yacht can accommodate up to six guests on and also has accommodation for four crew members, per the Superyacht Times .

The oligarch, who is the chairman of steel mining company, Severstal, has also been sanctioned by the EU, which says Mordashov is "benefiting from his links with Russian decision-makers." Mordashov has insisted he has "absolutely nothing to do" with Russia's attack on Ukraine. 

The Oligarch moved $1.3 billion worth of shares in travel company, TUI, to an offshore tax haven on the day he was hit by sanctions, Insider's Huileng Tan previously reported. 

He was also added to the UK government's sanctions list on March 15.

Some superyachts belonging to Russian billionaires are currently seeking refuge in the Maldives, including a yacht owned by billionaire Oleg Deripaska, Reuters reported.

The billionaire, who is also the founder of one of Russia's largest industrial groups, Basic Element, was added to the UK's sanctions list on March 10.

Also built by Lürssen, the superyacht - which is around 238 feet long - can accommodate 18 guests in nine cabins, per Superyacht Fan.

The superyacht Valerie - worth $140 million - was seized in Barcelona on Monday, Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, said on La Sexta television, per Reuters.  

Sanchez did not confirm the owner of the yacht, but two sources confirmed to Reuters that it belonged to Sergei Chemezov, who is said to be a close ally of Putin.

The oligarch, who was previously a KGB spy with Putin in the former Soviet Union, recently said that Russia would emerge victorious from Western sanctions, Reuters previously reported . 

Chemezov, who is the CEO of Russian defense conglomerate Rostec was added to the US sanctions list on March 3. 

His yacht is 279 feet long and can accommodate 17 guests in eight suites, per Superyacht Fan.

Crescent, most likely owned by Igor Sechin but also rumored to belong to Putin, was the third yacht Spain seized as the West ramps up sanctions, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

The superyacht is 443-feet long and costs an estimated $600 million, according to  SuperyachtFan, which also says the vessel hosts a retractable helicopter hangar and a large pool with a glass bottom.

Lady Anastasia

Lady Anastasia is owned by Russian oligarch Alexander Mikheyev but was seized by Spain on Tuesday, according to Reuters . 

The boat is almost 160 feet long and can hold up to 10 guests, according to Yacht Harbour .

Mikheyev, who was sanctioned by the EU, is the head of a helicopters division under Rostec, New York Mag reported .

• Main content

Watch CBS News

Superyacht seized by U.S. from Russian billionaire arrives in San Diego Bay

June 27, 2022 / 3:40 PM EDT / CBS/AP

A $325 million superyacht seized by the United States from a sanctioned Russian oligarch arrived in San Diego Bay on Monday.

The 348-foot-long (106-meter-long) Amadea flew an American flag as it sailed past the retired aircraft carrier USS Midway and under the Coronado Bridge.

"After a transpacific journey of over 5,000 miles (8,047 kilometers), the Amadea has safely docked in a port within the United States, and will remain in the custody of the U.S. government, pending its anticipated forfeiture and sale," the Department of Justice said in a statement.

The FBI linked the Amadea to the Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, and the vessel became a target of Task Force KleptoCapture, launched in March to seize the assets of Russian oligarchs to put pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine. The U.S. said Kerimov secretly bought the vessel last year through various shell companies.

But Justice Department  officials had been stymied  by a legal effort to contest the American seizure warrant and by a yacht crew that refused to sail for the U.S. American officials won a legal battle in Fiji to take the Cayman Islands-flagged superyacht earlier this month. 

The Amadea made a stop in Honolulu Harbor en route to the U.S. mainland. The Amadea boasts  luxury features  such as a helipad, mosaic-tiled pool, lobster tank and a pizza oven, nestled in a décor of "delicate marble and stones" and "precious woods and delicate silk fabrics," according to court documents.

"The successful seizure and transport of Amadea would not have been possible without extraordinary cooperation from our foreign partners in the global effort to enforce U.S. sanctions imposed in response to Russia's unprovoked and unjustified war in Ukraine," the Justice Department said.

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Roman Abramovich's superyacht has missile defence system and anti-paparazzi lasers

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich's yacht, Eclipse, has modern tech to protect guests, from bullet-proof windows toa missile-detection system and even a mini escape submarine

• 12:26, 11 Mar 2022

Roman Abramovich has two prized assets that look out of reach - his enormous superyachts.

The Chelsea owner has been hit by sanctions from the UK government and faces the prospect of having £3.2billion of assets in this country frozen after being identified as having links to Vladimir Putin and the Russian state.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said yesterday that oligarchs like Abramovich have "no place in our society or economy", adding: "The blood of the Ukrainian people is on their hands. They should hang their heads in shame."

Abramovich, who according to The Sunday Times Rich List is worth a staggering £10.2billion, has a property empire across the world, including a west London mansion, Colorado ski-ranch and chateau on the French Riviera.

The Chelsea owner has a collection of helicopters and commercial-sized planes valued at around £400m, which includes his customised jet nicknamed "Bandit".

Abramovich also boasts a huge collection of supercars worth more than £16m and even splashed out £285,000 just on a number plate.

But the Russian billionaire is really known for being the world's greatest spender on luxury yachts, maintaining a fleet which was dubbed 'Abramovich's Navy'.

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Abramovich, who used to have a vast collection of super yachts, now only has two but they completely dwarf his old ones in size.

The crown jewel is Abramovich's 533ft super yacht Eclipse, which at the time of launch was the largest privately owned superyacht in the world.

Eclipse was originally contracted at a price of around £500million but is now known as 'the $1.5billion yacht'.

Winning the record Euromillions jackpot of £189million five times over would still not give you enough cash to purchase Abramovich's vessel.

Weighing in at 13,564 tons, Eclipse was the world'largest private yacht for around three years until the Azzam was built in 2013.

Designed by French architect Hermidas Atabeyki, it was built by Blohm and Voss in 2010, with the interior kitted out by Terence Disdale.

There is more accommodation for crew than guests, with 35 of the 53 cabins for the workers, who also get their own private cinema.

The superyacht has enough space on board for two helipads, an aquarium, multiple hot tubs, disco hall and two separate swimming pools.

One of the pools is the biggest ever placed on a private yacht and can be drained out to become a dance floor.

But most interesting of all is the modern technology Eclipse is kitted out with to give its guests privacy and protection from all sorts of threats.

Abramovich's yacht has anti-paparazzi lasers, which can detect the electronic light sensors that cameras use before they even flash.

They target the cameras with beams of infrared light which overexposes the photos, rendering them useless to anyone trying to get a snap, although it doesn't work on an old-fashioned mechanical camera.

There is also bullet-proof glass and armour-plating around Abramovich's personal quarters and a mini submarine that fits three people and could be used as an escape pod.

The newest addition to his fleet is the £430million Solaris, a 430ft vessel which took to the seas for the first time last year.

It is the most costly custom-made superyacht ever built with 48 cabins across eight decks, a crew of 60 and space for 36 guests.

To put into perspective how large Solaris is, the superyacht is bigger and taller than Buckingham Palace.

Abramovich has cut down to just two superyachts, but previously owned an entire fleet which he would loan out to his pals.

The two biggest were Pelorus and Luna, which were both 377ft and cost £274million and £276million respectively.

Pelorus was given to his second wife, Irina Vyacheslavovna Abramovich, as part of their divorce settlement in 2009 while Luna was sold to a close friend, Azerbaijani-born billionaire Farkhad Akhmedov, in April 2014.

Luna had been his replacement for the £110million and 371ft Le Grand Bleu, as both were expedition yachts with stronger hulls capable of providing comfort while navigating through high seas and inhospitable climates such as the North and South Poles.

Other vessels owned by the billionaire include the £110million Ecstasea (282ft) and £16million Sussurro (162ft).

Some of the yachts have been loaned out to some of Chelsea's players, including John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba.

After Chelsea won the Premier League in 2005, Terry and Lampard were given use of the Pelorus as a 'bonus', then two years later Terry and his wife Toni set sail on the yacht for their honeymoon.

On Thursday it was announced that a further seven oligarchs would be sanctioned by the UK government over their links to Putin amid his war on Ukraine .

Giving a warning, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "There can be no safe havens for those who have supported Putin's vicious assault on Ukraine.

"We will be ruthless in pursuing those who enable the killing of civilians, destruction of hospitals and illegal occupation of sovereign allies."

One of the oligarchs, Igor Sechin, has already seen his 289-ft yacht 'Amore Vero' seized by French custom officers near Marseille after being sanctioned by the European Union .

But it seems Abramovich is making sure that no one will be able to get their hands on his superyachts.

Eclipse was moored in Barcelona last week but is now in open sea off the coast of the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean.

While Solaris was last spotted off the Sicily coast and is now believed to be heading to Israel, which is where Abramovich holds citizenship.

A spokesperson for the Russian billionaire said: "We never comment on the movements of the yacht or any other vehicles or vessels."

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Roman Abramovich's vast £750m superyacht is pictured at Turkish cruise port months after moving his prized 533ft vessel to the country to protect it from Western sanctions

• Roman Abramovich faces economic sanctions as a result of his ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin 
• He was forced to move his fleet of superyachts from western waters to avoid them being seized by authorities
•  Abramovich started moving Eclipse from the Caribbean days before the invasion of Ukraine took place 

By Darren Boyle for MailOnline

Published: 14:53 EDT, 12 August 2022 | Updated: 18:07 EDT, 12 August 2022

View comments

Roman Abramovich 's flagship yacht Eclipse was today spotted in Turkish waters as the former Chelsea owner continues to prevent the £750m vessel being seized as part of western sanctions against Russia 's invasion of Ukraine . 

Abramovich, who is reportedly close to Russian President Vladimir Putin , faces having his assets seized and was forced by UK authorities to dispose of his interest in Chelsea. 

Several fellow oligarchs have seen their yachts and private jets seized after they were detained in western ports or airports. 

Roman Abramovich's £750m super yacht Eclipse, pictured, has laid anchor in Mugla, Turkey, where it remains beyond the reach of UK, EU and US sanctions 

Abramovich was forced to sell his interest in Chelsea as a result of sanctions in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine 

Abramovich moved his yachts out of western waters after the invasion of Ukraine. Western governments included oligarchs, such as Abramovich, who are seen to be close to 

Abramovich was able to move his yachts into Turkish waters. Turkey, which is a member of Nato, has not introduced sanctions against tycoons are accused of being close to the Kremlin.  

The Eclipse usually spends much of the winter in the Caribbean where Abramovich has a 70 acre beachside estate on the billionaire playground island of St Barts.

But it left St Maarten, around 20 miles from St Barts, on February 21 as Putin gathered his forces to invade Ukraine. It went through the Straits of Gibraltar nine-days-ago – just two miles outside British territorial waters – and studiously avoided the waters of EU countries as it continued sailing east.

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The Solaris had been undergoing repairs in Barcelona, but left hurriedly on March 8 as EU countries began seizing assets. It arrived four days later in the port of Tivat in Montenegro which is not in the bloc.

Montenegro, which is eager to join the EU, had agreed to replicate sanctions against Russia, but in practice it only banned flights by the country's airlines. Abramovich therefore viewed the superyacht marina in Tivat as a safer location than Spain - at least temporarily, sources said.

The Solaris hurriedly left Tivat  just before the EU announced it had followed the UK’s lead and sanctioned Abramovich over his Kremlin links.

The £750m superyacht was built in Germany for Abramovich. It is currently moored in Mulga at the Marmaris Cruise Port

Turkey is seen as a safe haven for Oligarchs as the government has not introduced sanctions against Russia 

Share or comment on this article: Roman Abramovich's vast £750m superyacht is pictured at Turkish cruise port

Makes you question if Turkey is really an ally?

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UK seizes first superyacht in British waters

The UK has seized its first superyacht in British waters as part of sanctions against Russia.

The £38m yacht, named Phi, is owned by an unnamed Russian businessman.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the individual was not currently sanctioned but had "close connections" to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The UK has introduced a raft of sanctions against Russian individuals and businesses following the country's invasion of Ukraine.

The 58.5m (192ft) Phi was first identified as being potentially Russian-owned on 13 March but its ownership is "deliberately well hidden", the government said.

It added that the company the ship is registered to is based in the Caribbean islands of St Kitts and Nevis but it carried Maltese flags to hide its origins.

The Department for Transport (DfT) would not comment on why it was not naming the individual who owns the yacht.

Transport secretary Mr Shapps said the move was "a clear and stark warning to Putin and his cronies".

"The ship won't be going anywhere for the time being," he said. "People who have benefitted from [Mr Putin's] regime cannot benefit from sailing around London and the UK in ships like this."

Russian oligarch's super yacht seized

The hunt for superyachts of sanctioned russians.

• What sanctions are being imposed on Russia?

On its website, the ship's builder Royal Huisman describes Phi - which is named after the mathematical concept also known as the Golden Ratio - as "magnificently sensuous".

The bright blue yacht features what the builders call an "infinite wine cellar", as well as a fresh-water swimming pool and penthouse apartment on the upper deck.

The ship, which was built in the Netherlands, made her maiden voyage last year.

UK officials boarded Phi in Canary Wharf, east London on Tuesday. The vessel was in the capital for a superyacht awards ceremony and was due to depart at 12:00.

The yacht was detained under the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019. The regulations say the secretary of state "may give a 'movement direction' to any 'ship owned, controlled, chartered or operated by persons connected with Russia'," according to Benjamin Maltby, partner at international law firm Keystone Law.

Yachts count as ships and a movement direction could include detaining the ship, he said.

However, he said the decision to detain a ship could be challenged under human rights law, which gives people the right to "peaceful enjoyment" of their possessions.

A successful challenge could see the owner demanding compensation, starting at the cost of chartering a similar yacht, which would be around £250,000 a week, Mr Maltby said.

"If the secretary of state has got this wrong, it could be a very expensive mistake," he added.

Ben King, BBC business reporter

Before the war, a superyacht, a megayacht, even a gigayacht was high on the shopping list for super-rich Russians.

Helicopter launch pads, mini-subs, swimming pools and missile defences all added to the impression of dazzling wealth and power.

But those boats are not just toys, or status symbols, but floating stores of value.

A number of Russians have sailed their ships out of EU waters, before sanctions could bite.

For instance, Roman Abramovich's two immense yachts, Eclipse and Solaris are in Turkey - safe from the sanctions imposed on him in the UK and EU.

While many of these boats have a price tag far in excess of £100m, they're relatively small compared to the total value of Russian sanctions.

But detaining them represents a symbolic blow against the ultra-rich lifestyle that Russian oligarchs once enjoyed.

It now presents European authorities with a challenge: What do you do with a confiscated superyacht that needs millions of pounds'-worth of maintenance every year to keep it seaworthy?

The DfT worked with the National Crime Agency and Border Force Maritime Investigation Bureau to identify and detain the vessel.

The department, alongside law enforcement agencies, is also looking at a number of other vessels.

The UK, US and EU have all said they will target superyachts linked to sanctioned Russians, and at least eight have been seized so far - by authorities in France, Italy and Spain.

For example, at the beginning of March French authorities seized a yacht owned by Igor Sechin, boss of Russian state energy company Rosneft.

More yachts remain on the move or moored in places that are currently beyond the reach of sanctions, including the Maldives.

What are the sanctions on Russia and are they working?