Owned by Putin's ally, the superyacht sails through the Strait of Hormuz despite the blockade

2026-04-28 07:26:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Owned by Putin's ally, the superyacht sails through the Strait of Hormuz

A superyacht linked to one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's top allies has sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, despite the ongoing blockade of the critical shipping channel.

The 142-meter-long (465-foot) luxury liner Nord, linked to sanctioned Russian billionaire Alexey Mordashov, traveled from Dubai to Muscat, Oman, over the weekend, one of the few private vessels to pass through the strait in recent months.

Iran has been engaged with Russia in high-level talks this week as its clash with the US over reopening the strait continues. About a fifth of global supplies of crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) normally pass through the waterway.

Mordashov, who has close ties to Putin, is not listed as the formal owner of the luxury yacht. However, Nord records show that it was registered in the name of a company owned by his wife in 2022.

The Nord, estimated to be worth over $500 million (£370 million), departed Dubai on Friday evening and arrived at Al Mouj, a marina in the Omani capital, on Sunday morning, according to data on the Marine Traffic platform.

The Russian superyacht has a swimming pool, submarine and a helicopter landing pad, according to a profile in Superyacht Times magazine. Mordashov has been the target of Western sanctions, including those from the UK, US and European Union, since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Hong Kong and the Maldives have not previously seized the yacht despite calls from Western countries to freeze its assets. Mordashov is the chairman of steel company Severstal, with Forbes estimating his net worth at around $37 billion (£27.3 billion). It is not clear whether he was on board the Nord as it passed through the Strait of Hormuz.

Maritime traffic through the Gulf Channel is currently at a fraction of pre-war levels. The conflict has contributed to a sharp rise in global oil prices, with the global price of Brent crude rising to $109 (£80) a barrel on Monday.

Iran has continued to restrict maritime transport through the vital waterway after President Donald Trump announced that US forces would impose a blockade on Iranian ports. As long-term peace negotiations have stalled between the two sides, Tehran this week has focused its diplomatic efforts on strengthening its relations with Russia. /CNA