Whither the Yachts?

by Alex Finley

Welcome to Vladivostok!

On March 31, Nord, the 142-meter megayacht reportedly owned by Alexei Mordashov, a Russian steel and mining magnate, became the first of a fleet of Russian oligarch megayachts to reach the port of Vladivostok since the imposition of sanctions due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Arriving just before 9:30 a.m. local time, she settled into a dock in Golden Horn Bay, safe from the grabby hands of European authorities, who had placed Mr. Mordashov under sanctions on the last day of February. They had already detained his other megayacht, the 65-meter Lady M, in Imperia, Italy, on March 4.

Nord won’t be alone for long: It will likely soon be joined by Amadea, owned by Suleyman Kerimov, a major stakeholder in Gazprom and other state-owned companies. The 106.5-meter yacht recently made its way through the Panama Canal from the Caribbean. After a brief stop in Mexico, she headed across the Pacific for Fiji, where, I am guessing, she will resupply before turning north toward Russia’s far east. Several other yachts have gone dark in the Indian Ocean, not sharing location data for days or weeks. I anticipate they will start popping up soon in the South China Sea or the Sea of Japan.

What awaits these sophisticated luxury vessels in Vladivostok? I decided to find out. Here’s what we know.

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