A superyacht tied to one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top associates has sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, despite the important shipping channel’s continued blockade. The 142m-long (465 ft) Nord luxury boat, linked to sanctioned Russian billionaire Alexey Mordashov, traveled from Dubai to Muscat, Oman over the weekend, one of only a few private vessels to cross the strait in recent months.
Iran has had high-level meetings with Russia this week, as its standoff with the US over the reopening of the strait continues. The waterway typically transports roughly one-fifth of worldwide crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply.Mordashov, who has close ties to Putin, is not identified as the official owner of the expensive vessel. However, Nord’s records show that it was registered to a company owned by his wife in 2022.
Nord, estimated to be valued more than $500 million (£370 million), departed Dubai on Friday night and arrived at Al Mouj, a harbor in Oman’s capital, on Sunday morning, according to Marine Traffic statistics. Maritime traffic via the Gulf Channel is currently a quarter of what it was before the war.
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