A superyacht linked to one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s key allies has crossed the Strait of Hormuz, despite the ongoing blockade of the critical shipping channel.
The 142m-long (465ft) luxury boat Nord, linked to sanctioned Russian billionaire Alexey Mordashov, traveled from Dubai to Muscat, Oman over the weekend, one of the few private vessels to transit the strait in recent months.
Iran began high-level talks with Russia this week as its conflict with the United States over the reopening of 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 on the list of official owners of the luxury boat. However, Nord’s records indicate that he was registered with a company owned by his wife in 2022.
Nord, estimated to be worth more than $500 million (£370 million), left Dubai on Friday evening and arrived at Al Mouj, a marina in Oman’s capital, on Sunday morning, according to data from the Marine Traffic platform.
Maritime traffic through the Gulf Canal is currently only a fraction of its pre-war level.
Iran continued to restrict shipping on the vital waterway after President Donald Trump announced that U.S. forces would impose a blockade on Iranian ports.
The Russian-flagged North has managed to clear the strait despite private vessels largely avoiding the waterway since hostilities began.
Russian President Vladimir Putin received an Iranian delegation in St. Petersburg on Monday, where Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi praised their “strategic relationship.”
Putin told Araghchi that the Iranian people were “courageously fighting” for their sovereignty in the face of American and Israeli pressure, Russia’s official Tass news agency reported.
Araghchi shared photos on X showing him smiling and shaking hands with Putin and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
He wrote: “Recent events have demonstrated the depth and strength of our strategic partnership.
“As our relations continue to develop, we are grateful for the solidarity and welcome Russia’s support for diplomacy.”
The Russian superyacht has a swimming pool, submarine and helipad, according to a profile in Superyacht Times magazine.
Mordashov has been targeted by Western sanctions, including from the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union, since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Hong Kong And the Maldives had yet to seize the yacht despite calls from Western countries to freeze its assets.
Mordashov is the chairman of Severstal, Russia’s largest steel and mining company.
With an estimated net worth of around $37 billion (£27 billion), Mordashov is the richest Russian national listed by US business magazine Forbes.
It is unclear whether he was aboard Nord as it passed through the Strait of Hormuz.
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