“Luna” is not allowed to go out: another luxury yacht in Hamburg

All over Europe, the authorities have recently confiscated yachts from Russian oligarchs. Now the BKA has also fixed a mega yacht in Hamburg for the second time: the 400 million dollar “Luna”.

A month after the “Dilbar”, the German authorities arrested another luxury yacht, the “Luna”, on the basis of the EU sanctions against Russia. The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) has determined the actual ownership of the yacht, and the owner has been on the European Union’s sanctions list since April 8, a BKA spokesman announced today. The authority did not name a name in the message, but gave the name Farkhad Akhmedov on Twitter.

“Luna” is worth 400 million euros

According to the EU sanctions list, Akhmedov (66) is a Russian businessman active in the energy sector and in Russian local politics. “He is close to the Kremlin and is a leading businessman and active in sectors of the economy that serve as an important source of income for the government of the Russian Federation,” the list of reasons for the sanctions reads.

“The luxury yacht M/S Luna is therefore subject to sanctions law and could be legally fixed or frozen in the port of Hamburg,” says the BKA statement. This means that the yacht is not allowed to leave the port permanently, but is “not capable of being shipped anyway for technical reasons”. The estimated value of the ship is given by the Federal Criminal Police Office at around 400 million euros.

Thanks to the sanctions list, the EU, with the help of the member countries, can freeze the assets of Russian oligarchs. And that doesn’t just include accounts: A special transatlantic task force with the US, the EU Commission, Canada, France, Italy and Germany is supposed to track down and collect private jets, luxury apartments and yachts belonging to the super-rich who are loyal to the Kremlin.

Also the world’s largest motor yacht fixed in Hamburg

In concrete terms, the “freezing of economic resources” under EU regulations means that the yachts cannot be used for services, but neither can they be sold, rented or encumbered. The authorities of the EU member states are responsible for enforcing the sanctions.

And they have already been active several times: In mid-April, the German authorities had arrested the luxury yacht “Dilbar”, which was also in the port of Hamburg. It is owned by Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, a 68-year-old entrepreneur who is worth an estimated $16.8 billion. The 156 meter long and 24 meter wide super yacht has been at Blohm + Voss for conversion since the end of October.

Usmanov is said to have paid around $600 million for the luxury yacht. In terms of gross tonnage, the nearly 16,000-ton ship is the largest motor yacht in the world. In normal times, the crew consists of 96 people. The yacht features 12 suites, a 25 meter swimming pool and two helipads.

Alleged Putin yacht confiscated in Italy

French customs also confiscated the yacht belonging to Igor Sechin, head of the Russian state oil company Rosneft and a close confidant of Putin, on the Mediterranean coast in early March. The yacht “Amore Vero” (“True Love”) will be 86 meters long and will include seven luxury suites, cinema, beauty salon and a garage for water ski boats. Estimated purchase price: $120 million.

The “Sailing Yacht A” was also fixed in March, it is considered the largest sailing yacht in the world. Officials from the Italian financial police had arrested the ship, which is estimated to be worth around 530 million euros, in the port of Trieste. Recently, Italy also confiscated an alleged Putin yacht.

Many other oligarch yachts have recently been stopped by the European authorities. In Luxembourg, for example, a super yacht was recently stolen according to research by the SWR the registration certificate withdrawn.