Global Courant
SEOUL – The US$500 million (S$671 million) Nord superyacht owned by Russian tycoon Alexey Mordashov resurfaced after about eight months in obscurity, after escaping capture by the United States and its allies. It goes to Busan in South Korea.
The 142-meter ship began broadcasting again from its location in the Indian Ocean, near the coast of Indonesia, on June 12 after ceasing to broadcast its whereabouts in 2022 en route to Cape Town in South Africa.
Prior to that trip, the Nord made a surprise appearance in Hong Kong in October, prompting a US warning that if it provided a safe haven, the city’s reputation as an international financial center would be tarnished.
According to data collected by Bloomberg, the superyacht will arrive in Busan on June 24.
Western countries seized assets belonging to Russian billionaires after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, including more than a dozen yachts worth several billion dollars.
Mr Mordashov’s other superyacht, Lady M, was seized in Italy in March 2022.
Mr Mordashov, Russia’s six richest citizens and the largest shareholder of steel producer Severstal PJSC, is unlikely to be in the north as he will appear at President Vladimir Putin’s annual economic forum in St Petersburg on Thursday.
Busan, on the southeastern tip of the Korean peninsula, is a surprising destination given that South Korea is a US ally and has said it supports sanctions against Russia. BLOOMBERG
