Shapps seizes £38m Russian superyacht
BRITAIN has for the first time seized a Russian-owned superyacht as part of sanctions over the war in Ukraine.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said officials had “turned an icon of Russia’s power and wealth into a clear and stark warning to Putin and his cronies”.
The £38million Phi was boarded by officials in Canary Wharf, east London yesterday as it was due to depart after attending an awards ceremony.
The Department for Transport (DfT) worked with the National Crime Agency and Border Force to detain the 192ft vibrant blue vessel.
Cellar
Officials refused to name its owner but said that he is a Russian businessman and the yacht’s ownership was “deliberately well hidden”.
Phi – named after the mathematical concept – was built in the Netherlands and made its maiden voyage only last year.
Its luxury features include an “infinite wine cellar” and a freshwater swimming pool.
Mr Shapps said yesterday: “Detaining the Phi proves, yet again, that we can and will take the strongest possible action against those seeking to benefit from connections to Putin’s regime. Now the ship is being held, it won’t be going anywhere. Another indication that we will not stand by whilst Putin’s cronies are allowed to sail around the world in these kinds of yachts and people in Ukraine are suffering.”
He continued: “When you see what he’s doing to Ukraine, when you see what he’s doing to people’s lives, it can’t be right to have a yacht like this here in London able to just sail away. That is why we’ve impounded it, and denied it the ability to go anywhere.
“It’s another indication of how seriously we take these matters.”
The superyacht – registered to a company based in the Caribbean dual-island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis – flies a Maltese flag.
It was twice as big as other vessels docked around it at Canary Wharf.
DfT officials said yesterday that investigators are “looking at a number of other vessels” and they hope its “strong stance sends an example to international partners”.