A lavish megayacht associated with a close confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin has successfully navigated the heavily restricted Strait of Hormuz, BBC reports.
The 142-metre Nord made the journey from the United Arab Emirates to Oman over the weekend despite a continuing blockade that has virtually halted private maritime traffic in the critical Gulf channel.
Tracking data from Marine Traffic shows the Russian-flagged vessel departed Dubai late on Friday evening and moored at the Al Mouj marina in Muscat by Sunday morning. The ship’s transit is highly unusual given that non-commercial boats have largely steered clear of the waterway since hostilities erupted.
The strait of Hormuz blockade
The tense standoff began when Iran started restricting access in response to President Donald Trump‘s declaration that American forces would blockade Iranian ports.
This geopolitical friction has severely disrupted a route that traditionally handles around a fifth of the world’s liquefied natural gas and crude oil. Consequently, the volume of ships passing through the strait has plummeted to a mere fraction of what it was before the conflict. The ongoing crisis has also triggered a surge in global energy costs, pushing the Brent crude benchmark up to $109 (£80) per barrel earlier this week.
As international peace efforts remain deadlocked, Tehran is actively fortifying its diplomatic bonds with Moscow. On Monday, an Iranian delegation travelled to St Petersburg for high-level discussions. Russian state media agency Tass reported that Putin used the occasion to commend the Iranian populace for their brave defence of national sovereignty against pressure from the United States and Israel.
Following the summit, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi took to the social media platform X to share images of himself warmly greeting Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Araghchi praised the enduring strength of their strategic alliance and expressed gratitude for Russia’s diplomatic backing during the current crisis.
Vessel details and ownership
Meanwhile, questions remain over who was actually aboard the Nord during its perilous voyage. Valued at roughly £370 mln, the floating palace features its own submarine, helipad and swimming pool. While the ship is widely known to be the property of the sanctioned steel magnate Alexey Mordashov, official paperwork from 2022 links its registration to a company controlled by his wife.
Mordashov is the chairman of Severstal and boasts an estimated fortune of £27.3bn. He has been the subject of severe financial penalties from the UK, the U.S. and the European Union ever since the Kremlin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
However, authorities in jurisdictions like the Maldives and Hong Kong have previously ignored western pressure to impound the billionaire’s sprawling maritime assets.
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