Sanctioned Russian steel tycoon’s superyacht crosses blocked Strait of Hormuz
The 142-meter (466-foot) superyacht Nord, belonging to Alexei Mordashov, the owner of Russian steelmaker Severstal, has crossed the Strait of Hormuz, according to the vessel-tracking service Vesselfinder.
vesselfinder.com
The yacht Nord, March 2022
Reuters / Scanpix / LETA
Vesselfinder and a second tracking service, Marinetraffic, both show the yacht left Dubai on April 24 and is now headed toward Oman.
The vessel took a route south of Larak Island through the strait, NBC News reported.
Two other vessels under U.S. sanctions also transited the strait overnight into Saturday, Marinetraffic data showed: the tanker Ocean Jet and Lumina Ocean, NBC News reported. Five additional cargo ships — including one Iranian vessel — and a passenger ferry from Oman made the same crossing between 5:00 p.m. Friday and 5:00 a.m. Saturday.
Alexei Mordashov is the primary owner of Russian steelmaker Severstal. In 2026, he topped the annual ranking of Russia’s wealthiest businesspeople by a wide margin, with an estimated fortune of $37 billion. Forbes Russia wrote that it was the first time in the ranking’s history that a Russian billionaire’s wealth had exceeded $30 billion.
The yacht Nord was built at the German shipyard Lürssen and delivered to Mordashov in 2021; Forbes Russia sources identified him as the vessel’s owner. It had sailed under a Cayman Islands flag until Mordashov came under sanctions in early 2022, when the yacht was re-registered in Russia. In June 2023, it returned to Vladivostok after nearly a year away.
Iran has blocked the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the war in the Middle East. The U.S. subsequently imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports, though U.S. Central Command said the blockade would not impede shipping. Tehran has refused a second round of talks with Washington over the port blockade, while vessels have continued to find ways to cross the strait.
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