A $150 million superyacht owned by Leonid Mikhelson, Russia's second richest citizen whose gas company is the target of US sanctions, has stopped transmitting its location after last heading for the Bahamas.
The 85-metre-long "Pacific", which has room for two helicopters, was last spotted in the Caribbean shortly after 9 p.m. local time on 8 May at almost full speed before, according to ship data compiled by Bloomberg, it stopped transmitting automatically and became invisible on the net, effectively "sinking". This led to the rumour in some media that she had really sunk. Why would she? These are also all unconfirmed reports.
If the Bahamas was the actual destination, the yacht will not find safe harbour there - the island nation's authorities are working closely with the US to seize merchant ships. As Russia's war in Ukraine drags on, the US and other governments around the world have resorted to sanctions to punish President Vladimir Putin's closest associates. Italy, Spain and other European governments have seized mansions, bank accounts and more than a dozen yachts belonging to Russia's wealthiest citizens.
Mikhelson, who is the 45th richest person in the world with a fortune of almost 26 billion dollars, was sanctioned by the United Kingdom and Canada at the beginning of April. His company Novatek is currently on the US sanctions list, but Mikhelson himself is not affected by US sanctions. The billionaire owns around a quarter of the listed company, which produces around 10 % of Russian natural gas.
The mega yacht "Pacific" was built in 2010 by luxury yacht builder Luerssen. The ship, which has a lift, a pool and a smaller speedboat, offers space for 12 guests and 28 crew members.
© 2022 Bloomberg L.P.
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