Only one Russian yacht confiscated - two more are allowed to leave Hamburg
Created: 04/08/2022, 22:36
By: Sebastian Peters
Solandge, Dilbar and Luna.
These Russian yachts are in the port of Hamburg, but only one is confiscated.
Who the owners are and why they are allowed to flee.
Hamburg – The great search for the actual owners of the oligarchs' luxury yachts continues.
At the "beginning" of the EU sanctions it was first reported that all three yachts belonging to the Russian oligarchs in Hamburg were confiscated*.
However, this was a big mistake.
The owners of the oligarch yachts based in Hamburg* are not as easy to determine as first assumed.
Solandge, Dilbar, Luna: Russian yachts with a total value of 1,140 million euros are in the Port of Hamburg
Russian yachts of the oligarchs in Hamburg
- The Dilbar, a 156 meter long and 24 meter wide yacht.
It is said to have cost 500 million euros.
- The Luna, a 115 meter long and 22 meter wide yacht.
It is said to have cost 400 million euros.
- The Solandge, a yacht 85 meters long and 14 meters wide.
It is said to have cost 140 million euros.
There are currently three imposing yachts owned by Russian super-rich in the port of Hamburg*.
Or not?
Only recently has the rumor spread that the owner of the Solandge is said to have changed.
The oligarch Suleyman Abusaidovich Kerimov (56) is said to have previously owned the Russian yacht.
But now the owner is said to have suddenly changed.
The oligarch, who has been on the sanctions list since March 15, is said to have sold his Solandge to Saudi Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz*.
But there is no evidence for this.
The federal government has now set up a “task force” in a targeted manner.
A grouping of several ministries and agencies, from the Ministry of Economics and Finance, the Financial Supervision, including the BKA, the ZOLL and the BND (Federal Intelligence Service).
This "task force" should now bring light into the darkness and uncover the riches of the oligarchs in Germany.
Located in the port of Hamburg and can't get away: The mega yacht Dilbar here in the Blohm+Voss docks.
Now the crew has probably run away from the Russian owner.
© Thomas Frey/imago images
In the meantime, the task force can show its first successes.
The Dilbar, a 156 meter long mega yacht* worth around 500 million euros, is now on the chain.
Previously, speculation about the confiscation of the Dilbar was crushed*.
But now it is certain.
After research by NDR, WDR, SZ and the task force, it has now become clear who actually owns the 500 million yacht.
Gulbahor Ismailova, the sister of the oligarch Alisher Usmanov.
During their investigations, the investigators came across the company Navis Marine Ltd, which is registered on the Cayman Islands, and the company in turn belongs to a company based in Cyprus.
This emerges from a report in the Tagesschau.
Russian yacht: nested system of letterbox companies ensures anonymity of the actual owners
All in all, a very convoluted system designed to disguise the possessions of the super-rich.
But BKW is certain: the sister “Gulbahor Ismailova” of the oligarch Usmanov has been registered as the owner of the Dilbar since 2017.
Based on this investigation success, the BKA immediately informed the
Foreign Office
.
Now the oligarch's sister is also on the sanctions list.
This means that the Dilbar is not allowed to leave the port of Hamburg for the time being.
It is unclear whether she could have been moved at all.
The crew of the Dilbar has already given up* and taken off.
But what about the other two Russian yachts “Solandge” and “Luna”?
With the mega yachts (total value of around 540 million euros) the task force is on the hose.
The real owners of the "Solandge" have so far been hiding behind various letterbox companies.
Here the Solandge's compass is being adjusted.
A possible preparation for the escape from Hamburg.
© Sebastian Peters
With the "Luna", which is among the top 100 of the world's largest yachts, the possessions are clear.
The owner of the 400 million yacht is the businessman Farkhad Akhmedow.
A man of Azerbaijani origin who was active as a politician in Russia.
Farkhad Akhmedov was involved in negotiations to settle disputes between Russia and Turkey.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavuşoğlu describes Farkhad Akhmedov as a diplomatic middleman who “has worked closely with Putin and knows Putin well”.
The "Solandge" and the "Luna" could leave the port of Hamburg at any time
The luxury yacht "Luna" has a swimming pool, nine guest rooms and 49 crew members, according to a report by Floatmagazin.
The yacht was initially built in the Lloyd shipyard in Bremerhaven in 2010 for Abramowitsch.
However, he later sold the yacht to Farkhad Akhmedow.
This is the luxury yacht "Luna" © HannoBodo/imago
So far, the owner of the Luna "Farkhad Akhmedow" is not on any sanctions list.
Thus, the "Luna" should leave the port of Hamburg without further complications.
The “Solandge” could also just leave the port of Hamburg like that*.
Although the alleged "owner" is on the EU sanctions list, the Solandge cannot unequivocally count him as property.
It is known that the mega yacht "Solandge" will probably leave the Blohm + Voss shipyard in the next week*.
The Lürssen shipyard announced this to the Tagesschau in the last few days.
The question of the actual owner has so far remained unanswered.
* 24hamburg.de and kreiszeitung.de are offered by IPPEN.MEDIA
