It’s still puzzling for many of us to see well-known Russian-owned superyachts cruising as usual unbothered by sanctions, while others have been frozen for months or even seized and put under the hammer. It’s a complicated issue, having to do mostly with the fact that only some of these millionaires and billionaires have proven ties to the Kremlin, in which case they would be sanctioned. Nevertheless, it’s still bizarre, given the ongoing war, to see oligarchs’ pleasure craft chilling as usual.
Even before the oligarch superyacht madness began, once the international sanctions launched an unprecedented “hunt” in various places around the world, Russians were officially known to be avidsuperyacht owners. In other words, statistics show that most of the luxury superyachts in the world are owned by either Americans or Russians. And this includes some of the most spectacular and iconic models, like the elegant Hermitage.
Hermitage wasrecently seєɴԀocking in Porto, Portugal, flaunting its majestic 223-foot (68 meters) silhouette. Its destination is a mystery since the vessel had apparently stopped communicating its whereabouts since March when it was docked in Dubai. At least, that’s what data from maritime tracking platforms is indicating.
As far as we know, the sumptuous Hermitage isn’t on any official sanctions list, so it’s free to travel wherever it wants. However, the yacht’s alleged owner, Anatoly Sedykh, is a billionaire whose name is linked to one of the largest producers of pipes and other steel products in Russia. Plus, OMK (The United Metallurgical Company) is related to the South Stream pipeline project.
Built more than a decade ago, Hermitage is apriceless yachtdue to the legєɴԀary names involved in its creation. Designed by Espen Oeino and styled by Andrew Winch, Hermitage was built in Germany by the prestigious Lurssen shipyard. It’s large enough to welcome up to 12 guests and technically equipped to handle extєɴԀed cruises anywhere in the world. A secretive beauty with an estimated worth of $100 million, it is exclusively enjoyed by its billionaire owner.
