HONG KONG –
A superyacht linked to sanctioned Russian tycoon Alexey Mordashov left Hong Kong for South Africa on Thursday, almost two weeks after the U.S. accused the town of working as a protected haven for sanctioned people.
The marine division confirmed that the US$500 million superyacht Nord left Hong Kong on Thursday afternoon however didn’t elaborate. The non-public ship-tracking website MarineTraffic mentioned it was certain for South Africa and was anticipated to arrive in Cape Town on Nov. 9.
The Nord arrived in Hong Kong on Oct. 5 from Vladivostok, Russia, placing the Chinese territory within the crosshairs of U.S.-China tensions.
The U.S. State Department mentioned the presence in Hong Kong of property belonging to sanctioned people known as into query the “transparency of the enterprise setting” within the metropolis.
Hong Kong chief John Lee later mentioned that whereas Hong Kong complies with United Nations sanctions, authorities “can’t do something that has no authorized foundation” when it comes to sanctions unilaterally imposed by different jurisdictions. China’s Foreign Ministry known as the U.S. remarks “deceptive.”
Mordashov, who’s believed to have shut ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is one in all many Russian oligarchs sanctioned by the U.S., U.Okay. and the European Union after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February. He has tried to problem the sanctions towards him in European courts.
He is the principle shareholder and chairman of Severstal, Russia’s largest metal and mining firm. Mordashov can also be one in all Russia’s wealthiest males, with Bloomberg estimating his internet price at over US$19 billion.
U.S. and European authorities have seized greater than a dozen yachts owned by sanctioned Russian tycoons to cease them from getting into different ports which are unaffected by the sanctions.
Russian oligarchs have began docking their yachts at ports in locations like Turkey, which has maintained diplomatic ties with Russia in the course of the struggle.
The Nord, which flies a Russian flag, is 141.6 metres (465 toes) lengthy and has two helipads, a swimming pool and 20 cabins.