Story perspectives

Mordashov’s $500 M Yacht Sails Through Blockaded Strait

4/28/2026

Summary

Story summary

$500 million Russian superyacht Nord, owned by Alexey Mordashov, slipped through the blockaded Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, arriving in Muscat early Sunday.
Only seven vessels passed the strait in the prior 24 hours after U.S. Central Command redirected 37 ships following the April 13 blockade.
The yacht’s registration lists a company owned by Mordashov’s wife in Cherepovets, while satellite data showed six Iranian tankers returning with about 10.5 million barrels of oil.

History

Historical Context

After the United States and European Union imposed sweeping sanctions on Russian oligarchs following the 2014 annexation of Crimea, assets such as Alisher Usmanov’s superyacht Dilbar were frozen. In March 2022 the Treasury added 26 Russians to the blacklist, yet a Russian-owned yacht listed among sanctioned assets slipped past a 2024 Central Command Gulf blockade.

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Story summary

$500 million Russian superyacht Nord, owned by Alexey Mordashov, slipped through the blockaded Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, arriving in Muscat early Sunday.
Only seven vessels passed the strait in the prior 24 hours after U.S. Central Command redirected 37 ships following the April 13 blockade.
The yacht’s registration lists a company owned by Mordashov’s wife in Cherepovets, while satellite data showed six Iranian tankers returning with about 10.5 million barrels of oil.

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