Photo: Yacht Charter Fleet
The unprecedented international hunt for Russian-linked superyachts since the beginning of March has led to numerous luxury vessels being seized in various parts of the world. But it’s the first time that one of the sanctioned oligarchs formally pleads with authorities to return his toy.
Farkhad Akhmedov’s superyacht has been frozen in Germany since May after Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office forbade it to leave the Port of Hamburg. One of Russia's numerous oil tycoons, Akhmedov, is a Russian-Azerbaijani oligarch who was once a member of the Russian parliament and who lived in the UK for a while.
So it’s no surprise that he was close to Roman Abramovich, who allegedly gifted him the 374-foot (114 meters) explorer named Luna, now estimated at $460 million. Luna has one of the most outrageous histories of all luxury yachts. Not only a ridiculously-expensive gift, but the luxury explorer would also later become the center of a notorious divorce battle in the UK.
Back in 2017, Akhmedov had to pay a considerable amount to his ex-wife but reportedly refused to do so, which ended up with his superyacht being seized and stuck in Dubai for more than two years. A few years later, Luna is stuck again. This time, for entirely different reasons.
However, in a bold move, the billionaire pleaded with the EU to get his luxury toy back, stating that the sanctions against him should be dropped. Business Insider reports that Akhmedov publicly denies having any ties to Kremlin and has also cut all ties to the energy industry. This would apparently justify the return of his superyacht and all sanctions against him being dropped. At this time, there is no official comment from the Council of the EU on this matter.
The now-frozen Luna is one of the world’s largest explorers, sporting not only two helipads, a swimming pool, and ten large staterooms but also top-notch security features, such as bulletproof windows.
Ironically, the superyacht that is now seized by the German authorities was built by Lloyd Werft in Germany 12 years ago.
So it’s no surprise that he was close to Roman Abramovich, who allegedly gifted him the 374-foot (114 meters) explorer named Luna, now estimated at $460 million. Luna has one of the most outrageous histories of all luxury yachts. Not only a ridiculously-expensive gift, but the luxury explorer would also later become the center of a notorious divorce battle in the UK.
Back in 2017, Akhmedov had to pay a considerable amount to his ex-wife but reportedly refused to do so, which ended up with his superyacht being seized and stuck in Dubai for more than two years. A few years later, Luna is stuck again. This time, for entirely different reasons.
However, in a bold move, the billionaire pleaded with the EU to get his luxury toy back, stating that the sanctions against him should be dropped. Business Insider reports that Akhmedov publicly denies having any ties to Kremlin and has also cut all ties to the energy industry. This would apparently justify the return of his superyacht and all sanctions against him being dropped. At this time, there is no official comment from the Council of the EU on this matter.
The now-frozen Luna is one of the world’s largest explorers, sporting not only two helipads, a swimming pool, and ten large staterooms but also top-notch security features, such as bulletproof windows.
Ironically, the superyacht that is now seized by the German authorities was built by Lloyd Werft in Germany 12 years ago.
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