The yacht of Russian billionaire Alexey Mordashov, the main owner of Severstal, passed through the Strait of Hormuz without hindrance, which has been effectively closed to shipping since the start of the military operation by the U.S. and Israel against Iran.
According to data from traffic tracking services Vesselfinder and Marinetraffic, the 142-meter superyacht Nord left Dubai on April 24 and headed towards Oman, passing through the strait on the night of April 25. Additionally, according to NBC News, along with the yacht, two tankers under U.S. sanctions, five cargo ships (including one Iranian vessel), and a passenger ferry from Oman also crossed the strait.
Alexey Mordashov topped the Forbes list of the richest Russians this week by a wide margin: the magazine estimated his wealth at $37 billion. The capital of the Russian billionaire surpassed the $30 billion mark for the first time in the history of the ranking, the publication noted. The billionaire is under sanctions from the U.S., the U.K., and the European Union. His yacht Nord was built at the German shipyard Lürssen and re-registered in Russia after the sanctions were imposed. The day before, the Iranian ambassador in Moscow reported that Tehran made an exception for Russian vessels, allowing them to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without paying duties.
Since the beginning of the military operation by the U.S. and Israel against Iran in late February, Tehran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. In response, the U.S. imposed a maritime blockade on Iranian ports and coastline and warned that it would pursue vessels of Iran's "shadow fleet" even in international waters. On April 17, the Iranian side announced the opening of the waterway for commercial vessels — this occurred after Israel negotiated a 10-day ceasefire with the Hezbollah group, but soon Iran revoked the permission, accusing Washington of "piracy." On April 19, the naval forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated that vessel movement would resume only after the complete lifting of the maritime blockade by the U.S., writes The Moscow Times.
