Another megayacht apparently owned by a Russian billionaire on European Union sanctions list was seized by the Italian authorities.
The nearly 143-meter-long (470-foot) three-master is estimated to be worth about 530 millions euros (578 millions dollars) and is considered the most grand sailing ship in the world.
The vessel, christened “Sailing Yacht A”, is in The port of Trieste. Italian officials financial the police seized him on Friday, the government in Rome confirmed.
the yacht, built by the German shipyard Nobiskrug, would belong to the Russian coal billionaire Andrey Melnichenko, who Has been dropped on a European Union sanctions list after Russia invasion of Ukraine.
Last week the Italian financial police seized another yacht suspected of belonging to a Russian oligarch.
And US officials suspect that another superyacht, currently in Marina di Carrara, a port in Tuscany, may belong to Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a New York Times article.
US intelligence agencies have found first indications that the yacht “Scheherazade”, worth 700 millions of dollars, is linked to Putin, the newspaper said citing familiar sources with the question.
However, The Italian Sea Group, the luxury yacht company currently working on the 140-meter-long vessel, Putin said was not documented as the owner.
On the other hand, the authorities do not doubt that the “Sailing Yacht A” belongs to Melnichenko, who landed on EU sanctions list one day later son 50th anniversary.
the oligarch, who Lives in St. Moritz, Switzerland, is the main owner of the fertilizer company EuroChem and the coal company Suek. The two companies announced on Thursday that the billionaire would step down from his respective boards and run down as beneficiary.
Daniele Franco, Italian Finance Minister on Saturday praised the police under his command for their repression on the assets, real real estate and luxury goods of Russian oligarchs.
“To date, the property worth a total of more over 700 millions euros were seized,” Franco said during a event in Bergamo.
