The R9 billion superyacht, Nord, belonging to Russian oligarch, Alexey Mordashov, has been spotted.
It is believed that the vessel, which stands to be seized at certain ports because of sanctions against its owner, was seen in the Maldives over the weekend.
Also read: Superyacht headed for Cape Town has literally gone off the radar
A YouTube channel called eSysman SuperYachts posted a video taken from an aeroplane above the Indian Ocean on Sunday of the disputed Nord, which was located between two islands in the Maldives.
The channel was established more than a decade ago and has nearly a quarter of a million subscribers, one of whom is believed to have uploaded the short clip. According to the channel, the details have been verified.
While it has been suggested that the yacht may be en route to the Maldives, this clip is the first photographic or video evidence of this, rather than simply unconfirmed reports and speculation.
The superyacht’s automatic identification systems (AIS) was set to identify its destination as Cape Town, with it expected to arrive in the Mother City last Wednesday (9 November).
It departed Hong Kong on 20 October before its transponder went off line, near Banda Aceh in Indonesia, on 26 October.
The Nord has visited the Maldives on previous occasions, most recently over the December/ January period, shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine.
City of Cape Town Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis and the DA have expressed their opposition to the docking of the Nord, amidst fears of protests or direct action against the superyacht.
However, president Cyril Ramaphosa’s office emphasised that South Africa had no obligation to act on sanctions by the likes of the European Union and the USA.
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Picture: Cape{town}Etc Library
