A luxury yacht belonging to sanctioned Russian oligarch Alexey Mordashov, valued at nearly R10 billion ($500 million), is heading for Cape Town.
According to private tracking site MarineTraffic, the yacht left Hong Kong on Thursday and is en route to the Southern tip of Africa.
Mordashov, a billionaire with ties to Vladimir Putin, was among a number of Russians sanctioned by the United States and European Union, but not the United Nations, following the invasion of Ukraine, for his links to the president.
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While a number of Russian superyachts have been refused entry or seized in Europe and other jurisdictions, the 141m Nord was left undisturbed in Hong Kong since its arrival on 5 October.
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According to Reuters, it arrived via a seven-day voyage from Vladivostok in Russian Far East, down through the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea.
It was later confirmed by the Hong Kong Marine Department that the superyacht had departed Hong Kong on Thursday.
However, the department said it could not comment further.
Check out the vessel here, as shared by AP News via TVB.
The MarineTraffic site put the vessel southeast of Hong Kong waters early on Thursday evening, heading into the South China Sea.
It is believed that a witness saw a fuel barge alongside the vessel inside the harbour at noon.
Last week, Hong Kong’s leader John Lee said the city’s authorities would not act on unilateral sanctions imposed on Mordashov by individual jurisdictions.
“We cannot do anything that has no legal basis,” said Lee, who has also been sanctioned by the US for his role in a crackdown on local freedoms.
Lee added that the Chinese-ruled city would only abide by United Nations sanctions.
He is due to host an international investment summit in November with global business leaders.
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Picture: Pexels