Nord, the luxury superyacht belonging to sanctioned Russian oligarch Alexey Mordashov, left Hong Kong on 20 October and, according to the yacht’s automatic identification system (AIS), was scheduled to arrive in Cape Town on Wednesday.
It’s a no-show.
The vessel has gone off the radar, and tracking applications have been disabled.
According to Daily Maverick (DM), the $500-million yacht is now believed to be in the Maldives. Whether or not it will travel to Cape Town at all is now unclear.
The Transnet Port Authority told Business Insider that it has not received any written berthing request for the yacht, and the Waterfront has not received an application for Nord to moor in its waters either. An application needs to be submitted at least three days in advance.
Over the past few months, Nord is believed to have “fled” from the Seychelles to the east coast of Russia, from Vladivostok to Hong Kong, set off for Busan in South Korea, and was most recently expected to arrive in Cape Town.
“Perhaps the Mother City was a decoy”, adds DM.
Mayor Hill-Lewis must be thrilled and President Ramaphosa unfazed.
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Mayor warns of repercussions- war continues as SA says yes to Russian yacht
Picture: screenshot / newsvlru