Russian oligarch’s $500 million superyacht leaves Hong Kong for Cape Town

A superyacht belonging to sanctioned Russian oligarch Alexey Mordashov departed Hong Kong waters on Thursday heading for Cape Town, according to private tracking site MarineTraffic.

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According to CNN and Reuters, the prominent sight of the 465 foot (141-metre) multi-deck Nord – which has two helipads, a swimming pool and 20 cabins – in the city’s Victoria harbour in recent weeks had sparked criticism from the US State Department, which questioned the “transparency” of the financial hub and warned of reputational risks.

Mordashov, a billionaire close to President Vladimir Putin, was among a number of Russians sanctioned by the United States and European Union – but not the United Nations – after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for their links to Putin.

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Mordashov is the 61st-richest man in the world with a net worth of close to $20 billion.S

Superyacht valued at R920 million

While a number of Russian superyachts have been seized or denied entry in Europe and other jurisdictions, the Nord was left undisturbed in Hong Kong after its arrival on October 5.

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Valued at over $500 million (R9.2 billion), it arrived via a seven-day voyage from Vladivostok in Russian Far East, down through the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea.

The Hong Kong Marine Department later confirmed that the Nord had departed Hong Kong on Thursday, but said it could not comment further.

The MarineTraffic site put the vessel southeast of Hong Kong waters early on Thursday evening, heading into the South China Sea.

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