[Global] Payroll headaches for crews on Russian megayachts

The crew of the Russian-owned megayacht Dilbar have reportedly been released from their duties after challenges completing payroll processing arose, The Maritime Executive reports.

Dilbar is currently in a Hamburg shipyard for a refit and a small skeleton crew from the yard will remain on board as caretakers, according to reporting from Bloomberg who broke the story.

“We have tried all avenues to find a solution to keep the team in place, and protect our positions, but have reached the end of the road of possibilities,” Dilbar's master said in a message reportedly shared with Bloomberg. 

The $600 million Dilbar is the largest personal yacht in the world by volume, measuring in at nearly 16,000 GT. German authorities have said that she will not be released to her owner without proper procedures, in keeping with EU sanctions on the Russian business elite.

The Dilbar is owned by Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, one of 26 associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin who were sanctioned by the EU last week. Usmanov owns Russian metals conglomerate Metalloinvest, media company Kommersant and mobile-phone provider Megafon, among other holdings. 

The oligarch-owned yacht Amore Vero has also been seized by French authorities at the port of La Ciotat and the hunt continues for other luxury vessels. Many of these private ships have relocated to friendlier jurisdictions. AIS tracking reportedly shows at least five near the Maldives, where there is no extradition treaty with the United States. 

The sanctions crackdown is also turning a casting on vessels that do not have a known connection with Russian owners. The megayacht Scheherazade - currently located at a small port in Tuscany - is under investigation by Italy's financial police. Her master reportedly told the New York Times that the ship's paperwork will satisfy the investigators and clear up any "rumours and speculations." 

The Flying Fox, one of the largest and most expensive yachts in the world, has been boarded twice by French customs authorities in Guadeloupe, according to FranceInfo reporting, but without any further action taken. Both vessels are owned by anonymous holding companies - a standard procedure in the world of yachting - and determining the true beneficial owners could require sophisticated investigative capabilities. 

Source: The Maritime Executive

(Quotes via original reporting)

The crew of the Russian-owned megayacht Dilbar have reportedly been released from their duties after challenges completing payroll processing arose, The Maritime Executive reports.

Dilbar is currently in a Hamburg shipyard for a refit and a small skeleton crew from the yard will remain on board as caretakers, according to reporting from Bloomberg who broke the story.

“We have tried all avenues to find a solution to keep the team in place, and protect our positions, but have reached the end of the road of possibilities,” Dilbar's master said in a message reportedly shared with Bloomberg. 

The $600 million Dilbar is the largest personal yacht in the world by volume, measuring in at nearly 16,000 GT. German authorities have said that she will not be released to her owner without proper procedures, in keeping with EU sanctions on the Russian business elite.

The Dilbar is owned by Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, one of 26 associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin who were sanctioned by the EU last week. Usmanov owns Russian metals conglomerate Metalloinvest, media company Kommersant and mobile-phone provider Megafon, among other holdings. 

The oligarch-owned yacht Amore Vero has also been seized by French authorities at the port of La Ciotat and the hunt continues for other luxury vessels. Many of these private ships have relocated to friendlier jurisdictions. AIS tracking reportedly shows at least five near the Maldives, where there is no extradition treaty with the United States. 

The sanctions crackdown is also turning a casting on vessels that do not have a known connection with Russian owners. The megayacht Scheherazade - currently located at a small port in Tuscany - is under investigation by Italy's financial police. Her master reportedly told the New York Times that the ship's paperwork will satisfy the investigators and clear up any "rumours and speculations." 

The Flying Fox, one of the largest and most expensive yachts in the world, has been boarded twice by French customs authorities in Guadeloupe, according to FranceInfo reporting, but without any further action taken. Both vessels are owned by anonymous holding companies - a standard procedure in the world of yachting - and determining the true beneficial owners could require sophisticated investigative capabilities. 

Source: The Maritime Executive

(Quotes via original reporting)