Germans Seize Russian Billionaire Alisher Usmanov’s Mega-Yacht

The firm calls it "one of the most complex and challenging yachts ever built...

Usmanov purchased Dilbar in 2016 for a reported cost of $600 million from German shipbuilder Lürssen, which custom-built it for him over 52 months. The firm    calls   it "one of the most complex and challenging yachts ever built, in terms of both dimensions and technology."

At 15,917 tons, it's the world's largest motor yacht by gross tonnage, and is typically manned by a crew of 96 people. Dilbar boasts the largest swimming pool ever installed on a yacht as well as two helicopter pads, a sauna, a beauty salon, and a gym. Its plush interiors have more than 1,000 sofa cushions and it can host up to 24 people in 12 suites.

two helicopter pads

Nice.  

You've gotta have two helicopter pads so you can conduct helicopter races from your yacht.

I totally volunteer my services as interim caretaker. 

On second thought, nah. I don't think I could enjoy it much since it probably represents a lot of dirty money.

Jesus. Put a couple 5 inch guns on that thing and you got a destroyer.

Actually, throw a couple of missile launchers and some serious tracking radar and you have a heavy missile cruiser...

Absolutely. And it looks like it’s already outfitted with plenty of electronics and radar. (Probably pretty thin in the armor department, though. )

As much as that thing costs, it probably does have on board weapon systems, but concealed of course.

throw a couple of missile launchers and some serious tracking radar and you have a heavy missile cruiser...

Again....I would not assume they haven't.

And let's not forget the below the water level concealed torpedo tubes plus a small but effective CIC (Combat Information Center) hidden deep in the hull. Look at all the antennas that thing has as well 

Put a couple 5 inch guns on that thing and you got a destroyer.

I would not assume they haven't.

I'd go more along the lines of commerce raider rather than destroyer. Similar to what was used by Nazi Germany in WW II.

I'd go more along the lines of commerce raider

A really comfortable commerce raider!

Yep. 

That is sending a message to the other oligarchs. I love the young guy that has the tracking app for their private yachts, although this one qualifies as a ''light cruiser'', he was tracked one to the Maldives and two others headed that way, there is no extradition treaty with the US.

Wonder where the Black Pearl is..huge yacht with sails etc..largest wind driven yacht in the world I think it was..

Slap bang outside my window in Tarragona in Spain four years ago..blocked my view..

That was Russian owned...and now is the time they are starting to be on the move for summer around the Mediterranean..

Still nothing a torpedo can't fix..

Lol wonder if he'll try to submit this as an insurance claim.

This looks like it could be a convenient place to shelter some Ukrainian refugees, or outfit it for combat and turn it over the Ukrainian military.

Germany.

I think I would be satisfied with Jeff Bezos' yacht instead.  $250m instead of $600m, 417 ft instead of 512 ft, 40 crew instead of 96 crew and accommodations for 18 guests instead of 24 guests.  Looks like it will hold only one helicopter instead of two and I don't need a pool bigger than the one you can see below..  Good enough and a hell of a lot less expensive.  This is Jeff Bezos' yacht - I like its appearance better as well. 

Now, where can I find $250m?  The only yacht I ever owned was 14 1/2 ft long with a 70 hp Evinrude (Johnson brand) motor.  As a bowrider it could hold 8 guests (sitting, not sleeping) and didn't have a swimming pool, and a helicopter couldn't land on it.

Even if I had billions I just can't imagine owning a yacht like that, I might rent one for special trips though Those 40-96 crew members have to be mostly full time employees because you can't get good help you can trust for temp jobs, that's a lot of overhead. My idea of relaxing on the water doesn't include a bunch of strangers hanging around anyway. If I did want to go high end I'd opt a smaller boat and a 2nd support vessel to house the kitchens and staff, the only people on my boat with me would be those who are actually doing a necessary job at that moment. I imagine most of the crews on these yachts are forced to stay below decks in designated areas during their off time when guests are aboard and while I can relate to not wanting staff hanging around I'd feel like a jerk making them hide so I'd rather they have their own staff ship where they can relax on their off time. Of course their ship wouldn't be as swanky as mine.

Same here. It would not be relaxing to me to have all those people around.

Even if I had billions I just can't imagine owning a yacht like that, I might rent one for special trips though

I feel the same way.

IMO there's only one reason to own such a yuge boat-- and that would be if you had a tremendous Ego and wanted it merely to show off.

Even if I had billions I just can't imagine owning a yacht like that, I might rent one for special trips though

I feel the same way.

IMO there's only one reason to own such a yuge boat-- and that would be if you had a tremendous Ego and wanted it merely to show off.

Of course the people who own these things have so much money that to them the cost is considered to be merely "pocket change"

(Its about the difference between being mere multi-millionaires-- and those who are actually real billionaires.)

and that would be if you had a tremendous Ego and wanted it merely to show off.

To be honest why should the mega-rich be all that different that a lot of other people.  I'm sure we all know some people who had to have the latest I-Phone, or drive a fancy car,  and who live above their means.  Ego can be a terrible burden when it drives one to show off and one-up everybody else.  

I, of  course, do not live in the manner I am about to 'explain,' nor did I sleep at some fancy hotel last night, but I do watch a great many lavish NETFLIX shows about kings, lords, barons, counts, viscounts, ladies, and their individual claims to lands (given by order of the king or queen). Apparently, when privileged individuals are granted titles and lands, staffing comes along with it. That is, 'elites' everywhere are attended to by slaves, servants, and employees—salaried and hourly wagers. What soon becomes clear after a while gazing through the window at highly wealthy people (through my limited viewing 'port') is how SURROUNDED they are, how 'enveloped' they are, how they are the BUSINESS in their sphere of power and influence, and most importantly all the "little people" they need to make and hold it all together!

So what am I saying? That, with great wealth comes mandatory 'handlers,' staffing, and security team/s ("must-haves.")  Because not only is money "business" in an of itself, the owner of great wealth, will attract all types of human 'elements' in the form of good and bad people.

Hope that helps (us) understand what is 'happening' a bit more in these images of yachts and personnel.

Yet another way to think of this: Imagine the people surrounding Queen Elizabeth every day of her extraordinary life. She is waited on, cared for, nursed when needed, and listened to by a "team in waiting) every day and minute of her life (whether she wishes this "welfare" or not) it comes with the 'reign.' And so it is for her dukish and "duchie" sons and their wives. It's not all ego either. They are 'servants' and elites of the state and their time and attention is always in demand!

It is impossible to fulfill the role/s and responsibilities of being an elite without permanent staffing!

I did have a couple of clients who did have yachts - an architect who lived aboard his two-mast sailboat, and a electronics genius who had a 50 foot Chris Craft.

The only crew I had was my soft-coated wheaten terrier.

But I DID let my pre-teen son captain the bowrider now and then.

Morning..been on the King of Qatar's yacht the Katara in Spain...nice to see how the other half live.. complete with Gurkha guards.. don't want to mess with them...

Good morning shona1.  As you can see in the photo above, I'll bet I'm more relaxed in my inflatable than anyone on their multi-million dollar yacht.

Awesome boat (and dog)!

Years ago, when I smoked cigarettes, I cashed in "Marlboro miles" on an inflatable kayak.

My kids loved surfing with it.

It was a lot like this one:

Yeah, that looks like fun.  Besides my bowrider and inflatable, I also had a kayak, a canoe and two snowmobiles for year-round fun.

that looks like fun.

It was lots of fun... until the helicopter landed.

Yeah, that landing pad marked "HF" looks a bit too small.

that landing pad marked "HF" looks a bit too small.

"HF" stands for "Hericopters Fuckoff!"

The only yacht I ever owned was 14 1/2 ft long with a 70 hp Evinrude (Johnson brand) motor.

The only yacht I ever owned* was a Sailfish. 

Motor? None.

Length? Not much...

But one helluva lot of fun!!!

Photo: Wikipedia

*P.S: Well I don't fully own it-- I actually split the cost with my roomate at the time.

And I still am a 1/2 owner of it. But its been so long since I've used it I'm not sure where its docked (possibly its still in my ex-roommates' brother's garage..?)

You're absolutely right Buzz I own somthin similar to Jeff's yacht and somtimes I think the yearly painting and scraping of the barnicles is just not worth it.  Not to mention that hauling it out of the water every winter is hell on my Escape

I just read where France seized another oligarts yacht. Also, another lost his two villas in Italy. 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/france-seized-a-dollar120-million-super-yacht-owned-by-russian-oligarch-and-putin-confidant-igor-sechin-%e2%80%93-a-man-dubbed-darth-vader-by-russian-media/ar-AAUya60?li=BBnb7Kz

It's a bad day for rich Russians.

I wonder if the US will figure out what realestate the Russians own here. They've been laundering money through high dollar deals for years.

I read an article about that. Here the US has become one of the biggest places for money laundering. Real estate, high end jewelry, etc.

I wonder if the US will figure out what real estate the Russians own here. They've been laundering money through high dollar deals for years.

I'm pretty sure we know., probably in the process of looking over their records and deciding what actions to take (if any).

The only thing I remember is this action-- but that was about 5 years ago:

Obama expels 35 Russian diplomats in retaliation for US election hacking

• • • Trump wants to ‘move on’ but says he will meet intelligence officials
    • FBI and Homeland Security detail Russian hacking in new report

The   Obama administration   on Thursday announced its retaliation for Russian efforts to interfere with the US presidential election, ordering sweeping new sanctions that included the expulsion of 35 Russians.

US intelligence services believe Russia ordered   cyber-attacks on the Democratic National Committee   (DNC), Hillary Clinton’s campaign and other political organizations, in an attempt to influence the election in favor of the Republican candidate, Donald Trump.

In a statement issued two weeks after the president   said   he would respond to cyber-attacks by Moscow “at a time and place of our choosing”, Obama said Americans should “be alarmed by Russia’s actions” and pledged further action.

“I have issued an executive order that provides additional authority for responding to certain cyber activity that seeks to interfere with or undermine our election processes and institutions, or those of our allies or partners,” Obama said in the statement, released while he was vacationing with his family in Hawaii.

“Using this new authority, I have sanctioned nine entities and individuals: the GRU and the FSB, two Russian intelligence services; four individual officers of the GRU; and three companies that provided material support to the GRU’s cyber operations.

“In addition, the secretary of the treasury is designating two Russian individuals for using cyber-enabled means to cause misappropriation of funds and personal identifying information.” He also announced the closure of two Russian compounds in the US. (READ IT ALL)

He also announced the closure of two Russian compounds in the US . . .

I just read where France seized another oligarts yacht. Also, another lost his two villas in Italy. 

Nice t0 hear they're making progress on that-- and hopeful these seizures will continue...

As I have laid out my perceptions of elitism @10.1.5 and @10.1.6, this kind of seizure of assets, suspends and makes awkward the power and imagery of an elite to care for and control all those in his service (or serving careers in one or more of his or her holdings! For example, we now have at least two yacht captains and two 'firsts'  out of service and depending on how long this goes on: potentially out of work!

As I have laid out my perceptions of elitism @10.1.5 and @10.1.6, this kind of seizure of assets, suspends and makes awkward the power and imagery of an elite to care for and control all those in his service (or serving careers in one or more of his or her holdings! For example, we now have at least two yacht captains and two 'firsts'  out of service and depending on how long this goes on: potentially out of work!

You might be right!

It's a bad day for rich Russians.

I really don't think they'll be able to keep these assets, sooner or later this will end and these assets will have to be returned to their rightful owners unless they can actually prove these people are personally responsible for some crime. I would think if we seize billions in real estate assets the owners will not be responsible for real estate taxes while they are in seizure so we'll have to eat the loss. Innocent Chinese Citizens own trillions in US assets do you think we'll get to liquidate those assets and keep the money if China attacks Tiawan? I don't believe every Russian who ever talked to and shook Putin's hand shares his guilt no matter how rich they are. I can understand why we can't allow profits from business ventures or the sale of assets to be transferred into Russian hands at this time. We could seize and liquidate all the stock Russians own but it would have a negative effect on the market. People in Russia, China, and many other places buy US and European assets as a hedge against the uncertain political nature of their home countries, it's like an insurance policy they buy because they don't have 100% faith in their own government. They invest here because they don't want all their eggs in one basket especially when leaders like Xi or Putin are holding the basket, if their investments here are jeopardized by the acts of their home countries government it removes much of the incentive to invest here. If US investments aren't considered safe they'll invest somewhere else, some other country will write laws allowing secretive bank and business practices to attract their investments making it impossible to even know who owns what.

I really don't think they'll be able to keep these assets, sooner or later this will end and these assets will have to be returned to their rightful owners unless they can actually prove these people are personally responsible for some crime.

Prove-- to who?

You?

Me?

In what court will they have to prove it?

And on what basis will that court decide?

I imagine you would prefer they have to prove it to a Russian court...(or if not, then which court do you think has jurisdiction?)

And--what government police force would be able to enforce it?

We seized all that money from Iran and eventually gave it back so I assume this will play out much the same way. Of course other countries may do things differently.

Prove-- to who?

Usually a court in that country.

And on what basis will that court decide?

If that individual has violated either local or international law.

I imagine you would prefer they have to prove it to a Russian court...(or if not, then which court do you think has jurisdiction?) And--what government police force would be able to enforce it?

Example....the Germans just seized Usmanov's yacht in Hamburg.  Authorities will have to prove in a German court that Usmanov has violated either German law or international law in some way to warrant seizure of his private assets.

It will be a longshot for them to do so.  If they knew he had violated the law, they would have seized the thing a long time ago.  But the yacht remains seized while the legal proceedings are ongoing, which creates a nice incentive for Usmanov to exert whatever pressure he can on Putin.

The Oligarchs are sure whining about it now. 

We seized all that money from Iran and eventually gave it back

Really?  Here's what really happened with the money "seized from Iran:

Iranian frozen assets in international accounts are calculated to be worth between $100 billion ^{[1] [2]} and $120 billion. ^{[3] [4] [5]} Almost $1.973 billion of Iran's assets are frozen in the United States . ^[6] According to the Congressional Research Service , in addition to the money locked up in foreign bank accounts, Iran's frozen assets include real estate and other property. The estimated value of Iran's real estate in the U.S. and their accumulated rent is $50 million. ^[1] Besides the assets frozen in the U.S., some parts of Iran's assets are frozen around the world by the United Nations . ^[1]

As of January 2021, Iran had frozen assets in the following countries: $7 billion in South Korea; $6 billion in Iraq; $20 billion in China; $1.5 billion in Japan; 1.6 billion in Luxembourg. ^[7]

Background [ edit ]

Iran's assets were first frozen by U.S. president Jimmy Carter in 1979, after revolutionaries overthrew the U.S.-allied Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi 's administration and took American hostages . After the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the United States ended its economic and diplomatic ties with Iran , banned Iranian oil imports and froze approximately 11 billion 1980-US dollars of its assets. ^[8]

Many of the assets were then unfrozen in 1981 after the Algiers Accords were signed and the hostage crisis ended. ^{[ dubious – discuss ]} At the time of the 1979 revolution, the Pentagon re-sold some $400 million in Iranian military equipment already paid for by the deposed government, and the money was "placed in an escrow account". ^[1]

Much of the frozen cash includes Iran's income from selling a limited amount of oil prior to the lifting of the sanctions, when Iran could legally sell oil but could not transfer the money back to Iran, because doing so was illegal under U.S. sanctions. ^[2]

After nuclear negotiations [ edit ]

Some pages of the JCPOA were dedicated to the listing of individuals and entities whose assets would be unfrozen. ^[1] According to Nader Habibi , a professor of economics at Brandeis University , JCPOA will lead to the release of only about $30 billion worth of assets; a similar figure of about $32 billion was estimated by Valiollah Seif , the chief of Iran's central bank . ^[2]

According to the Washington Institute in 2015: ^[9] "...the pre-deal asset freeze did not have as great an impact on the Iranian government as some statements from Washington suggested. And going forward, the post-deal relaxation of restrictions will not have as great an impact as some critics of the deal suggest."

The US government also has seized a Manhattan skyscraper belonging to the Iranian government worth over a billion US dollars.

Seizure of Iranian assets [ edit ]

Deborah Peterson and other plaintiffs brought a lawsuit in U.S. federal court against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and obtained a judgments against Iran for its role in the 1983 Beirut barracks bombings (in which 241 U.S. peacekeepers were killed) and for other acts of international terrorism . While foreign states usually enjoy immunity from claims in court, the plaintiffs invoked an exception to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 that allows foreign states to be held liable for acts of state-sponsored terrorism . ^[10] The central bank of Iran, Bank Markazi , challenged the execution of the judgment on various grounds. However, in 2012, Congress passed, and President Barack Obama signed, the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012, which specified that the judgment in the Peterson et al. v. Islamic Republic of Iran et al. would be subject to execution and also abolished Bank Markazi to the execution of judgment. ^[10] Bank Markazi challenged this statute as unconstitutional, arguing that Congress had unduly interfered with a judicial function by intervening in a specific case; however, the U.S. Supreme Court , in Bank Markazi v. Peterson , ruled 7-2 that Congress's act was constitutional. ^[10]

Iran had denied any involvement in any of the bombings. ^[11] Iranian president Hassan Rouhani called the action "blatant robbery". ^[12

Usage of the frozen assets [ edit ]

Since 1980, Iran has demanded that the US, European Union, and South Korea return all of the frozen assets to Iran, but their demands have largely been ignored. ^[13] Some of the seized assets have been resold to third parties, while many have been given to families of victims of the regime. ^[14] For example, in October 2020, $1.4 billion of frozen cash were awarded in punitive and compensatory damages to the family of Robert Levinson after his abduction and presumed death. ^[15]

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