A mega-yacht believed to belong to sanctioned Russian oligarch Alexei Mordashov is currently anchored in Hong Kong, according to the arrivals log of the Marine Department.

The superyacht Nord is recorded on the Marine Department’s website as having arrived in Hong Kong on Wednesday (Oct 5) afternoon and anchored at Western Quarantine and Immigration Anchorage at 4.14pm, under the agency of Lodestone Yachts.

Eagle-eyed netizens spotted the ship appearing in Hong Kong waters on an online vessel traffic monitoring website and took to the web to share their find. A ferry commuter then confirmed the yacht as being anchored off Hong Kong as he took a photo of the luxury vessel from the ferry on his morning commute and posted it to Twitter.   

The 464-foot luxury pleasure craft allegedly belongs to Russian billionaire oligarch Alexei Mordashov and is worth over US$500 million, according to Forbes. Mordashov is the main shareholder and chairperson of Severstal, Russia’s largest steel and mining company.  

According to the Marine Department’s website, all visiting yachts must fill in a three-page form to apply for permission to navigate in the waters of Hong Kong, including the specification of berthing location.

It is understood that the department approves applications as long as the vessels comply with a set of requirements, including having appointed a SAR legal agent and possessing safety and pollution prevention certificates, while sanctions on the yacht’s owner are…