Russian Super Yachts ‘Go Dark’ To Avoid Tracking

The tracking systems on board at least nine superyachts linked to Russian moguls were switched off after the invasion of Ukraine, Bloomberg reported Thursday.

Tracking signals from the yachts went dark between February 24, the day Russia began its invasion, and March 11, when US President Joe Biden announced additional sanctions on oligarchs, Bloomberg said, citing data it had compiled.

Most of the yachts identified by Bloomberg as going dark between these dates are linked to Russian oligarchs on Western sanctions lists, such as those considered by the US to be in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle. A few vessels were connected to Russian tycoons who hadn’t been sanctioned at the time, Bloomberg said.

The International Maritime Organization’s website says all vessels of 300 gross metric tons or more that sail on international voyages must install tracking systems, known as an automatic identification systems, to provide information about their locations to the authorities and other ships.

Since the Ukraine invasion began, Russian oligarchs have been moving their yachts and private jets across the world in an apparent effort to protect their trophy assets from sanctions imposed by the US, UK, and other Western nations.

According to a report by The Daily Beast, Vagit Alekperov’s $80 million superyacht, Galactica Super Nova, stopped broadcasting its tracking signal after leaving Montenegro on March 2, leading to speculation that it might be trying to avoid detection. Alekperov, CEO of the Russian energy company Lukoil, hadn’t been sanctioned at the time.