Caught! The £38million superyacht seized in London is believed to belong to a Russian businessman who isn’t even on the sanctions list
- Investigators believe Phi is Russian businessman Sergei Georgievich Naumenko
- It features a freshwater pool and an “infinite” wine cellar at its 192 feet
- The £38million vessel is the first yacht to be detained in UK waters as a result of sanctions
A £38million Russian-owned superyacht was detained by Britain’s Anti-Kleptocracy Unit yesterday.
The 192-foot vessel, which boasts a freshwater pool and an “endless” wine cellar, was boarded by officers from the National Crime Agency hours before it was due to leave Canary Wharf in east London.
British investigators believe the boat, named Phi, belongs to a Russian businessman named Sergei Georgievich Naumenko.
The NCA said Phi, who was in London for an awards ceremony, is registered with a company registered in the Caribbean islands of St Kitts and Nevis and wore Maltese flags “to purposely conceal his origins”.
It is the first yacht to be detained in UK waters as a result of sanctions.
Seized: Officials board Phi, owned by a Russian businessman, in Canary Wharf yesterday
The 192-foot vessel pictured, which boasts a freshwater pool and an “endless” wine cellar, was boarded by officers from the National Crime Agency hours before it was due to leave Canary Wharf in east London
British investigators believe the boat, named Phi, belongs to a Russian businessman named Sergei Georgievich Naumenko. Pictured: The National Crime Agency during the seizure
Will it fit in my super port?
Price: £38m
Delivered: December 2021
Length: 192 feet
Weight: 499 tons
decks: 3
Top speed: 25 km/h
Range: 4,600 miles
Guests: 12
crew: 11
Characteristics:
- 23ft
- 16 ton capacity
- freshwater pool
- 300 bottles of ‘endless wine cellar’,
- external lighting powered by lasers and a mile of fiber optic cable
- Two speedboat tenders and one Smart were carried on the separate 118-foot shadow vessel Phi Phantom
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the move “turned an icon of Russia’s power and wealth into a clear and unequivocal warning to Putin and his cronies.”
It features a freshwater pool and a 300-bottle “infinite” wine cellar, so-called because the reflection between two mirrors gives the impression of looking down an endless corridor of wine bottles.
The Greek letter phi is used to refer to a mathematical theory called the “golden ratio” that is said to exist in nature and is believed by some to represent beauty.
However, it remained a mystery as to the exact reason for Phi’s detention because Mr Naumenko is not on sanctions lists.
Phi was first identified as a possibly Russian-owned company on March 13.
Investigators wondered how the wealth of the “little fish” businessman, who is said to work in real estate, matched the value of the custom-built superyacht.
But a source said the boat was impounded over concerns a wealthy oligarch was actually being “shielded by a fake owner”.
The boat’s captain, Guy Booth, from Worthing, West Sussex, previously said the owner was an experienced sailor – and told friends on Facebook Phi didn’t have a Russian owner.
A Government source said: “This yacht is the result of weeks of investigations spanning the world. It’s the oligarchic equivalent of the Russian Matryoshka doll — where each layer hides another, and then another.”
Yesterday in Sardinia officers seized a £500,000 bullet and blast proof Mercedes Maybach limousine owned by Alisher Usmanov, the former Arsenal shareholder.
A superyacht owned by sanctioned Russian Alexei Mordashov has sailed 5,000 miles from the Seychelles and will soon reach Russia’s eastern port of Vladivostok, 80 miles from the border with North Korea.
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