As per private tracking website MarineTraffic, a luxury yacht owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Alexey Mordashov left Hong Kong waters on Thursday bound for the South African port of Cape Town.
The recent appearance of the 465-foot (141-meter) multi-deck Nord in the city’s Victoria docks sparked criticism from the US State Department, which queried the financial hub’s “accountability” and did warn of reputation risk.
Mordashov, a billionaire connected to President Vladimir Putin, was one of a number of Russians sanctioned by both the US and EU, but not the UN following Russia’s attack on Ukraine because of their ties to Putin.
While several Russian superyachts have indeed been seized or barred from entering in Europe as well as other jurisdictions, the Nord was left alone in Hong Kong well after arrival on October 5.
It arrived after a seven-day journey from Vladivostok in Russia’s Far East, down through the Sea of Japan as well as the East China Sea.
Later, the Hong Kong Marine Department affirmed that the Nord had left Hong Kong on Thursday but refused to comment further.
The vessel was located southeast of Hong Kong waters early Thursday afternoon, heading into the South China Sea, according to MarineTraffic.
At midday, a witness observed a fuel vessel alongside the vessel within the harbor.
On October 11, Hong Kong’s leader, John Lee, stated that the city’s officials would not enforce preemptive sanctions imposed on Mordashov by different jurisdictions.
“We cannot do anything without a legal basis,” said Lee, who was sanctioned by the United States for his role in a clampdown on local liberties.
Lee, who is set to host a global investment summit with world business leaders in November, stated that the Chinese-ruled city will only abide by UN sanctions.
