image sourced from original article at A luxury superyacht linked to sanctioned Russian billionaire Alexey Mordashov sailed through the Strait of Hormuz despite an ongoing blockade and heightened regional tensions. Marine tracking data showed the 142 metre vessel, Nord, travelled from Dubai to Muscat over the weekend, making it one of the few private yachts to use the strategic waterway in recent months.
The strait has become a focal point of tensions between Iran and the United States, with shipping volumes sharply reduced after Washington announced a blockade on Iranian ports. Roughly one fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies typically pass through the channel, and recent disruptions have pushed Brent crude prices above 109 dollars per barrel.
Nord is registered to a company owned by Mordashov's wife and is valued at more than 500 million dollars. Mordashov, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and chairman of steelmaker Severstal, has faced sanctions from the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It remains unclear whether he was on board during the yacht's passage.
