A mysterious mega-yacht worth about $700 million (636 million euros) was pinned down by Italian authorities on Friday, and its owner, whose name has not been released, appears to be about to be evacuated.
The investigation by Italian authorities “makes it possible to establish important economic and commercial links between those who officially own the Scheherazade and prominent figures of the Russian government and Russians under Western sanctions.”, Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance a statement said.
Following this investigation, “the Minister of Economy and Finance, Daniele Franco, signed a decree to stop the ships,” the press release added.
An AFP photographer noted on Friday that the ship, which had been in dry dock in Italy’s Tuscany region for several months, had been launched and appeared to be ready to leave.
Released in 2020 from the German Lürssen shipyard, the “Scheherazade” is 140 meters long and has two helicopter platforms, a swimming pool, a cinema and an anti-drone battery, believe the administrators of the SuperYachtFan website, who appear as investigative journalists.
The big question remains: Who owns “Scheherazade”? Russian oligarch or someone taller? As long as it’s Russian…
The Italian ministry’s press release did not specify the identity of the owner.
Russian dissident Alexei Navalny’s team has blamed Vladimir Putin for the sea monster.
It is based in particular on the crew list, which includes several members of the FSO of the Federal Service for Habeas Protection of the Russian Federation.
Error, refutes the Italian Sea Group, which is responsible for maintaining the ship in its yard.
“The ownership of + Scheherazade+ cannot be attributed to Russian President Vladimir Putin,” the company responded in a press release, saying it relied on “documents in its possession and the results of inspections carried out by competent authorities.”