Along the blocked Strait of Hormuz, a Russian ship goes
A superyacht connected to the notorious Russian billionaire Alexey Mordashov passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, according to shipping data. It was one of only a few ships to make it through the heavily guarded shipping route that is at the center of the conflict between the US and Iran.
NavalTraffic.com says that Nord, a 142-meter (465-foot) boat worth more than $500 million, left a marina in Dubai around 1400 GMT on Friday, crossed the strait on Saturday morning, and arrived in Muscat early Sunday morning.
It is not clear how the huge pleasure boat got permission to use the path. Since February, Iran has made it very hard for ships to pass through the strait, which is where about 15% of the world’s oil supply normally goes.
On Monday, a representative for steel magnate Mordashov refused to say anything.
Few ships, mostly cargo ships, have been going through the important waterway at the entrance to the Gulf every day while Washington and Tehran keep a shaky ceasefire. This is a small part of the 125 to 140 daily passes that were normal before the war with Iran started on February 28.
The United States has put a ban on Iranian ports as a response.
Russia and Iran have been friends for a long time, and they have grown closer in recent years, thanks in part to a treaty signed in 2025 that made it easier for them to work together on intelligence and security issues.
Abbas Araqchi, the foreign minister of Iran, met with President Vladimir Putin on Monday in Russia. Over the weekend, he had talks with officials in Pakistan and Oman.
No one publicly lists Mordashov as the owner of Nord, even though he is known to be close to Putin. But shipping records and Russian business records from 2025 show that the ship was registered to a Russian company that his wife owned in 2022. The Russian town of Cherepovets is also home to Mordashov’s steel company, Severstal, which is where this company was founded.
The US and EU put sanctions on a number of Russians after Russia invaded Ukraine because they had ties to Putin. Mordashov was one of them.
According to Superyacht Times, Nord is one of the world’s biggest ships. It has 20 staterooms, a swimming pool, a helipad, and a submarine.