A superyacht linked to sanctioned Russian billionaire Alexey Mordashov has navigated the Strait of Hormuz, a highly sensitive shipping lane at the epicentre of the US-Iran conflict, shipping data has revealed.
The passage marks a rare transit through a waterway that has seen severe restrictions since February.
The 142-meter (465-foot) vessel, named Nord and valued at over $500 million, departed a Dubai marina on Friday afternoon, crossed the strait on Saturday morning, and reached Muscat early on Sunday, according to MarineTraffic platform data.
It remains unclear how the luxury yacht secured permission to traverse the route.
Iran has significantly curtailed traffic through the strait, which typically handles approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.
Daily passages through the crucial waterway, located at the entrance to the Gulf, have plummeted to just a handful of mainly merchant vessels, a stark contrast to the average of 125 to 140 daily transits before the Iran war commenced on 28 February.
A representative for steel magnate Mordashov declined to comment on Monday regarding the yacht’s journey. The US has, in turn, imposed a blockade on Iranian ports as a countermeasure amidst the uneasy ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.
Russia and Iran are longstanding allies and have become closer in recent years, including via a 2025 treaty that strengthened intelligence and security cooperation.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi arrived in Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin on Monday after discussions with mediators in Pakistan and Oman over the weekend.
Mordashov, known to be close to Putin, is not officially listed as the owner of Nord. But shipping data and Russian corporate records from 2025 show the vessel was registered to a Russian firm owned by his wife in 2022. This firm is registered in the Russian town of Cherepovets, where Mordashov’s steelmaker Severstal is also registered.
Mordashov was among a number of Russians sanctioned by the United States and European Union after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for their links to Putin.
One of the largest yachts in the world, Nord has 20 staterooms, a swimming pool, a helipad and a submarine, according to industry publisher Superyacht Times.