The BRICS TimesThe Nord, a 465-foot superyacht tied to sanctioned Russian billionaire Alexey Mordashov quietly sailed through the Strait of Hormuz as Iran chokes off global shipping. With a submarine, helipad, and 20 staterooms on board, the vessel’s mystery passage is raising serious geopolitical eyebrows.
A Floating Palace Nobody Officially Owns
One of the world’s most jaw-dropping superyachts just pulled off something most ships can’t dare attempt right now it crossed the Strait of Hormuz. The Nord, a 142-metre luxury vessel worth well over $500 million, quietly left a Dubai marina on a Friday afternoon and arrived in Muscat, Oman, by early Sunday. Iran has all but shut down traffic through this critical waterway since February. Yet the Nord packed with a helipad, a submarine, a swimming pool, and 20 lavish staterooms sailed through without a visible hitch.
The vessel is widely linked to Alexey Mordashov, one of Russia’s richest men and a steel industry titan. His company Severstal is Russia’s largest steel and mining operation. Mordashov is not officially named as the owner of the Nord. Instead, shipping records and Russian corporate data show it was registered to a firm owned by his wife in 2022 based in Cherepovets, the same Russian city where Severstal operates.
Through a Strait on the Brink
The Strait of Hormuz is normally one of the planet’s busiest shipping corridors handling roughly one-fifth of global oil supply. Before Iran’s war escalation in February, as many as 140 vessels transited the strait daily. That number has now collapsed to just a handful. Washington maintains a naval blockade on Iranian ports. Tehran, in turn, controls who gets to pass.
Iran attacked three vessels attempting to cross on a Wednesday seizing two of them just days before the Nord made its move. The Revolutionary Guard has made clear that controlling the strait is central to Iran’s deterrence strategy. So how did a sanctioned Russian oligarch’s luxury yacht quietly slip through?
The Nord used a specific shipping lane that Iran had declared safe a route hugging the Iranian coastline near Larak Island, an area firmly under Revolutionary Guard control. Two other vessels crossed on the same Saturday morning: a Chinese oil tanker and a Greek cargo ship both reportedly in coordination with Iranian authorities. Iran has allegedly been charging vessels as much as $2 million for permission to pass.
Russia, Iran and a Very Convenient Alliance
The timing of the Nord’s passage was anything but coincidental. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi flew to Moscow that very Monday to meet President Vladimir Putin following weekend discussions with mediators in Pakistan and Oman. Russia and Iran have grown significantly closer in recent years. A 2025 treaty between the two nations deepened intelligence sharing and security cooperation. Mordashov himself is known to have close ties to Putin.
The United States and the European Union sanctioned Mordashov following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine citing his proximity to the Kremlin. A spokesperson for Mordashov declined to comment when approached about the yacht’s passage.
What’s Inside the Nord And Why It Matters
The Nord is no ordinary yacht. Built by Germany’s renowned Lürssen shipyard, it measures 465 feet from bow to stern. Its sleek exterior white with dark blue accents on the upper decks was designed by Italian studio Nuvolari Lenard. The vessel carries 20 staterooms and can house more than 24 guests alongside a crew of over 40. Its annual running costs alone are estimated at around $50 million.
The onboard amenities read like a checklist for the ultra-wealthy a swimming pool, sun terrace, spa, beach club, cinema, and a diving centre. The tender garage is equally extraordinary: it houses a deep-diving submarine, a hovercraft, Toyota Land Cruisers, and all-terrain vehicles. Two helipads sit on the upper deck one of them fitted with a collapsible hangar. The yacht even carries its own AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter. Powered by four MTU engines, the Nord can hit top speeds of 25 knots.
A Passage That Asks More Questions Than It Answers
The Nord’s crossing is a rare and deeply symbolic moment. It demonstrates in the most visible way possible how political alliances can quietly override formal international sanctions. No one has explained how the yacht got clearance. No Iranian official has acknowledged it. No Western government has flagged it publicly.
What is clear is this: a 465-foot vessel tied to a sanctioned Russian billionaire carrying a submarine and a helicopter glided through one of the world’s most militarised shipping lanes without incident. In a strait where ordinary cargo ships are being seized at gunpoint, that is a statement in itself.
