Marine industry news focused on the war in Ukraine and its affects on Ukraine’s boats and boat builders and maritime sector.
Olena Duma, the head of Ukraine’s Asset Recovery and Management Agency (Arma), has confirmed that ownership of the 93m superyacht Royal Romance will be handed to the Ukrainian government after a landmark ruling by a Croatian court. The yacht (pictured above) is owned by the family of Ukrainian Viktor Medvedchuk, a former lawyer and the leader […]
Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, has formally withdrawn his bid for the ‘abandoned’ 82m Oceanco superyacht Alfa Nero due to ongoing legal complications. Alfa Nero, which was ditched in Antigua after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has been moored at Antigua Yacht Club Marina since February 2022, when it was blocked from leaving […]
After a year of forced hiatus due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Brig factory in Kharkiv has resumed production and the first all-new Brig RIBs have arrived in Australia. Sirocco Marine, Australian dealer for Brig since 2006, welcomed the return of Ukraine-designed and built Brig boats, at a reception early July. It says […]
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has reportedly purchased the superyacht Alfa Nero, which was ditched in Antigua after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The 81.3-metre Oceanco vessel was moored at Antigua Yacht Club Marina in February 2022. The vessel was blocked from leaving pending a search to confirm whether its ultimate owner appeared on sanction […]
World Sailing, the world governing body for the sport of sailing, has reconfirmed its position on the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials, as anticipation for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics gathers pace. Members of the World Sailing Council recently gathered for the mid-year meeting of the World Sailing Board, with the issue […]
The skipper of a Russian sailing vessel has revealed how a Ukrainian-crewed bulker rescued them after their ship became disabled in the Pacific. Speaking to Sibir Realii, a pro-democracy Russian outlet funded by the US Congress, skipper Stanislav Berezkin explains how — since mid-2021, the Russian Ocean Way, an inflatable trimaran sailboat, has been circumnavigating […]
The government of Antigua and Barbuda could sell the 81.3-metre Oceanco superyacht Alfa Nero to the highest bidder if it remains unclaimed, after it was ‘abandoned’ in Falmouth Harbour. The yacht was moored at Antigua Yacht Club Marina in February 2022. The vessel was blocked from leaving pending a search to confirm whether its ultimate […]
Eyewitnesses have captured video footage of a naval mine exploding on a beach along the coast of the Georgian city of Batumi. The effects of the large explosion were reported across much of the city, which sits on the country’s Black Sea coast. In #Georgia, an explosion rang out on the beach in #Batumi — […]
Heads are being scratched in Croatia, after a yacht owned by sanctioned Uzbek oligarch Alisher Usmanov allegedly disappeared from its dock in the central Adriatic. Reports claim the yacht was replaced with a decoy yacht… almost three months ago. Alarmingly, the apparent heist has only just been noticed by authorities, despite the yacht being frozen […]
A superyacht owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk is reportedly to be sold at auction after it was seized in Croatia earlier this year. Medvedchuk is the leader of Ukraine’s most prominent pro-Russia party and a close ally of Putin. A Croatian court has ruled that the $200m (£164m) superyacht Royal Romance should be […]
A petition calling for a superyacht to be used to house refugees has received more than 28,000 signatures, but it’s taken eight months to get this far. Frenchman, Philippe Bonneau, started the petition on change.org to ‘transform’ the yacht ‘into a free reception hotel for Ukrainian refugees awaiting permanent rehousing in France’. The 80-year-old retired […]