Russian tycoon suing UK government for return of £38m superyacht
A Russian tycoon is suing the UK government over the seizure of his £38m superyacht in London shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year.
Sergei Georgievich Naumenko, a property developer who is not on the UK’s Russia sanctions list, has filed a high court claim against the Department for Transport (DfT) demanding it free his 58.5-metre (192ft) long superyacht Phi and pay damages.
The seizure of the vessel in March 2022 was announced by the then transport secretary, Grant Shapps, who said impounding it had “turned an icon of Russia’s power and wealth into a clear and stark warning to [Vladimir] Putin and his cronies”.
“Detaining the Phi proves, yet again, that we can and will take the strongest possible action against those seeking to benefit from connections to Putin’s regime,” Shapps added.
Officers from the National Crime Agency boarded the vessel in March 2022 in Canary Wharf, where it has remained detained ever since.
At the time, the government said the law used to detain the vessel did not require proof or suspicion the owner was closely tied to the Putin regime, merely that they were a Russian national.
The vessel had been in London for a World Superyacht awards judging panel event, which was held at the five-star Bulgari hotel in Knightsbridge.
A judge has overseen a preliminary high court hearing and heard arguments from lawyers representing Naumenko and the transport secretary, Mark Harper.
In a preliminary hearing Mr Justice Chamberlain said: “Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the National Crime Agency and Border Force maritime intelligence bureau investigated vessels with connections to Russia. The Phi was identified as a vessel of interest.
“On 28 March 2022, the then secretary of
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