NCA detains superyacht owned by Russian national

On March 29, 2022, the National Crime Agency’s Combatting Kleptocracy Cell detained a £38 million superyacht in Canary Wharf after working with the Border Force Maritime Intelligence Bureau to verify that the vessel’s owner was a Russian national.  The NCA reports that this was the first time that superyacht has ever been detained in UK waters.  NCA officers reportedly issued the notice of detention for the Phi, the third largest yacht built by shipbuilders Royal Huisman, after confirming that it was owned by a Russian businessman despite deliberate attempts to conceal the ownership of the yacht, which was registered to a company in the islands of St. Kitts and Nevis and carried Maltese flags to disguise its origins.  

NCA News Release