Germany seizes Oligarchs $600 million mega-yacht

[Marius25]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/giacomotognini/2022/03/02/germans-seize-russian-billionaire-alisher-usmanovs-mega-yacht/?utm_source=ForbesMainTwitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflowForbesMainTwitter&sh=1b27889552dd

Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov was sanctioned by the European Union on Monday. Two days later, Forbes has learned from three sources in the yacht industry that one of his prized possessions—the 512-foot yacht Dilbar, valued at nearly $600 million—has been seized by German authorities in the northern city of Hamburg.

Usmanov purchased Dilbar in 2016 for a reported cost of $600 million from German shipbuilder Lürssen, which custom-built it for him over 52 months. The firm calls it "one of the most complex and challenging yachts ever built, in terms of both dimensions and technology." At 15,917 tons, it's the world's largest motor yacht by gross tonnage, and is typically manned by a crew of 96 people. Dilbar boasts the largest swimming pool ever installed on a yacht as well as two helicopter pads, a sauna, a beauty salon, and a gym. Its plush interiors have more than 1,000 sofa cushions and it can host up to 24 people in 12 suites.

[intrepidity]

1. So, what do they do with it now?

Sell it to.... who?

[Bev54]

3. They should give the proceeds to Ukraine

[onecaliberal]

4. Sell it and give the money to Ukraine to rebuild.

[SheltieLover]

14. This!👆

[Deuce]

45. Yes...

[onetexan]

62. +1 K&R

[iluvtennis]

74. +2 .

[Irish_Dem]

15. Turn it into a hotel and give the profits to Ukraine orphans.

[The Figment]

27. Germany isn't poor...

Impound the yacht, continue to send weapons and tech to support Ukraine...

Then give it to Sea Shepherd,where they will paint it in nautical camo,get good use outta couple of helicopter pads and has comfortable accomodations for a crew of about 110.

[KS Toronado]

49. I question if Sea Shepherd would want any "spoils of war"

especially when it should be going to benefit Ukrainians.

[Peregrine Took]

75. +1000

[AmBlue]

31. It could be used to provide housing

...for some Ukrainian refugees right now.

[Brainfodder]

32. Recycle it please.

[bluecollar2]

36. Paint it grey, add a couple of 5 inch guns

And donate it to the Ukrainian Navy...

[A HERETIC I AM]

46. A 512 footer is as big as a Destroyer, ...

Last edited Thu Mar 3, 2022, 04:49 AM - Edit history (1)

So the length is good!

It would make a shitty warship though, unless you gutted it to the framing and refit it completely. If you’re going to do that, might as well just build a new one from the keel up.

[FailureToCommunicate]

77. No no...it could be a Trojan Horse yacht. Sail into some Russian port, all the swells would

come for a looky look.

[bluecollar2]

91. Or you could

Fill it with C4 and remote direct it into a Russian Navy squadron or port...

[ECL213]

37. Load it up with Wildfire...

and sail it up the Volga river.

[padah513]

72. A GOT fan

I'm with you lol

[machoneman]

40. Sink it!

[Moostache]

57. Scuttle it...Russian Oliogarch Vessel...Go Fxxk Yourself! (n/t)

[COL Mustard]

79. Keep it for the Bundesmarine

She could be the Command Flagship Oberammergau!

[Ray Bruns]

100. Sink it and send the video to Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov

[FakeNoose]

2. What a shame

This thing is a monster!

[Disaffected]

13. And an obscenity. nt

[COL Mustard]

80. It's a beautiful boat IMHO

But I know what you're saying. Obscene the way he got the money to buy her.

[Disaffected]

88. Yeah, it's a nice looking ship alright.

Obscene in how he got the money and obscene that he spent a huge sum on such a gross extravagance.

[StClone]

101. Greenpeace could use it!

[Maraya1969]

92. I bet it wastes a lot of gas - or fuel - whatever you call it. They should first outfit it with

solar panels

[Disaffected]

93. Not enough surface area available.

Why, you would even have to cover up the swimming pool, sun decks and race track. Still wouldn't be nearly enough though (unless you are OK with going slower than a row boat at best).

[AZLD4Candidate]

29. When something you personally own is almost the size of two football field

and costs more than a lot of businesses make as profit each year, you have too much.

I wonder how many vodka and cocaine fueled orgies he had on his floating midlife crisis with souldead celebrities, dignitaries, and potentates. Unreal.

[Codifer]

41. This confiscation is a good thing.

I should think that there are some number of teenage girls who deserve some recompense from the selling of it.

Actually, a LOT of recompense.

edit to add: Probably some teenage boys too.

[LiberatedUSA]

65. Ever seen the Wolf of Wallstreet?

That movie really shows the insanity the insanely rich will do.

[COL Mustard]

81. My invitaion must have gotten lost in the mail

[PatSeg]

76. A crew of 96?

It is hard to fathom. These people are like 21st century royalty and their wealth is obscene.

[crickets]

90. Agreed. That's no mere yacht; it's a small cruise ship. nt

[PatSeg]

96. Yes, that's what I thought

There appears to be a yacht competition among the world's billionaires these days. Or should we call it "yacht envy"?

[Victor_c3]

5. A crew of 96? I guess you never get to have that quiet evening on the water

The same thing with those giant mansions. You have a full time staff and never get to have the place to yourself. What if you wanted to poop with the door open or run down to the fridge to get a snack without your pants on?

Maybe I just shared too much about my own habits

[albacore]

10. Ummm... why would oligarchs care about being seen pooping with the door open? LBJ didn't. nt

[COL Mustard]

82. As long as you don't

Poop in the fridge with....oh hell...never mind.

[RockCreek]

6. Can it be repurposed for refugees?

I know that's not practical.
But I hope that somehow it is used to help the Ukrainians.

[lagomorph777]

11. I think it could. Convert all available space to bunks, dining, medical facilities.

[RockCreek]

17. But leave a lot of amenities for them to enjoy, too!

But leave a lot of amenities for them to enjoy, too!!
Hot tub(s), gym, entertainment equipment, etc.

[lastlib]

20. Use it to deliver weapons/ammo/medicals to the Ukrainian forces.

That'll learn 'im, durn 'im.

[Chainfire]

7. Pump the fuel out and scuttle it in the North Sea.

Send the Oligarch the video of it going down. It sends a better message than selling it and it eliminates any question of him ever getting it back.

[RockCreek]

18. Please don't do that to the ecosystem!

Please don't do that to the ecosystem!
Perhaps, instead, a video of the fuel being removed to be used other ships.
Along with an announcement that Germany is sending the monetary value of the fuel to help Ukraine.

[Chainfire]

21. It would make a good artificial reef. They sink ships around here for that purpose. ;)

If you want to make a point, don't monetize the issue. I would recommend scraping it, but that takes too long. As long as the Yacht is afloat, there is a chance of him getting it back, if it is at the bottom of the North sea, he won't...ever. Make the thug cry about his precious lost toy.

[RockCreek]

30. All great points! n/t

[Lonestarblue]

47. Yes. These people will just assume that they'll get their toys back later.

At least one or two yachts need to be sold or turned into something else to send a message.

[Chainfire]

48. Let them petition Neptune for their toys.

[lagomorph777]

8. Yessss! Grab the "Dildo" -er- "Dilbar" !!!

[JasonMain]

9. Sell it. Rebuild Ukraine.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

12. Nobody deserves

That kind of money.
I dont care who you are or what you do. Nobody needs such obscene wealth.

There are too many people suffering to allow it, but people dont see it this way.

Sell the godamn yacht give the money to Ukraine.
And fuck over every ogliarch with ties to putin including the rich pigs in America .

[leftieNanner]

19. THIS!!!

[lagomorph777]

25. We'd just be selling it to another asshole. Only assholes can afford such obscenity.

Better to put it to good use.

[Irish_Dem]

16. The Russian oligarchs sure love their yachts. I wonder why?

What is the draw for them?

[lastlib]

22. well, they can park them in international waters, and be safe from arrest.

[Irish_Dem]

33. The world has let them get away with their crimes for too long.

Now all the people they paid off are being outed.

[colorado_ufo]

34. Bingo.

And with all that advanced technology, still continue to do business.

It doesn't have to sell for for $600M; after all, it's "used." (LOL!) I would certainly give it a different name; what kind of stupid name is Dilbar? Four and a half years to build it, and that's the best they could come up with?

Sell it as a potential floating hotel/casino; park it in permanent dock outside Monte Carlo and require a portion of all proceeds to go for a permanent benefit to Ukraine.

[fescuerescue]

73. Checkout Ft launderdale

It's the SuperYacht capital of the US. Hundreds of them there.

It's not just the Russians.

Seems to be the goto purchase once you hit 9 figures.

[Walleye]

84. A friend took me for a ride in his small boat among those yachts in Fort Lauderdale

My mouth was open the whole time.

[Irish_Dem]

85. Status symbol for the very wealthy.

[COL Mustard]

83. Many are compensating for something

I can't remember what, but they're compensating.

[Irish_Dem]

86. I know, what could it be? :)

Kind of coincides with all the pictures I see on TV..... these rich old guys on yachts with all the young yacht girls in bikinis. I guess the wife is back in one of the mansions or Park Ave apartment.

[COL Mustard]

89. Something about

Stumpy. Ren and Stumpy? Nah, that doesn't sound right.

[Irish_Dem]

95. I think it sounds right.

[AZLD4Candidate]

23. $600M on a boat. Obscene.

[Justice matters.]

28. Russian mob oath... nt

[Chainfire]

35. Bezos didn't seem to think so.

I believe the number on his new toy is 500 million, but then he has yet to furnish and decorate it... You know, it is just keeping up with the Johnovics. Conspicuous consumerism writ large. It makes a man yearn for icebergs.

[2naSalit]

24. House a bunch of refugees on it.

[k0rs]

38. Nearly 16,000 tonnes...

Larger than the WW2 German "pocket battleship" Graf Spee.

My God, the conspicuous consumption...

[BlueIdaho]

39. Take it into the Atlantic

And scuttle it.

[aeromanKC]

42. Turn it into a vacation liner and donate all profits to Ukraine

Non profit venture that creates jobs and proceeds benefiting all Ukrainians.

[AllyCat]

43. Sell it and give money to Ukraine. House refugees on the boat.

[Marcuse]

44. "I'm gonna need a bigger boat."

[Stinky The Clown]

87. Manchin's "yacht' just is not.

This a great article from a West Virginia newspaper.

https://www.timeswv.com/news/local_news/sen-joe-manchins-boat-too-homely-to-be-a-yacht-experts-say/article_9bbf5ae0-65a2-11ec-ac11-1bacb9aba291.html

Here is the headline:

Sen. Joe Manchin's boat too homely to be a yacht, experts say

It is a quick read. In short, it is a 65 foot three story houseboat worth about $300-$400K. No biggie.

[Texaswitchy]

50. Really belongs to Putin.

He hides his money in other people's names.

Good for Germany.

[moonscape]

53. Good point.

[Raven123]

51. Tear it apart and distribute the parts wherever they can be used.

[housecat]

66. I had the same thought. Distruction is wasteful and selling it whole risky.

Whomever buys it --such as a cartel -- might resell it, and it can eventually find its way back to Russia. Parts are certainly of highest quality, and valuable enough to make disassembling it worthwhile. Then give the proceeds to Ukraine.

[hamsterjill]

52. I'm sorry but $600 million for a boat?

Six Hundred Million for a BOAT!!! Let that sink in.

They should dismantle it piece by piece and make him watch. Give any proceeds from the sale of the people to Ukraine.

[Alwaysna]

54. I would have loved to see Alisher Usmanov's facial expression

when he found out his toy was confiscated.

[AntiFascist]

55. Usmanov's background...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alisher_Usmanov#:~:text=He%20built%20his%20wealth%20through,Lebedinsky%20GOK%20and%20the%20Oskol

Usmanov became a dollar millionaire in the years before the Soviet Union collapsed. He set up a privately-owned for-profit company, cooperative Agroplast which produced plastic bags.[19] He enriched himself considerably after the collapse of the USSR.

...

In the end of the 90s Usmanov was the General Director of Gazprom Invest Holdings, the investment-holding subsidiary of Russia's state-owned gas company Gazprom,[21] and managed it for more than a decade;[22] Usmanov left the company in 2014.

[Kid Berwyn]

97. "Plastics."

Thank you for the background, AntiFascist! Mr. Usmanov is a beneficiary of our time’s business buzzword, “Piratization.”

[aggiesal]

56. How many homeless can they house in that luxury liner? n/t

[SayItLoud]

58. Putin moved his floating palace out of German waters 10 days ago. NT

[Ziggysmom]

59. Give it to Greenpeace!

They are helping analyze and monitor Ukraine nuclear sites.

https://www.greenpeace.org/international/press-release/52459/nuclear-hazards-zaporizhzhia-plant-ukraine-military-invasion/

[AllaN01Bear]

60. use it as a homeless shelter .

[SleeplessinSoCal]

61. what is the legal reason for seizing oligarchs' possessions?

Will the money from sale go to Ukraine?

[Danascot]

63. If you don't have his and hers helicopter pads

you're just riff-raff.

[Emile]

64. 512 feet damn! Most US Navy guided missile destroyers are not even that long.

[The Unmitigated Gall]

67. I'm sure good use can be made of it

But oh how I’d love to see it on the deep bottom

Robert Ballard style.

[ZonkerHarris]

68. Put it on eBay and I'll bid a dollar.

[L. Coyote]

69. Set it up to house Ukrainian refugees.

[NoMoreRepugs]

70. There are going to be lots and lots of expensive toys in the secondary market going forward.

[Crunchy Frog]

71. Yay! A little bit of good news.

[COL Mustard]

78. I can't imagine what a $600 million yacht would do

Other than be a status symbol. You could buy a cruise liner for less than that, I'm sure, and call *that* a yacht.

As for me, I'll stick with my trusty canoe.

[Danascot]

94. They should tell Usmanov

that he can have his boat back if he manages to take out Putin.

[NCjack]

98. Convert it to a dockside hospital for the benefit of people attacked

by Russia. The first patients should be Ukrainian military and civilian fighters.

[Seinan Sensei]

99. Indeed. I vote for Hospital ship.