BERLIN, April 14, 2022 (AFP) – Germany officially seized the world’s largest yacht belonging to Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov on Thursday as part of sanctions imposed on Moscow over the war in Ukraine, according to a police source.

The yacht “Dilbar”, which is 156 meters long and estimated to be worth around 600 million US dollars (according to Forbes magazine), has been undergoing repairs in Hamburg since October 2021.

German customs had been investigating its owner for several weeks, suspecting it was hiding in tax havens.

However, “after lengthy investigations”, the German judicial police managed to identify Gulbajor Ismailova, the owner Alisher Usmanov’s sister, who is also the target of European sanctions.

Her 68-year-old brother was listed as the sixth richest person in the UK in 2021 according to the Sunday Times.

Dozens of yachts belonging to Russian oligarchs were seized following Western sanctions.