Dthe operators of the websites marinetraffic.com or vesselfinder.com are currently very popular. They have been registering increased access numbers for several weeks. In the past, it was more used by the maritime industry or by so-called ship spotters, but the two portals, with which ship movements can be tracked worldwide, have reached the general public. The search for mega-yachts owned by Russian oligarchs has been driving the traffic since major news portals have been linking to the tracking portals and the 8 p.m. news are picking up on the subject. Some social media accounts are also fueling the whole thing – for example on Twitter @SanctionsAhoy or @RussiaYachts.
What only a few insiders previously observed, millions of people are now doing. Who drives when, how fast and, above all, where? The AIS signals of the big yachts make it possible; and the sending is even mandatory. If a captain deactivates them to sail incognito, problems quickly arise with the flag state, which is allowed to remove the yacht from the register. Without registration in a flag state, it is then almost impossible to call at ports or obtain insurance. The flag state of the Isle of Man is said to have withdrawn the registration of two Russian mega yachts. And Lloyd’s Register, a British classification society, has been denying the class to all ships under Russian control, ownership or management since mid-March. The operation of superyachts, which can be unequivocally assigned to Russian oligarchs on sanctions lists, will change fundamentally.
#yachts #oligarchs #put #matryoshka
