Germany Seizes Yacht Connected to Russian Oligarch Alisher Usmanov

Authorities in Germany have seized the Dilbar, the world's largest yacht by gross tonnage, after determining that it was owned by Gulbakhor Ismailova, sister of Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov. Dilbar was the first name of their mother.

Usmanov and his immediate family are sanctioned by the U.S. and the European Union in connection with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The vessel - which is in shipyard in Hamburg - was detained by German officials in early March, just days after the beginning of the invasion. 

Initially, the detention of the Dilbar was a temporary measure while investigations were under way. On Thursday, Germany's federal police (BKA) announced that "extensive investigations despite offshore concealment" revealed that Ismailova was the beneficial owner of the vessel. 

"The luxury yacht Dilbar is therefore subject to the sanction law and can be legally fixed in Hamburg," the agency confirmed. 

Dilbar is the largest personal yacht in the world by volume, measuring in at nearly 16,000 GT. At 512 feet, she is also the sixth longest vessel of her type. She can accommodate up to 24 guests in her spacious 40,000 square foot interior. According to her builder, she also has an 25-meter-long, 180-cubic-meter pool, the largest ever installed on a yacht. 

Alisher Usmanov owns Russian metals conglomerate Metalloinvest, media company Kommersant and mobile-phone provider Megafon. Through Metalloinvest, he is also one of the largest shareholders in Deep Sea Minerals Finance, the successor company of bankrupt deep sea mining firm Nautilus Minerals.