The $500 million superyacht Nord, linked to sanctioned Russian billionaire Alexey Mordashov, transited the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend along the corridor running past Iran’s Larak Island, the access route through which Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) controls entry to the strait, as Tehran maintains formal fee exemptions for Russian-linked vessels.
AIS tracking data from MarineTraffic and VesselFinder showed the 142-meter vessel departed Dubai on April 24, crossed the strait overnight, and arrived in Muscat, Oman on April 26. The crossing was publicly traceable in real time on commercial shipping platforms.
Sail away with me
will you?
🚢 Nord sailed through Hormuz pic.twitter.com/GGhyKV1GwH
— Saganor (@SaganorLie) April 27, 2026
Russian oligarch’s $500M yacht gets Iran pass as Hormuz traffic is choked
The Nord, owned by Alexei Mordashov, used a shipping lane declared safe by Iran, as Tehran allows select vessels to pass while the strait remains largely blo…https://t.co/rHpUqsskBU pic.twitter.com/lrzoMSiY9R
— Ynet Global (@ynetnews) April 25, 2026
Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali confirmed that Russia receives complete exemptions from the transit tariffs Iran has imposed on commercial vessels using the waterway. The fee structure, which routes revenues to Iran’s Central Bank under the designation of security and transit fees, grants Moscow preferred access while Western-linked commercial shipping remains blocked at both ends of the chokepoint.
Mordashov, Chairman of Severstal, Russia’s steel and mining giant, has been under US, UK, and European Union (EU) sanctions since 2022. Forbes estimates his net worth at $37 billion. His yacht, built by German shipyard Lürssen, was re-registered in Russia following the introduction of Western restrictions.
Two US-sanctioned tankers, five cargo ships, and a passenger ferry also crossed the strait during the same window, MarineTraffic data showed.
Iran closed the strait to commercial shipping in late February following the launch of US and Israeli military operations. A brief reopening on April 17 was revoked days later.
The IRGC seized two commercial vessels on April 22, marking the first such incidents since the start of the campaign.
Iran’s IRGC released footage after it seized two MSC container vessels in the Strait of Hormuz over alleged ties to the Israeli occupation. pic.twitter.com/8S8R9kcMYJ
— comra (@comrawire) April 27, 2026
The IRGC has stated that normal navigation will resume only once the US lifts its maritime restrictions.
