After A Month Of Denials, Germany Restricted $800 Million Yacht, "Dilbar"

On March 2, we reported that an $800 million yacht called Dilbar had been frozen by German authorities in Hamburg, where the vessel was undergoing maintenance at the Blohm + Voss shipyard. At the time, representatives for Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov denied the yacht had been seized, and Germany's Ministry of Economy confirmed that no such seizure had taken place.

In April, Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) announced that Dilbar had been formally restricted under EU sanctions. The yacht was prevented from leaving port while investigators reviewed its ownership structure. Initial BKA statements suggested that Usmanov's sister, Gulbakhor Ismailova, was the legal owner and that assets had been indirectly transferred to her. Those posts were later deleted in 2024 after the BKA acknowledged errors in its reporting of the ownership. Representatives for Usmanov have consistently maintained that the yacht is controlled by an independent trustee of a long-established estate planning trust, and that neither Usmanov nor his sister are the controlling persons of the vessel.

Either way, here's a photo of Dilbar in better times, photographed in June 2020 off the coast of England:

(Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)

What's not in dispute is that Dilbar is one of the largest and most expensive yachts ever built. The yacht was commissioned at a reported cost of $600 million. Construction took 4.5 years before it was delivered in 2016. At 512 feet, it is the fourth-largest yacht in the world and valued at roughly $800 million.

The yacht boasts two helicopter pads, the largest indoor swimming pool ever installed at sea (holding 180 cubic meters of water), and 12 suites capable of accommodating two dozen guests in private luxury. Operating Dilbar requires a crew of around 80 people, with estimated annual costs of $60 million — about $1.15 million per week, $164,000 per day, or $114 every single minute. Reports indicated that crew contracts were suspended after sanctions made ongoing payroll impossible.

Here's what Dilbar looked like on March 6, and presumably what it still looks like today… only now it's somehow locked or disabled?

(Photo by Markus Scholz/picture alliance via Getty Images)