Sky News had exclusive access to the 58-meter (190-foot) Phi, which could not leave the Canary Wharf from March. The ship is being held under UK sanctions against Russia – but its owner, named in the detention order as Sergei Naumenko, is not on any sanctions list. Picture: The superyacht has a freshwater pool and an “infinite wine cellar” “It’s impressive, bait, attention-seeking,” Captain Guy Booth, a New Zealander living in the United Kingdom, told Sky News. “Phi is low fruit, it is the only Russian boat here. “It was an easy choice for social media.” The super yacht, which features a freshwater pool and what is described as an “infinite wine cellar” containing 400 bottles, was in London for an awards ceremony when it was arrested by National Crime Agency officers. The detention order describes Mr Naumenko as a “Russian-linked person” who provides the legal basis for the detention of the asset. “It’s unfair and the owner does not deserve it,” Mr Booth said, adding that his boss was considering legal action to free the ship. He also denied Transport Minister Grand Saps’s proposals that Mr Naumenko had ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “I think it’s fair and just that they asked to know exactly who the owner is, the source of his wealth, where this boat came from,” Mr Booth said. “All this information has been provided and none of it links the owner of the boat to any position on the Russian political scene, to Mr Putin or to any other political ambition.” Image: Phi has not been able to leave the Canary Wharf since March Little is known about Mr Naumenko, who declined to comment. His legal representative told Sky News that he is a retired businessman who spent his money on civil engineering and investment management. “He had a quiet but successful business life in the middle of Russia,” said Sir Ian Collett, chief executive of the yacht consulting firm Ward & McKenzie. The government has not confirmed the name of the owner of the superyacht, but described her property as “deliberately well hidden” at the time of her detention. According to documents seen by Sky News, Phi is registered with Dalston Projects Limited, a company based in the nation of the two Caribbean islands, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and flying the Maltese flag. Follow the Daily Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker “It’s a completely normal structure,” said Sir Ian. “Mr Naumenko is being referred to as the ultimate real beneficiary because you now have to declare the final real beneficiary to the post-Panama Papers authorities. “So all this is completely open. There is no bad background to this. It is, in my world, a standard practice. Image: “The owner does not deserve it,” says Captain Guy Booth As the boat has been detained and not confiscated, the owner of Phi is liable for 9 9,500 a month for the mooring fees she requests. A spokesman for the Ministry of Transport said: “We are firm in our decision to seize assets such as the Phi, which meet both the scope and the purpose of the sanctions, and we will always be on Ukraine’s side against this heinous and illegal war. . “The foreign minister will continue to act within his available powers to increase economic pressure on Russia and make life more difficult for Russian elites.”
