The U.S. Department requested Spanish authorities to seize Russian Oligarch and billionaire Viktor Vekselberg‘s Superyacht Tango in April 2022.
The seizure of Tango is one of the many steps taken by surrounding countries against Russia in order to cut down its economic conditions and put a permanent end to the ongoing war.
Superyacht Tango: Key Features
The Tango yacht is a 78-metre (254-foot) superyacht built by the Feadship van Lent shipyard. It has 14 guest cabins and can accommodate up to 22 crew members.
The yacht needs a continuous source of diesel to maintain the generators and interior, in addition to covering expenses for the skeleton crew and docking fees. The United States is looking to sell the yacht, incurring a monthly cost of $100,000.
Seizure Details of Superyacht Tango
Superyacht Tango was seized by the Spanish authorities in Palma de Mallorca in April 2022 at the request of the U.S. Department of Justice, after the issuance of a seizure warrant filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia which stated that Tango was subject to confiscation based on violation of U.S. sanctions.
On March 11, 2022, the U.S. Treasury Department blocked the yacht and it was one of the nine superyachts blocked, frozen, seized, or deregistered since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, worth a collective $1.5 Billion.
Who is Viktor Vekselberg?
Viktor Vekselberg is a wealthy businessman from Ukraine, Russia, and Cyprus. He runs a big company called Renova Group. He was born in 1957 in Ukraine.
He got an engineering degree from Moscow State University of Railway Engineering in 1979, where he met his future business partner, Len Blavatnik. Vekselberg also earned an engineering degree from the USSR Academy of Sciences and worked in a lab for about ten years.
He started making money by selling old copper cables and later bought some medium-sized companies. He has investments in companies that make machines and equipment like Sulzer and Oerlikon, as well as a company that makes aluminium called Rusal, a solar panel company called Hevel, and some airports in Russia. In 2013, he sold part of a Russian oil business for $7 billion.
Viktor Vekselberg Net Worth and Sanctions
According to reports, he was worth around $9.3 billion and was one of the 262 richest people in the world. The United States has put sanctions on Vekselberg since April 2018 because of his involvement in Russia’s energy industry. He was labelled as a “Specially Designated National” by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control because of Russia’s actions in Ukraine, which the U.S. saw as a big threat.
Vekselberg has also been linked to the ANC, a political party in South Africa. A mining company connected to him gave $826,000 to support the ANC’s campaign in South Africa’s elections.
FAQ – Superyacht Tango
Q.1 What is Superyacht Tango, and who owns it?
The Superyacht Tango is a 78-metre (254-foot) luxury yacht built by the Feadship van Lent shipyard. The owner of the yacht is Viktor Vekselberg, a wealthy businessman from Ukraine, Russia, and Cyprus.
Q.2 Why was Superyacht Tango seized?
The U.S. Department of Justice requested that the Spanish authorities seize the superyacht Tango in Palma de Mallorca in April 2022. The seizure was based on a warrant issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, citing a violation of U.S. sanctions as the reason for confiscation
Q.3 Who is Viktor Vekselberg?
Viktor Vekselberg is a wealthy businessman from Ukraine with business ventures in Russia and Cyprus. He did his engineering at the Moscow State University of Railway Engineering and even has a special degree from the USSR Academy of Sciences.
