We know that if you take away the fuel, the fire goes out; but with Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov officially off the EU sanctions list, does this also release his larger-than-life superyacht, Dilbar, from detention? One of the world’s biggest superyachts, the $800 million Dilbar, which stretches longer than the Great Pyramid of Giza if it were tipped over, may finally see the light of day.
The Lürssen goliath, named after the billionaire’s mother, has been immobilized for more than four years due to EU sanctions. According to The Guardian, the EU has removed the 73-year-old tycoon from its sanctions list, immediately prompting a question for any yachting enthusiast; will Dilbar continue to be detained now that the legal foundations keeping this 60-cabin giant locked down are crumbling?
This development offers a ray of hope for the former fencer, who has spent the better part of four years battling the system to regain access to his mammoth mothership. In 2023, a German court ruled that authorities’ raids on the megayacht were illegal. In 2024, the billionaire, worth $14 billion, won another small victory when German courts sided with him and allowed complaints against the investigating prosecutors. Still, none of this brought Dilbar back within his reach so he could swim in her 100-foot pool (the largest on any superyacht worldwide) or take evening walks in her gardens.
As for the 15,917 GT mammoth, it remains distant from the legal tug-of-war between Usmanov, its ownership structure and the authorities. The seven-deck goliath sits aloof, moored and motionless in its own world at Lürssen’s Berne facility on the Weser, near Bremen. The world’s largest superyacht by internal volume spent seven blissful years with Usmanov before sanctions intervened, and has now spent nearly five years in limbo. One more year like this, and Dilbar might forget where her true home lies.
Another party that will be immensely relieved to see Dilbar finally cleared to leave is Lürssen. The German shipbuilder has been shelling out an insane $56,000 every single day just to maintain the 512-foot vessel. While that $20 million annual bill is a far cry from the $60 million to $80 million Usmanov would splurge on her upkeep, it remains an astronomical burden for a shipyard holding a vessel it does not own. With Usmanov’s removal from the sanctions list, a victory is finally in sight, and Dilbar may now be closer to freedom than at any point in the past four years. If Germany’s remaining legal hurdles fall away, the $800 million yacht could finally swap its status as a burden to being a billionaire’s prized possession yet again.
