- A superyacht linked to Putin may be ready to leave an Italian port anytime, a former crew member told the NYT.
- The Scheherazade has been refuelled, restocked, and stripped of protective screening, per The Times.
- The yacht is currently docked in Italy, a member of the EU which has seized some Russian assets.
A luxury superyacht that US officials have linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin has been refueled after spending months in an Italian harbor for repairs and could set sail any day, The New York Times reported.
The Scheherazade, a 459-foot vessel worth $700 million, had been in dry dock in the Tuscan port of Marina di Carrara for nine months before it was refloated on Tuesday, The Times reported.
A crew member who used to work on the Scheherazade told The Times that the yacht could leave the port imminently. They added that the vessel would probably first have to undergo sea trials for equipment checks.
Plastic protective screens on the yacht's decks have been removed, and it has been loaded with fuel and supplies, workers in the port and others who could enter the shipyard told The Times.
An Italian police investigation into ownership of the yacht remains ongoing, per The Times.
The ex-crew member told The Times that when he worked onboard the Scheherazade, there were conversations about Putin being the the yacht's owner. US officials said in March that the superyacht could belong to the Russian president, per another Times report.
Being docked in Italy could put the yacht at risk of detention by authorities in accordance with EU sanctions. The bloc has doubled down on efforts to seize Russian oligarchs' assets, including luxury yachts, prompting some owners to move them to beyond the reach of sanctions.
Superyachts belonging to billionaire Roman Abramovich recently relocated to Turkish waters, per ship-tracking site Marine Traffic. Turkey hasn't sanctioned Russia or its oligarchs over the war in Ukraine.
Scheherazade can accommodate a total of 58 guests and crew, and features a helicopter landing pad, a large pool, a cinema, and an anti-drone system, according to Superyacht Fan.
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