UK Supreme Court to hear case on seized Superyacht PHI
Royal Huisman Superyacht PHI was seized in March 2022, following novel sanctions targeting Russian interests upon the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The UK Supreme Court Landmark Sanctions Appeal hearing has now been scheduled for January 16, 2025. Moreover, this upcoming court hearing follows years of legal battles between Sergei Georgievich Naumenko, PHI’s owner, and the UK government.
This Royal Huisman Custom motor yacht was built in aluminum in 2021, after an exterior design by Cor D Rover Design and naval architecture by Van Oossanen Naval Architects. She is powered by twin 1655Hp M.T.U. diesel engines, which allow a top speed of 22 knots. Her interior, after a design by Lawson Robb, can accommodate up to 12 guests across 6 capacious staterooms, with 6 additional cabins for crew- or family member accommodation. Furthermore, her layout relating to the ‘sectio divina’, or the Golden Ratio, results in the continuation of dimensions and shapes in natural proportions throughout her design. Moreover, her philosophy and design is focused on three themes: the galaxy, the ocean surface, and the underwater world. Lastly yet remarkably, PHI is the longest superyacht under 500 Gross Tonnage (GT).
Prior to her detention, PHI embarked on her maiden voyage from the Netherlands to the UK to showcase her disruptive design at the World Superyacht Awards. Moreover, she arrived in London to delineate her status as a pioneer in yacht design, yet her visit was overshadowed by international controversy when she was detained under UK sanctions targeting assets linked to Russia.
Since her detention in Britisch waters by the UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps in March 2022, following her identification as a potentially Russian-owned Superyacht, PHI has been anchored in London. Whereas the UK government is leveraging European sanctions stating that any connection to Russia, regardless of its nature, justifies detention, PHI’s (beneficial) owners contest this detention due to a supposed violation of property rights. In 2023, a High Court Judge ruled PHI’s detention as lawful and a legitimate action in the public interest. Furthermore, in spite of inaccurate public statements about the yacht owner’s alleged ties with Russian President Putin, the Court of Appeals upheld the High Court’s decision in 2024, reaffirming the lawfulness of PHI’s detention.
In the years since her detention, PHI has suffered amongst others hull degradation, lapsed insurances, and trespassers. In spite of the detention, PHI’s Russian owner has taken on the ongoing maintenance costs for the Royal Huisman. Moreover, the future of Royal Huisman superyacht PHI currently remains uncertain, yet certain is that the yacht and its owner will face a critical turning point with the upcoming Supreme Court hearing. Moreover, given PHI’s lacking condition, as well the owner’s reported terminal illness, her owner considers this appeal hearing the final opportunity to secure her release.
