[imagesource: Lam Yik / Bloomberg]

The 141-metre Nord superyacht, which was sanctioned by the EU, the UK, and the US after Russia decided to invade Ukraine, was due to dock in Cape Town Harbour on Wednesday, November 11, after setting sail from Hong Kong.

Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis was an outspoken critic ahead of that date, saying the R9 billion yacht, owned by Russian Alexey Mordashov, should not be allowed to dock in the city.

Well, November 11 came and went and there was no sign of the Nord.

On October 26, the Nord went ‘dark’ – meaning it turned off its location transponders – while in Indonesia and there were then rumours that it has been spotted in the Maldives.

Those were later confirmed, reports EWN:

Some eagle-eyed water watchers have taken photos and confirmed to the eSysman SuperYachts YouTube channel that the Nord was recently spotted in and around the Maldives.

The images feature in this video:

It’s beginning to look like Cape Town was actually used as a decoy.

This week, the Department of Home Affairs confirmed the yacht did not dock at any of South Africa’s ports, reports BusinessTech:

Responding in a written parliamentary Q&A this week, home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi said that the R9 billion yacht – dubbed The Nord – has not docked at any of South Africa’s harbours, nor were any pre-clearance applications received for it to dock in the country.

Yep – we were a decoy.

South Africa continues to refuse to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and meekly calls for peace talks between the two countries.

A quick history lesson on why that is via UnHerd:

The old guard of the ruling African National Congress, who still haunt every crevice of government here, have not forgotten that Russian support was crucial in their 80-year anti-apartheid struggle, finally won in a negotiated settlement in 1994. Many of the ageing elites studied at Russian or Bloc country universities. They may have forgotten the USSR’s egalitarian mantras in their rush to become wealthy, but nostalgia still lingers. The Russians have not been slow to capitalise on it.

Jacob Zuma also has a notoriously cosy relationship with Vladimir Putin’s country, having commissioned Russia’s Rosatom energy company to build eight nuclear plants in 2014.

That has since been blocked by South African courts.

[sources:ewn&bustech&unherd]