– The most striking thing is that many inquiries about boat purchases come from Ukraine, says Sindre Jacobsen. He is the daily manager of House of Yachts in Bærum. From a venerable, old wooden villa overlooking the Lysakerfjord west of Oslo, the company sells used pleasure boats in the million range. The customers are both Norwegians and foreigners. – Pretending to be Ukrainians – I have been in the industry since 2014, and I have never had as many inquiries from Ukraine as I have had since the war broke out, says Jacobsen. Daily owner Sindre Jacobsen of House of Yachts is sure that Russians are behind some of the inquiries the company receives from Ukraine, Turkey and Dubai. Photo: Kjartan Rørslett / news He says that he first thought that these could be wealthy Ukrainians who fled to sea, who perhaps wanted a place to live on the sea. – But gradually I suspected that these could be Russians, who made contact under the pretense of being Ukrainians, he says. news has spoken to three dealers of large pleasure boats who all believe that some of those who have shown an interest in boats for sale are Russians under a false flag. But two of the negotiators do not wish to speak publicly. – Those who get in touch are interested in boats that they can live in over time, that have a washing machine, dishwasher, TV and everything you would otherwise find in a home, says Sindre Jacobsen. This is an 84 foot Princess. Photo: House of yachts Foreign Ministry: – Ever stricter rules The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for the sanctions regulations. In an e-mail to news, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote: “The goal of the historically extensive sanctions is to reduce Russia’s ability to finance the war in Ukraine, which violates international law. The sanctions are becoming increasingly severe. The possibilities for conducting trade with Russia have been greatly reduced.” According to the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST), no one is under investigation for selling boats to Russians in violation of the sanctions regulations. Previously, a car dealer was fined NOK 50,000 for selling a car to Russia. PST wants tips – We are completely dependent on getting tips and inquiries from businesses and people. PST has no right to, nor should it, monitor all trade Norway does with foreign countries, says senior advisor Martin Bernsen in PST. Senior adviser Martin Bernsen in the Police’s security service asks businesses that are unsure to contact them. Photo: Gorm Kallestad / NTB He says that since the start of the war against Ukraine, PST has received more inquiries than before about possible illegal intelligence against Norway from Russia. Bernsen believes that small and medium-sized companies may be most exposed to illegal intelligence operations. – The largest companies already have good systems to capture this type of trader, says Bernsen. According to PST, it is usually the business itself that is best able to detect what is abnormal or the absence of the normal in a trade. This Azimut 47 with flybridge is the type of boat wealthy Russians can enjoy. Photo: House of yachts Particularly interested in large boats According to House of Yachts, it is particularly large boats with all the comforts that they believe Russians are particularly interested in. – They have a washing machine, dishwasher, TV and otherwise everything you need to live on board – just like in a normal home. – How much do such boats cost? – From NOK 15 million and upwards is quite common. But they can also cost NOK 100 million, says Sindre Jacobsen. – What attitude do they have to sell to Russians? – We do not want that and are following the advice of the governing authorities. In any case, I think it would be a problem if money fell into a Norwegian account from a non-student source. Our position is clear, we will not do that.
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Think Russians are trying to buy yachts from Norway – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
