Revealed: Russia-linked superyachts ‘going dark’ to avoid tracking systems

Vessels with ties to Russian oligarchs hit by sanctions are no longer reporting their position to an automatic global locator

In the sparkling azure waters of Antigua, the gleaming 95m superyacht Alfa Nero could be seen at anchor last week by sightseers enjoying the Caribbean coastline. But few of the tourists who spotted its sleek black hull would have appreciated that it was quite a find.

Since the invasion of Ukraine, the superyacht, which is linked to the Russian billionaire Andrey Guryev, has vanished off the global tracking maps used to locate marine traffic.