The 136-metre Flying Fox has been removed from the US sanctions list, according to a list published by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, a branch of the U.S Department of the Treasury. According to the office, the yacht had been flagged on the basis of its link to Imperial Yachts SARL, a Monaco-based yacht brokerage firm.
Flying Fox returned to the charter market in January 2024 with Bluewater Yachting Dubai and – following the removal of US sanctions – is now available for charter globally. "We are pleased to confirm that all clients, including Americans, are once again welcome, as are all brokers, including those from the United States [to charter Flying Fox]," Bluewater Yachting Dubai said to BOATPro.
In June 2022, Imperial Yachts and its CEO were subject to sanctions and the yacht was named in a statement by the US Department of Treasury as "blocked property" in which "Imperial Yachts has an interest". That same month, Imperial Yachts ceased all commercial activities and later posted a liquidation notice on its company website.
The yacht is expected to be offered for charter in the Red Sea, Seychelles and Maldives and, according to BOATPro, is currently lying off the coast of Kuah in Malaysia.
Of particular note is Flying Fox's helicopter capabilities. The yacht's pair of superyacht helipads measure 14 and 18 metres and are therefore able to host the largest helicopters on the market. Other special features include an indoor and outdoor cinema, an outdoor kitchen with teppanyaki grill and churrasco oven, a 12-metre swimming pool and a 400-square-metre spa spread across two floors. She also comes with the first cryosauna ever installed on a yacht.
Flying Fox was delivered by Lürssen in 2019 to a curving design by Espen Øino. Her interiors are owed to Mark Berryman.
This announcement follows the UK Court of Appeal's hearing on the fate of 58.5-metre Phi , which was arrested in March 2022 as a result of UK sanction law.
Read More/Imperial Yachts responds to US-imposed sanctions on company and CEO