Captain Guy Booth has spoken out against the continued detention of the 58.5-metre Phi, which has been the subject of a multi-year legal battle in the UK. The superyacht was detained in 2022 on the basis of recently-introduced sanction law following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and has remained in central London ever since, reportedly costing her owner in excess of £11 million.
"Without access to suitable maintenance facilities and personnel, she continues to degrade and corrode, causing a significant risk to the environment and the neighbouring residents," explained Captain Guy Booth. "It seems, once again, no one quite knows how to deal with Phi. So, she sits here with a very long list of faults that present a very high level of serious risk."
An appeal against Phi's detention in London was made in August 2023 on the basis that Phi's owner, a Russian national, had never appeared on any sanctions list. This was dismissed by the UK Court of Appeal in March 2024, who agreed with the opposition's claim that "directly or indirectly, a [Russian of significant wealth] is likely to have benefitted from the Russian regime."
According to Booth, Phi has been the recipient of "monthly" trespassers by the public, lapsed on key insurances (Protection and Indemnity and Hull and Machinery) and also runs the risk of falling out of Class and having her operating certificates voided. This is because the yacht requires the use of custom hull cradles to complete a drydocking, which are only available at Royal Huisman's facilities in the Netherlands. Her next survey is scheduled for December 2024.
Read More/58m arrested superyacht Phi loses detention appeal in UK"The detention has caused enormous financial hardship, the yacht has not been able to achieve any income whatsoever – which was her intended purpose – the owner has only ever seen her once or twice, and never in a finished state, and Phi has brought him nothing but headache and hardship, physical, financial and emotional strain," concluded Booth.
Phi was delivered in 2021, with exterior design by Cor D. Rover and interiors by Lawson Robb. Design features include an upper deck "penthouse apartment" for the owner and a patented DEPP swimming pool, which reduces the amount of freshwater used by heating and treating the water when the pool is not in use.
There has been no official update on the fate of Phi since the appeal ruling in March 2024.
BOAT International will update the story as it develops.
Read More/Captain speaks out on 2022 detention of 58m Phi following appeals process