A Reddit user shared a photo of a massive yacht docked in Spain. Commenters revealed that the vessel had been seized as a result of the owner's bad behavior.
The original poster noted in the comments that the photo they posted was a few years old after other users mentioned that the yacht pictured, known as Sailing Yacht A, was seized from its Russian billionaire owner.
"I believe it was seized by the Italian government," wrote one commenter. "It is anchored off the coast of Trieste, Italy."
The 470-foot yacht, the largest sail-assisted superyacht ever built, was taken by the Italian government in 2022 after its owner, Russian entrepreneur Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko, was placed on a European Union sanctions list. Melnichenko's placement on the list was a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The number of superyachts in the world has doubled since the year 2000, with around 150 new vessels launched each year. A 2024 study looked at 23 superyachts and found each traveled an average of more than 12,000 nautical miles per year. Experts estimate each superyacht releases more than 6,172 tons of carbon in a year, an amount that would take the average person about 860 years to produce.
Excessive behavior like this is damaging our planet by introducing huge amounts of carbon to the global environment each year. As of 2024, at least 20 vessels have been seized worldwide in response to the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Find the best HVAC solution to heat and cool your home more efficiently Mitsubishi Electric’s efficient heating and cooling HVAC solutions can help you stay comfortable no matter the weather or region. You can even regulate temperatures in each room with individually controlled all-electric heat pump systems. With an energy-efficient, all-climate system from Mitsubishi, you can reduce the amount of energy needed to heat and cool your home, receive up to $2,000 in tax credits, and get peace of mind knowing you’re choosing rigorously tested, high-quality products. |
While these efforts are aimed at ending the war, they are also helping curb carbon pollution by keeping the superyachts out of use.
More attention is needed to lessen the carbon impact produced by superyachts. If people who use these monster polluters reduce their usage by just a fraction, the world would be on its way to a cleaner future for everyone.
|
Who should be most responsible for recycling plastics? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Governments 🏛️ 
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
