A superyacht maker said Russian buyers have ‘incredible standards’ and request the use of tropical woods and exclusive leathers

• Workers in the superyacht industry have described what it’s like working for oligarchs.
• A Dutch craftsman told the FT his Russian clients have incredible standards and expensive tastes. 
• The buyers demand perfection and secrecy, he added.

Workers who help wealthy Russian clients with their superyacht requests have described what it’s like working with them. 

In an interview with the Financial Times, a Dutch craftsman, whose name was not reported, said the standards of his Russian customers, including oligarchs, were “incredible” and that “you have to do things just perfectly.”

He added that his job required lots of secrecy, meaning that if he carried out some “amazing” work, he wouldn’t be able to take a photo of it.

Oligrarchs are renowned for having very expensive tastes, especially when it comes to superyachts.

A superyacht broker also told the FT that Russians “are one notch below the Saudis,” in terms of their desire for luxury amenities. Requests for the vessels range from saunas, helicopter pads, and submarines to rare tropical woods, exclusive leathers, and gold taps, per the FT. 

The vessels have been a hot topic of conversation lately after Russia invaded Ukraine and the luxurious assets owned by oligarchs were targeted via Western sanctions.

Measures put in place to put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin have resulted in seizures of many such vessels. These include the world’s largest megayacht, which is worth $735 million and belongs to Alisher Usmanov. It was recently impounded by German authorities. 

According to the Bloomberg billionaires index, Usmanov is worth $19.2 billion. He owns 49% of USM, a Russia-based investment group that controls Metalloinvest, Russia’s largest iron ore producer, and MegaFon, a Moscow-based telecommunications company, per the outlet.

Western sanctions have left oligarchs scrambling, causing them to transfer ownership of their superyachts or sail them away from countries where they are likely to get impounded. 

Other superyachts belonging to Russian oligarchs like Roman Abramovich include notable amenities like bulletproof glass and a mini submersible capable of diving down to 150 feet.