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A superyacht worker claims the vessel’s captain once had to deploy sonic weapons against Kalashnikov-wielding pirates on inflatable boats in the Arabian Sea.
The episode was one of many surreal scenes an anonymous worker detailed in a piece published Sunday in The Times of London.
MySky superyacht owned by Russia’s Igor Kesaev is seen in the waters of the Indian Ocean near Male, Maldives, March 4, 2022.
(UKRAINE-CRISIS/PHILIPMORRIS-GUNS REUTERS/Dhahau Naseem/File Photo)
The captain, according to the worker, had to deploy “sonic weapons” against the pirates. These weapons, the worker said, delivered ear-splitting, high-volume acoustics and “pain rays” that transmit a narrow beam of electromagnetic energy. This energy reportedly heats the skin, causing a burning sensation.
The worker noted how pirates are a reality that yachts must face when sailing through certain areas, particularly the coast of Africa in the Gulf of Aden.
“Any protective technology worth having will find its way aboard a yacht,” the worker wrote.
‘CRAZY RICH RUSSIANS’: INSIDE PUTIN’S $700M SUPERYACHT AND THE OLIGARCHS’ STOLEN WEALTH
Superyachts, known for their extravagance, have been in the news lately as the U.S. and its European allies have slapped sanctions on Russia in retaliation for its military aggression against Ukraine. Part of this has involved freezing the assets of Russian oligarchs, including their superyachts stationed at European ports.
Many of these oligarchs have looked to the Netherlands, a traditional seafaring nation, for the super-luxury yachts that the world’s wealthiest people sometimes covet.
A U.S. federal agent walks past two Civil Guards on the yacht called Tango in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Monday April 4, 2022.
(AP Photo/Francisco Ubilla)
Earlier this month, the U.S. seized a 254-foot yacht in Spain owned by an oligarch with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The move was a first by the Biden administration under sanctions imposed after the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine and targeting pricey assets of Russian elites.
Spanish authorities seized a vessel valued at over $140 million owned by the CEO of a Russian state-owned defense conglomerate who is a close Putin ally. Italy has also seized several yachts.
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The superyachts seized by France includes one that is believed to belong to Igor Sechin, a Putin ally who runs Russian oil giant Rosneft, which has been on the U.S. sanctions list since Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
