Yachts Offer Total Seclusion

 The arrangements made for billionaire clients are meticulously planned to ensure 

privacy and exclusivity

Where men control the power, they also control the access. Doormen, entrance fees and exclusive locations stop the world witnessing this extreme wastage. But we should also be worried that this spending is hidden behind closed doors in nightclubs, or offshore on yachts and islands. The global party circuit is where the 0.1% can show off to one another but nobody else. These gatherings will definitely not be one of those that anyone can just walk into.

Agencies coordinate with various service providers to create seamless experiences that might include 

private islands, luxury penthouses, and exclusive clubs 

that cater strictly to the elite. 

Supposedly clients are also vetted to some extent by background check to ensure that they pose no threat to the women or the agency's reputation. But how many companies will turn down the $$$ of a billionaire or ignore the power that their capital welds?

These locations are often swept for security risks and staff are bound by non-disclosure agreements of formidable legal standing. In some cases non-disclosure agreements are mandatory to even interview for a job, said the captain, who asked to remain anonymous because he had signed confidentiality agreements.  

The Guardian was shown examples of actual yacht employment contracts: one contains detailed clauses forever barring the disclosure of any information about the identities of the owner or any guests – specifically including references to business documents, photographs and even drawings of the boat. Posting photographs of the yacht on social media can be a firing offense, and talking to the media is strictly forbidden. Another contract shows employees must consent to polygraph lie detector tests if required.

Many times the signatory may not be educated in the law and may not know how the NDA works, or what exactly it can enforce. Legally, NDAs may not be used to cover a crime, but the young woman signing may not realize the legalities. Aside from that, speaking out about a crime could mean personal retaliation or career repercussions.

The transactions are discreet with financial exchanges handled through layers of privacy sometimes even involving offshore accounts and trusts. The emphasis is always on creating a no strings attached experience where clients can relax without concern for the repercussions on their public lives. 

Insider accounts are rare, but as owners and their crew come under scrutiny like never before after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a captain who has worked for some of the wealthiest boat owners (but  had not worked on any of the seized yachts) has come forward to share details of his 15 years at sea. The captain, who has sailed throughout the Caribbean and Mediterranean yacht hotspots, said he wanted to highlight how rich owners – and particularly Russians – 

hide behind a “mess of shell companies” in secrecy jurisdictions such as the Marshall Islands or the Cayman Islands. 

“They’re operated in a super-secretive way so they can use them and deflect attention from the ownership,” 

As western allies have curbed the financial freedoms of oligarchs who surround Vladimir Putin with sanctions, yachts have become key targets. Among those impounded are:

The 86-meter Amore Vero, which French authorities believe belongs to Igor Sechin, head of the Rosneft oil company

and the 156-meter Dilbar, thought to be owned by metals billionaire Alisher Usmanov:

(although both have denied ownership). Sure, Jan.