"Given the current measures, these vessels cannot be delivered, transferred or exported for the moment," Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra wrote in a letter to the Dutch parliament.
Twelve yachts are currently being constructed by five different yacht builders, while two are docked for maintenance.
The buyers are believed to be Russian nationals that have not been placed on the EU sanctions list. The ownership of the vessels is being investigated. One of them may be connected to an individual sanctioned by the EU.
Dutch customs have set up a task force to closely monitor 15 shipyards and five luxury yacht dealers across the country and have been in collaboration with the Coast Guard and the FIOD - the country’s financial crimes division.
The letter from Hoekstra indicates that all shipyards and luxury yacht dealers have complied with the Ministry’s decision. In addition, the Ministry announced a freeze of 516 million euros (US$563 million) in assets and 155 million ($169 million) in blocked transactions.
"We notice that the shipyards in the Netherlands are fully cooperating despite the major impact of the sanctions," says Nanette van Schelven, Director-General for Customs in an article from NOS.
The Netherlands has a world-renowned reputation for luxury yacht building.
This past week, Spain seized a US$90 million yacht from oligarch Viktor Vekselberg at the request of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The M/Y Tango - a 255-foot $90 million yacht belonging to Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg - was designed and built by Feadship, a Dutch-based yacht builder, in 2011.
The U.K. recently seized the Phi - a $50 million superyacht and the third largest built by Royal Huisman, a prestigious Dutch-based yacht-building company. Amenities onboard include an infinite wine cellar and a fresh-water swimming pool.
In early March, France confiscated the Amore Vero of former Russian politician and current CEO of Rosneft Igor Sechin. The Amore Vero - a 280-foot luxury superyacht - was built in 2013 by Dutch-based luxury yacht builder Oceanco.
