BERLIN, March 3 — German authorities have seized a nearly US$600 million (RM2.5 billion) luxury yacht owned by Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov who has faced European Union sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Forbes reported, citing sources in the yacht industry.

The 512-foot yacht, Dilbar, was taken in the northern port of Hamburg, the Forbes website reported.

The yacht had been undergoing a refit in shipyards of Blohm + Voss, Forbes reported, adding that the German government had frozen the asset and employees working on the ship did not appear for work on Wednesday.

No one at Germany's General Customs Office or at Blohm + Voss was immediately available to comment. Forbes said representatives for Usmanov did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The EU imposed sanctions on the Russian tycoon and metals magnate and 25 other prominent people for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to a decision published on the EU's official journal.

At least five superyachts owned by Russian billionaires were anchored or cruising on Wednesday in Maldives, an Indian Ocean island nation that does not have an extradition treaty with the United States, ship tracking data showed. — Reuters