A luxury yacht the government says is linked to a Russian businessman has been seized in London.

Transport secretary Grant Shapps confirmed the move, the first vessel to be detained in the UK under sanctions imposed because of the war in Ukraine.

UK officials boarded the ‘Phi’ in Canary Wharf, east London on Tuesday, mirroring recent moves by other European governments.

The 58.5 metre vessel made her maiden voyage last year after being built in the Netherlands and boasts an ‘infinite wine cellar’ and freshwater swimming pool.

It was in London for a superyacht awards ceremony and was due to depart at noon on Tuesday but was prevented from doing so.

Mr Shapps said: ‘Today we’ve detained a £38 million superyacht and turned an icon of Russia’s power and wealth into a clear and stark warning to Putin and his cronies.

‘Detaining the Phi proves, yet again, that we can and will take the strongest possible action against those seeking to benefit from connections to Putin’s regime.’

The Department for Transport has declined to disclose the owner of the yacht but said its status is ‘deliberately well hidden’.

She is registered to a company based in the Caribbean dual-island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, and carries a Maltese flag.

Phi was first identified as being potentially Russian owned on March 13, the government said.

A subsequent investigation led to its detention and officials are also looking at a number of other vessels.

Mr Shapps added: ‘When you see what [Vladimir Putin] is doing to Ukraine, when you see what he’s doing to people’s lives, it can’t be right to have a yacht like this here in London, able to just sail away and that is why we’ve impounded it, and denied it ability to go anywhere right now, and it’s another indication of how seriously we take these matters.’

The British government is not the first to go after seafaring assets linked to Russian billionaires and allies of the president.

Earlier this month, French customs seized a yacht belonging to Rosneft boss Igor Sechin as it tried to leave the Mediterranean port of La Ciotat.

Finance minister Bruno le Marie said the 300 metre ‘Amore Vero’ was docked for repairs but records linked it to a company close to Mr Sechin.

Separately, a second boat was seized by German authorities, a £450 million vessel owned by billionaire Alisher Usmanov in Hamburg. 

The 500 foot Dilbar superyacht – which features a 25-meter swimming pool – is owned by the natural resources and publishing billionaire who previously was a part-owner of Arsenal FC football club

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