A superyacht linked to sanctioned Russian billionaire and Putin ally Alexey Mordashov sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, new shipping data has revealed.

Nord – a 465-foot yacht worth over $500million (£369million) – left a Dubai marina at around 2pm on Friday, crossed the strait on Saturday morning, and arrived in Muscat early on Sunday.

This makes it one of very few vessels to transit the blockaded shipping lane at the heart of the US-Iran conflict.

It is not clear how the multi-deck pleasure vessel gained permission to use the route. Since February, Iran has severely restricted traffic through the strait, which typically handles around one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.