Yacht builders fined for using 'blood' teak

Two landmark court cases in the UK and the Netherlands have seen stiff penalties handed out to luxury yacht builders for using illegal 'blood' teak imported from conflict-torn Myanmar on vessels, notably on Jeff Bezos's superyacht Koru, the largest sailing yacht in the world.

- Heather Prentice

In the UK court case, superyacht firm Sunseeker was handed a £240k penalty for breaching regulations. While in the Netherlands, the Dutch prosecution service issued a €150,000 penalty after reaching a settlement agreement with a Dutch firm, named as Oceanco by Dutch newspaper NRC.

'This is the second criminal fine issued in the past two weeks involving traders illegally purchasing and using Myanmar teak in the EU and UK markets,' said forests campaign leader Faith Doherty from the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA).

'Finally, the law is being implemented and, once again, this is a warning to those who think they can continue to buy blood teak from Myanmar without consequences.'

BIGGEST YACHT

Billionaire Amazon boss Bezos commissioned Oceanco in 2019 to build the 127-metre superyacht Koru, the largest sailing yacht in the world, at a reported cost at the time of about $500 million.

EIA first questioned whether illegal teak from Myanmar had been used in the construction of