A superyacht's crew prepared fresh lobster for its wealthy owner every day despite not knowing if he was on board, worker says

• A superyacht worker wrote about their 20-year career in The Times of London.
• They said one superyacht owner enjoyed dining on fresh lobster whenever he was on board.

An anonymous worker who spent 20 years in the superyacht industry has recounted eyebrow-raising tales to The Times of London.

Among other things, they described how one wealthy yacht owner liked to eat fresh lobster whenever he was on board. However, his crew were never given any advance warning of when he would show up, so they prepared it every day, just in case, the worker said.

One superyacht was covered entirely in emerald-green snakeskin, while the bar stools aboard another vessel belonging to late Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis were made from whale foreskin, the worker told The Times.

Tales of life aboard superyachts, particularly wealthy Russians' vessels, have emerged in recent weeks amid the war with Ukraine. Western sanctions on Russia have in part targeted wealthy Russians and their luxury assets, including their yachts and private jets.

Many superyachts have ostentatious designs due to their owners' lavish tastes. Recently, a superyacht craftsman told the Financial Times that his wealthy Russian clients requested interior designs with rare tropical wood and expensive leathers.

A superyacht captain who worked at sea for 15 years told The Guardian that wealthy Russians used to make their employees aboard take lie-detector tests to prove they'd kept information about the ship secret. The captain said prospective employees had to sign non-disclosure agreements to secure interviews for jobs on board.