Moored in the port of Antigua and Barbuda since the beginning of the year War between Russia and Ukrainethe Russian luxury superyacht Alfa Nero was abandoned in Caribbean. Valued at US$120 million (approx. R$595.22 million), the yacht is the protagonist of a mystery as local authorities have not yet been able to confirm who owns it.
The 81 meter long ship has an infinity pool that converts into a helipad, five luxury cabins, a spa, a gym and an elevator all unused. According to the Bloomberg portal, there were suspicions that the ship belonged to Russian billionaire Andrey Guryev, who was subject to sanctions United Kingdom and hair US shortly after Russian troops crossed the border into Ukraine.
However, the hypothesis was denied by Guryev’s legal team. A lawyer for the billionaire said he had used Alfa Nero “from time to time” since 2014. Public records also do not indicate who owns it.
Postadvertisement sequel: Russian luxury yacht Alfa Nero has been docked in a Caribbean port for more than a year and still has no confirmed owner. Photo: Disclosure/Oceanco
According to Bloomberg, the government’s notice of the ship’s seizure of Antigua and Barbuda, a small country of 101,000 people, is aimed at Guryev, as well as companies in the British Virgin Islands and the Channel Islands.
More than a year later, Antigua now wants to get rid of the supposedly abandoned ship. The cost of maintaining the ship and the few remaining crew is over $100,000 per month. Of the 44 crew members, six are still on the yacht.
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To avoid these costs, and also to avoid an accident or “sealing” of the yacht when the hurricane season started, the Caribbean authorities asked the United States to lift sanctions on the ship so that it could be auctioned. Although the ship is blocked, a sale is still not possible. According to the Caribbean government, there are now around 20 offers.