Antigua and Barbuda to auction ‘abandoned’ 82m superyacht

The government of Antigua and Barbuda could sell the 81.3-metre Oceanco superyacht Alfa Nero to the highest bidder if it remains unclaimed, after it was ‘abandoned’ in Falmouth Harbour.

The yacht was moored at Antigua Yacht Club Marina in February 2022. The vessel was blocked from leaving pending a search to confirm whether its ultimate owner appeared on sanction lists following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Several outlets, including Forbes, report that Alfa Nero is owned by sanctioned Russian businessman and Putin associate Andrey Guryev.

The government says the search has proved unsuccessful, and the vessel — which has not been maintained since it was left behind — now poses a hazard to other ships and to the harbour where it is moored.

Antigua and Barbuda government moves to auction 81m Alfa Nero https://t.co/kkIUH5q8kU via @AntiguaNewsRoom

— AntiguaNewsRoom (@AntiguaNewsRoom) March 4, 2023

During a media briefing, Information Minister Melford Nicholas told reporters that the Alfa Nero was essentially “abandoned” in Antigua and Barbuda.

Nicholas confirmed that any money received from the sale would remain in the Antiguan government’s hands, but the US could make a future request for access to the funds.

A statement from the Office of The Prime Minister Antigua and Barbuda says: “A notice to the newspapers and other media will be published for a period of ten days, notifying the sale of the Alfa Nero vessel in order to satisfy the requirements under the law for a forced sale. If the owner fails to claim the vessel within that time period, the Government of Antigua and Barbuda will sell it to the highest bidder.”

The government maintains that neither the fuel provider nor the yacht’s crew has been paid.

Delivered in 2007 by Oceanco, Alfa Nero was sold in 2011 to its current owner with an asking price of $115m. The yacht won the best interior and exterior styling awards at the World Superyacht Awards in 2008.

In December, MIN reported that a superyacht owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk is to be sold at auction after it was seized in Croatia in 2022. Funds will be used directly to help the Ukrainian people.

Medvedchuk is the leader of Ukraine’s most prominent pro-Russia party and a close ally of Putin. While numerous yachts have been seized as part of the ongoing sanctions, it is the first time that a yacht will have been sold to directly benefit Ukraine.