Seized 106m superyacht Amadea sold at auction after US court ruling
The sale of Amadea marks the end of a two-year legal battle. Image courtesy of US Department of Justice
The 106-metre superyacht Amadea, built by Lürssen, has been sold at auction following a US District Court order that ends a two-year legal battle over its ownership.
The 106-metre superyacht Amadea, said to be owned by Russian billionaire Suleiman Kerimov and once valued at $230m, was arrested by the Fijian Police Force in April 2022, two days after arriving in Fiji from Mexico. Kerimov had been sanctioned by the United States, Britain and the European Union in the wake of Russia’s invastion of Ukraine.
The yacht — which was found to be housing a genuine Fabergé egg — has since been subject to a protected series of legal wrangles over its ultimate ownership, with oligarch Eduard Khudainatov, who is not sanctioned, challenging attempts to auction the vessel by claiming ownership of the vessel.
The sale marks the conclusion of one of the most widely reported and high-profile cases involving assets linked to sanctioned Russians since 2022.
A spokesperson for the US Marshals Service confirmed to Business Insider that Amadea was sold at auction following its forfeiture by court order in New York. The sealed-bid auction closed on 10 September 2025 and was administered by National Maritime Services, with Fraser Yachts acting as the promotional agent.
Neither the new owner nor the final sale price has been disclosed.
Since its seizure, Amadea has cost the US government an estimated $32m in upkeep and transport – with monthly maintenance bills approaching $1m.
“This is perhaps the most spectacular, exacting and beautiful ship any of us will ever see,” said National Maritime Services chairman Bob Toney, in a statement ahead of the sale. “An opportunity like this for discerning owners is exceedingly rare – maybe once in a lifetime.”
The sale followed a forfeiture order issued by the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. Amadea was transported to the United States from Fiji in 2022 and has since remained in San Diego, California.
‘Straw owner’ dispute resolved
The court determined that Russian billionaire Kerimov beneficially owned the yacht – rejecting ownership claims by ex-Rosneft chief Khudainatov, who had been identified by the court as a “straw owner”. Legal representatives for Khudainatov appealed the ruling, calling the sale “improper and premature”.
Khudainatov’s appeal, filed on 11 April 2025, was accompanied by a letter to Judge Dale Ho of the US District Court requesting that the Court “preserve the right of [the claimants] to the full value of the Amadea”. The letter also asked the court to require the government to post a bond or ensure the vessel would not be sold for less than its appraised value of $230m.
In his March ruling, Judge Ho found a lack of evidence that Khudainatov exercised control over the yacht. The court concluded that Kerimov’s family kept possession and financial control of the yacht under a 2021 Memorandum of Agreement.
‘Excessive’ maintenance costs funded by US taxpayer
Since its seizure, Amadea has cost the US government an estimated $32m in upkeep and transport – with monthly maintenance bills approaching $1m. Federal prosecutors had urged the court to authorise the auction – describing the yacht’s carrying costs as “excessive”. Before its sale, Amadea flew the US flag – but recent images appear to show the yacht under the Civil Ensign of the Cayman Islands – suggesting a re-registration of the yacht by the new owner.
The US – under the Biden Administration – passed a law in 2024 authorising the transfer of seized Russian assets for economic and humanitarian purposes in Ukraine.
Delivered in 2017, Amadea was designed by Espen Øino with interiors by Zuretti. Its amenities include a 10-metre infinity pool with a swim-up bar, a foredeck helipad, a firepit on the owner’s terrace and three custom tenders. The yacht accommodates a 36-person crew across 21 cabins and reaches a top speed of 20 knots, with a range of up to 8,000 nautical miles.
