Falmouth Harbour, Antigua: A massive Russian superyacht Alfa Nero is bobbing in the waters at Falmouth Harbour of the Caribbean nation of Antigua without nobody to lay claim to it—meaning it is simply abandoned.
You might well ask who in their right mind will abandon the $120 million yacht.
Following sanctions by the West in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there are similar incidents, according to a report by Bloomberg.
After the political situation changed with Russian attack, more than two dozen vessels have been impounded in ports around the world, not quite unlike the case of Alfa Nero though.
Even though the Ship has been anchored for more than a year, the remaining crew still works on it scrubbing its teak decks.
Alfa Nero — all 267 feet and 2,500 gross tons of it — is a floating palace which is still glossy with a combination of colours: red, white and gray.
The ship is equipped with luxury cabins, the spa, the gym, infinity pool and what not.
Alfa Nero, built in the Dutch shipyard called Oceanco in 2007, arrived in the harbour in early March 2022 and not left the place since, bobbing here.
The ship began to sit here closely after UK imposed sanctions on its ‘purported owner’ and Russian billionaire Andrey Guryev, according to Bloomberg.
In August last year, FBI agents came to search the vessel with local enforcement.
Andrey Guryev denied being the owner of the ship with his lawyer claiming that Guryev used the ship ‘from time to time’ since 2014.
It is still a mystery who is the owner of the ship, which until recently chartered for nearly $1 million a week.
The notice issued by Antiguan government announcing its seizure was addressed to the Russian billionaire alongside companies in the British Virgin Islands and Channel Islands, according to the report.
As mystery continues over the ship’s ownership, Antigua's ambassador to the US Sir Ronald Sanders told Bloomberg that ‘nobody’s been paying its bills’, and added that ‘it has become a risk to the harbor itself’.
The ship’s crew has been reduced to six alongside Antiguan authorities posted two security guards on the dock and hoisted an Antiguan flag.
Since taking over the ship in April, Antigua ran up a huge bill with a diesel generator alone costing a ‘small fortune’ alongside crew expense of $112,000 a month.
Authorities are worrying about approaching Hurricane season which could prove headache with the yacht still in the waters, while other yachts have already begun to ‘ clear out’ the harbour.