When life gives you sanctions, make sanction-ade, which is precisely what the crew manning Russian-owned superyacht Alfa Nero have done.
The US$120 million (AU$180 million) luxury sea vessel has been “abandoned” in Falmouth Harbour, Antigua ever since the UK decided to crack down on the assets of billionaire fertiliser baron and alleged owner – Andrey Guryev – back in March 2022 as a response to President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
All 267 feet / 2,500 gross tons of this baby had been searched by the FBI in an attempt to directly tie it to Guryev. But as Business Insider rightly points out, given this can be difficult to prove as the necessary documents are often signed by secondary individuals and the legal process for sanctions is “murky,” the ship – along with its skeleton crew of six (down from the usual 44) – has been stuck in purgatory.
So how exactly has Alfa Nero’s crew been enjoying life on this “floating palace” constructed by renowned Dutch shipyard Oceanco during the interim?
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According to Bloomberg‘s Anna Jean Kaiser and Stephanie Baker:
“On the upper foredeck, in the wood-panelled study of the master suite, lies a clue that life aboard Alfa Nero has taken a very strange turn. It’s a PlayStation with video games like Call of Duty for the bored crew, since no passengers come aboard anymore.”
“What’s left of the Alfa Nero’s crew has partly commandeered the master suite. The captain sleeps in a guest bedroom, but otherwise, the crew mostly remain below deck, leaving the five other luxury cabins, the spa, the gym, the elevator, and everything else on board largely unused.”
Kaiser and Baker added: “The six hands still living aboard take meticulous care of Alfa Nero. They occasionally take a dip in the pool. The captain passes idle hours in a folding lawn chair on the port side deck. From his perch, he can spy a fleet of other superyachts gliding through the aquamarine harbour.”
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But all the fun could soon be coming to an end. Despite the fact that nobody has officially claimed Alfa Nero – Andrey Guryev’s lawyer told Bloomberg the Russian oligarch doesn’t own the superyacht, but admitted to using it “from time to time” – the bills have steadily been running up.
At an eye-watering US$112,000 (AU$168,000) per month for crew expenses alone, somebody is on the hook for roughly US$1.68 million (AU$2.5 million). And that doesn’t even cover other associated costs, e.g. maintenance, diesel (everything onboard is powered by fossil fuels), docking fees, etc.
“At this point, the marina would like to get paid,” said Antigua Yacht Club Dockmaster Tom Paterson.
What’s that saying about how being friends with someone who owns a boat is better than being the one who owns the boat, again?
