ONE of the world's biggest and most luxurious megayachts is sitting essentially abandoned after it was linked to a Russian oligarch with ties to Putin.
The 270ft Alfa Nero is currently languishing in a port in the tiny island nation of Antigua after the £100million vessel was boarded nearly two years ago by armed police.
Stickers reading "seized" were plastered on the vessel – and since Putin invaded Ukraine back in February 2022 the yacht has sat at the centre of a complicated legal storm.
Alfa Nero has a 40ft infinity pool, an onboard jacuzzi and spa, and a helipad – it is a floating palace.
It is believed to have been owned by secretive Russian billionaire Andrey Guryev, who has been sanctioned by US and UK for his ties to the Kremlin.
The yacht was seized by authorities in Antigua, who want to try and sell the vessel.
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But it has been the subject of legal challenges by Guryev's daughter, who claims she is the rightful owner.
So with the battles raging in the courts, nearly two years on the yacht continues to sit in the port of Falmouth in Antigua.
Antigua only has a population of 93,000 people – but its taxpayers have now been left footing the bill to maintain the yacht.
It has been reported Alfa Nero's upkeep even as it sits stationary is some £22,000 a week.
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At least £1,600 of that is just the diesel fuel to keep the air conditioning running – which is switched off will allow mould to overrun the ship.
It reportedly also has a skeleton crew of six who are paid to help maintain the vessel.
Antiguans are stuck having to pick up the bill until the extraordinary vessel can finally be either claimed or sold.
“You take thousand dollar bills, tear them up, and just keep going,” said Tom Paterson, the dock master of the marina, told the WSJ.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt attempted to buy the yacht in an auction during the summer for £54million.
But he then withdrew from the sale due to the legal battles.
As it remains tied up in marina space, the mystery of the future of the yacht continues to deepen.
The US Treasury says Guryev is part of a group of "Kremlin-connected elites" who "generate substantial revenue for the Russian regime".
But as the yacht continues to burn fuel sat in the harbour, Guryev's lawyers denied that he owns it.
However. a BBC investigation later linked the yacht to him via Companies House filings through an address in Guernsey.
The raging debate over the yacht's ownership highlights the extraordinary challenges of effectively seizing assets from Putin's oligarchs.
Nonetheless, Antigua was left to seize the superyacht as abandoned property and took legislative steps to auction it off.
However, Guryev's daughter, Yulia Guryeva-Motlokhov, has filed a suit claiming that she is the vessel's true owner and that the yacht's seizure and attempted sale six months ago violated procedure.
And because of that, Antigua couldn't hand the yacht over to Google boss Schmidt – who then withdrew from the sale.
The Caribbean nation may now be forced to turn to the next highest bidder from the auction in a desperate attempt to rid themselves of the vessel.
Antigua and Barbuda Port Authority CEO Darwin Telemaque said in June: "This whole thing has been like a Tom Clancy novel. And I'm stuck in the middle.
"I just want to see it gone."
But the second highest bidder in June's auction, American entrepreneur Warren Halle, has also withdrawn his offer.
He has also filed a lawsuit against the government for breach of contract claiming it did not stick to its own rules after Schmidt failed to complete the transaction in seven days.
The government has insisted it is willing to negotiate with Halle, however.
Despite its ownership unclear and its inability to leave the area because of the legal wrangle, the yacht still has to function as the bills continue to mount for Antigua.
The diesel generators also need to be constantly running on board Alfa Nero.
But this is the sacrifice Antigua are willing to make to ensure a sale of the boat goes through as it’s expected to add four percent to the country’s GDP when it does.
In September, a hearing was held at the Court of Appeals over Mr Guryev's daughter's claims she is the rightful owner.
She appealed against a decision to refuse an application for an injunction against the sale of Alfa Nero.
Ms Guryeva-Motlokhov claimed: "The ownership of the vessel was known by the Government prior to the seizure and auction, and it was never abandoned.
"We are seeking the return of the vessel to its rightful and lawful owner through the proper process and legal means.
"This hearing is a step in that process that stops the sale of Alfa Nero by the Government, which has no right to its ownership."
But late last month, Ms Guryeva-Motlokhov lost her attempt to stop the sale, reports the Antigua Observer.
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Dr David Dorsett, her attorney, blasted the decision and claimed the situation could have been avoided “had the government not ignored the approaches to it by the owner of the Alfa Nero prior to the auction”.
He added: "You can’t just seize a person’s property conveniently and think that the person who has an interest in the property will just lie down dead; it’s just not going to happen."
Who is oligarch Andrey Guryev?
ANDREY Guryev, 63, is a Russian billionaire oligarch who made is fortune in fertiliser.
He has an estimated net worth of $8.3billion (£6.6billion) – make him one of the richest men in Russa.
Guryev acquired the majority of his wealth in the 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union, obtaining previously state-owned assets at undervalued prices.
In 2004, he obtained half of PhosAgro at an extremely low price, eventually becoming the head of the Russian fertiliser company.
Guryev has a wife, Evgenia, and they have two children, Andrey Guryev, Jr. and Yulia Guryeva-Motlokhov
Last year, Guryev was hit by sanctions from the US, Britain and the EU as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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