oligarch yachts for sale

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Here are the superyachts seized from Russian oligarchs

As part of an international pressure campaign on Russia, authorities from around the world have seized more than a half-dozen superyachts belonging to billionaire oligarchs allied with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The yacht seizures since the Feb. 24 invasion are "just the beginning," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters in March, as an international task force worked to identify further assets that can be seized or frozen.

“The Justice Department will be relentless in our efforts to hold accountable those who facilitate the death and destruction we are witnessing in Ukraine,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said of the ongoing efforts in May.

Here are the superyachts government officials have seized since Russia invaded Ukraine last month.

The Justice Department announced May 5 that the Fijian government had seized billionaire oligarch Suleiman Kerimov 's 348-foot yacht Amadea. The vessel, which is valued at more than $300 million , arrived in Fiji last month. Kerimov, who's worth an estimated $14 billion and has ties to the Russian government, was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department over alleged money laundering in 2018.

Special features on the sprawling yacht include a helipad, infinity pool, a jacuzzi and multiple bars, according to a report in Boat International . It can accommodate 16 overnight guests in addition to 36 crew members, the report said.

In April, Spanish law-enforcement officials seized a 255-foot yacht called the Tango, which Justice Department says is owned by oligarch Viktor Vekselberg. Vekselberg is an aluminum magnate who the Treasury Department says has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Tango is worth an estimated $90 million, prosecutors said , and Vekselberg allegedly purchased it through shell companies. The 11-year-old yacht has seven staterooms and reportedly includes amenities such as a pool, gym and beauty salon .

Authorities in Italy seized a 215-foot superyacht called the Lady M this month. It's owned by Alexei Mordashov, Russia's richest businessman, and it’s estimated to be worth $27 million . The vessel, which requires a crew of 14, has six guest cabins , a pool and a gym.

But it pales in comparison to another of Mordashov's yachts, the $500 million Nord . The 464-foot vessel, which has two helipads and a waterfall and can accommodate 36 guests, was anchored this month in the Seychelles, where the U.S. and European Union sanctions don’t apply.

Italian officials also seized the 132-foot superyacht Lena, owned by the energy magnate Gennady Timchenko. Estimated to be worth $8 million, it has five cabins and can accommodate 10 guests.

SY A — short for Sailing Yacht A — is one of the world's largest superyachts. Valued at over $440 million, the 469-foot vessel, owned by the fertilizer magnate Andrey Melnichenko, has eight decks, multiple elevators, an underwater observation area and the world's tallest masts . It was seized in the Italian port of Trieste.

Authorities in Spain seized Sergei Chemezov's Valerie, a 279-foot superyacht that had been moored in Barcelona. Chemezov , a former KGB officer, heads the state conglomerate Rostec. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez touted the seizure on La Sexta television. “We are talking about a yacht that we estimate is worth $140 million,” Sanchez said.

Officials in France announced this month that they had seized the 289-foot Amore Vero, which was undergoing repairs in a shipyard near Marseille. When they arrived, authorities said, they found the crew preparing for an urgent departure, even though the repair work was scheduled to last through April. The $120 million boat, which has seven cabins , is linked to Igor Sechin, described by the U.S. Treasury Department as a close ally of Putin's.

Dareh Gregorian is a politics reporter for NBC News.

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A Russian Oligarch’s $75 Million Superyacht Just Got Auctioned Off in Gibraltar

It's the first public sale of an oligarch's seized asset since russia invaded ukraine., rachel cormack.

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What becomes of a sanctioned Russian billionaire’s superyacht after it’s seized ? In the case of the $75 million Axioma , the end result was an auction for way below its market value.

The lavish 236-footer, which was seized from Russian steel magnate Dmitry Pumpyansky in March, attracted 63 bids at a sale in Gibraltar. A true watershed moment, it is the first public auction of an oligarch’s asset since Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February.

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The superyacht, which boasts six luxurious guest cabins, an infinity pool, a spa and a 3-D cinema, was detained by the Gibraltar government after a legal claim from JP Morgan said Pumpyansky’s holding company Pyrene Investments owed the bank more than $20 million.

The Office of the Admiralty Marshal in Gibraltar confirmed on Tuesday that 63 bids were received for Axioma , but refused to reveal the value of the bids, as reported by the Guardian .

“Axioma” docked in Marseille, France in June.  Gerard Bottino / SOPA Images

“The successful bidder will be selected by the Admiralty Marshal but details of the bidder and the value of the offer will remain confidential,” the court said in a statement. “Details about the sale value of the vessel will be made available once the transaction has been completed which could take place in approximately 10 to 14 days.”

James Jaffa, a lawyer for British firm Jaffa & Co, told the Guardian that he expects Axioma to sell for “way below” $20 million.

The west has confiscated billions worth of assets since March. British and American authorities have previously said they would seek to funnel the proceeds of sold assets back into Ukraine. This auction has attracted controversy, though, because Axioma has been sold not for the benefit of the Ukrainian people, but for the US investment bank.

Still, the has set a “benchmark” for other banks looking to recoup losses by auctioning assets.

“ Axioma will be a watershed moment for assets that have bank financing against them because all the other banks will realize that the asset can be sold and that they can get some or all of their money back,” Jaffa adds.

Rachel Cormack is a digital editor at Robb Report. She cut her teeth writing for HuffPost, Concrete Playground, and several other online publications in Australia, before moving to New York at the…

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Trying to sell Russian oligarch's seized luxury assets is running into trouble

Jackie Northam

After Western governments seized millions in assets from Russian oligarchs, a question remains: What should be done with their yachts?

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The long tale of the yacht linked to a Russian oligarch and abandoned in the Caribbean for more than 2 years finally draws to a close

• An undisclosed buyer picked up the Alfa Nero for $40 million last week.
• The yacht was originally seized from a Russian oligarch in 2022.
• The sale ended an ownership tug-of-war, which included ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

An undisclosed buyer has finally stepped up to the helm of the Alfa Nero superyacht, ending a two-year-long saga, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.

That buyer agreed last week to pay $40 million, a huge discount to the $67.6 million that former Google CEO Eric Schmidt bid last year, a deal he eventually abandoned.

The Antigua and Barbuda government sold the superyacht, which houses an infinity pool that converts to a helipad or dancefloor.

The massively discounted price can be attributed to authorities' need "to get the boat sold," Richard Higgins, a broker who represented the buyer, told Bloomberg.

Higgins said the European buyer, whose identify was kept secret, intends to put the superyacht on the charter market.

The person "is not included in the sanctions list of any country or institution," Ronald Sanders, Antigua and Barbuda's ambassador to the US, told Bloomberg.

The 267-foot-vessel was seized by Antigua and Barbuda authorities after it was linked to Russian oligarch Andrey Guryev, who was accused by the US Treasury Department of having close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Guryev is the founder of Phosagro, Europe's largest producer of phosphate fertilizers, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index .

The Alfa Nero was among dozens of superyachts seized following global sanctions against Putin's closest associates, which led to billions of dollars in frozen assets.

The Alfa Nero's maiden owner was Guryev, who purchased the vessel for $120 million, according to the US Treasury and the Antigua and Barbuda government . The Russian billionaire had adamantly denied ownership.

After the vessel was seized in 2022, it remained docked in Antigua's Falmouth Harbour, which cost residents of the Caribbean nation $28,000 in weekly tax dollars for maintenance, which took as many as 44 crew members . The superyacht was then valued at $81 million.

In 2023, the Antigua and Barbuda government put the Alfa Nero up for auction, citing hazards due to a lack of maintenance.Eric Schmidt initially won the bidding, for $67.6 million , but eventually backed out after Guryev's daughter claimed ownership of the superyacht.

The most recent acquisition of the Alfa Nero finally ends its ownership limbo, during which it racked up millions of dollars in port fees under the custody of the Antigua and Barbuda authorities, Darwin Telemaque, the Alfa Nero's port manager, told Bloomberg.

Last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that Antigua and Barbuda taxpayers were footing a $28,000-a-week bill to maintain the Alfa Nero, including the salary of an Italian captain and $2,000-a-day in diesel to keep its air conditioning running. That's because if the AC is turned off, it could let mold spread throughout the vessel and ruin the hardwood interior or a Joan Miró painting onboard, per the WSJ.

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