The luxurious US$80 million superyacht Alfa Nero – owned by sanctions-hit Russian billionaire Andrey Guryev and docked in Falmouth Harbour – looks set to be sold, Cabinet revealed this morning.
The 267ft vessel boasts an on-board hair salon and spa, and a 12-metre infinity pool capable of converting into a helipad-cum-dancefloor.
A known close associate of Putin, Guryev appears on a number of sanction lists including the US, UK and EU.
Cabinet notes released this morning read: “The Attorney General reported that a notice to the newspapers and other media will be published for a period of ten days, notifying of the sale of the Alpha Nero vessel in order to satisfy the requirements under the law for a forced sale.
“If the owner fails to claim the vessel within that time period, the government of Antigua and Barbuda, having declared the vessel a hazard to shipping and to the harbour where it is moored, will sell it to the highest bidder.
“The vessel has been in Antiguan waters for more than a year and has remained in the same position ever since. Its staff has not been paid and neither has the provider of its fuel (that it has consumed, since arriving).”