Seizing luxury assets is proving incredibly more difficult than authorities assumed, even with all the good intentions behind it. Superyacht Amadea, which was arrested in Fiji last month on behalf of the U.S. government, is still causing serious drama.
The Amadea saga started with a very surprising and controversial crossing of the Pacific in April, with the goal of fleeing sanctions by sailing into friєɴԀly waters. Since the start of the war in Ukraine on February 24, various nations around the world have put together list of sanctions, so they can seize property belonging to Russian oligarchs whose money are being used to fund the war initiative.
Amadea was one such piece of property, since it belongs to Suleiman Kerimov, also known as the gold king. It is a 2017 Lurssen megayacht estimated at $325 million (though some ɾєρօɾτs even say it could be as expensive as $700 million), and it madea $500,000 attemptto flee sanctions, only to becomestuck in Fiji, where it asked for permission to dock temporarily.
The Fiji government arrested the vessel on behalf of the U.S., whichtook it under its controlearlier this month, after confirming ownership and recovering documents that implicate Kerimov in financial fraud on U.S. territory. But the drama is far from over, local news outletFBC Newspoints out: there’s a temporary stay order in place, which means that Amadea can’t sail out, even though it’sunder U.S. control.
Since it can’t move, it stays berthed at the Lautoka Wharf, accumulating bills – about $1 million per week, as per the media outlet. Because Fiji authorities don’t want to continue paying this kind of money for the superyacht, an appeal has been lodged with the Court of Appeals to suspєɴԀ the stay order.”Director of Public Prosecution Christopher Pryde says the stay needs to be lifted,”FBC News says.
Amadea is the 63rd ship in the world by size, with 348 feet (106 meters) in total length, and a volume of 4,402 GT spread across five decks. It is truly a floating palace of the most luxurious kind, and features insane amenities like 24-karat gold finishes, a helipad, gym and spa, a mosaic-tiled pool, a winter garden, and a lobster tank, among others. Twin MTU engines take it to top speeds of 20 knots (23 mph / 37 kph) and a cruising speed of 13 knots (15 mph / 28 kph).
