Putin Loyalist's $81M Luxury Superyacht Abandoned In Caribbean Since War Up For Auction

Russian oligarch and Vladimir Putin's loyalist Andrey Guryev's $81 million superyacht will be auctioned off by the government of Antigua and Barbuda. 

What Happened: In a statement, the office of the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda said it had warned the owner of the Alfa Nero superyacht that they had 10 days to claim the vessel or it would be sold to the highest bidder.

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The yacht owned by the sanctioned Russian billionaire businessman was abandoned in the Falmouth harbor in the Caribbean since the onset of Putin's invasion of Ukraine last year, information minister Melford Nicholas said.

The government was "trying to prevent a future hazard since the luxury vessel is not being maintained by its owner," Nicholas added.

"A notice to the newspapers and other media will be published for a period of 10 days, notifying the sale of the Alfa 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 will sell it to the highest bidder," the office of the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda said in a statement. 

The US government, last year, imposed sanctions on Guryev, who made a $10-billion fortune from Russian fertilizer company PhosAgro — the owner of Alfa Nero.

The luxurious yacht features a 12-meter infinity pool, a Jacuzzi, spa, beauty room and helipad, which Guryev's family has used. Like many yachts, it is owned via an opaque offshore structure, and Guryev has denied being the owner, reported The Guardian. 

The UK government also sanctioned Guryev in April 2022. According to the O.F.A.C., Guryev is the owner of London's largest private residence — the 25-bedroom, £50 Highgate mansion Witanhurst. The UK said the Russian billionaire was one of the oligarchs "closest to Putin."

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