ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – The Antigua and Barbuda government says it has successfully discussed with the United States its application for a license to proceed with the unfettered sale of the Super Yacht, Alfa Nero.
This was revealed in a statement on Thursday by the country’s Ambassador to the United States, Sir Ronald Sanders.
According to Sanders, the US Department of the Treasury issued license, No. RUSSIA-EO14024-2023-1060959-1, to the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, authorizing persons licensed by the US Treasury to “participate in the Government of Antigua and Barbuda auction of the vessel M/Y Alfa Nero.”
It also authorizes “transactions that include but are not limited to, bidding on the purchase of the vessel; paying deposits; and providing financing, insurance, or funding in connection with the purchase.”
The announcement, which was made in Parliament by Prime Minister Gaston Browne, opens the way for the Port Authority to proceed with a sale of the Alfa Nero by auction to any persons who are not on a sanctioned list and who have applied for and received, a license from the US Treasury to engage in financial transactions related to the vessel.
According to Sanders, several interested bidders have already received individual licenses from the US Treasury Department.
The Ambassador, however, noted that while the license permits the Government of Antigua and Barbuda to proceed with the auction and to sell the vessel, other matters, such as the formal delisting of the Alfa Nero, from the US Treasury’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) list, are still being pursued.
“This entire process broke new ground; there were no rule books or patterns to follow. In this sense, much has been achieved by a small state,” he said.
The yacht, reportedly valued at US$81 million, was allegedly owned by Russian Oligarch Andrey Grigoryevich Guryev, sanctioned by Western countries following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year.
But it has been seized by the Antigua and Barbuda government after being abandoned and uninsured in its territorial waters since March 11, 2022, creating a hazard to the island’s tourism industry.
When it seized the vessel, the Gaston Browne government had given public notice to any claimant to take possession of the yacht and remove it from Antigua waters within 15 days or forfeit the right to do so. No claimant came forward.
According to the United States, Guryev, 62, made a multi-billion dollar fortune from the Russian fertilizer company, PhosAgro.
The yacht features a 12-meter infinity pool, a Jacuzzi, a spa, a beauty room, and a helipad.
Guryev, subjected to United Kingdom government sanctions in April 2022, denied being the owner.
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