Russian Oligarch’s Superyacht ‘Amadea’ To Be Auctioned In The United States

The superyacht Amadea, owned by Russian Billionaire Suleiman Kerimov, was confiscated by the U.S.

It is now heading towards auction, being organised by the National Maritime Services, a Fort Lauderdale, Florida Company.

The 106 m superyacht has a helipad, gymnasium, pool, jacuzzi, beauty salon, spa, 8 staterooms for 16 guests and much more.

The yacht, valued at over $300 million, was taken from the Russian Oligarch in Fiji in April 2022 and is berthed in San Diego, California.

Sealed bids will be accepted till September 10, 2025 and require an initial bid deposit of 10 million dollars.

The decision to auction the yacht was taken after a U.S judge dismissed a competing claim to ownership of the yacht.

Eduard Khudainatov, former head of the Russian state oil and gas company Rosneft, claimed in a New York Court that he was the owner of the superyacht, but his claim was dismissed by the Judge.

Per prosecutors, Khudainatov was the ‘straw owner’ of the superyacht, and the true owner was Kerimov, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin who was sanctioned by the U.S in 2018 and in 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

After the invasion, the Justice Department under the then-President Joe Biden began to seize the assets of Russian oligarchs, in an operation termed ‘Task Force KleptoCapture’.

The task force was dissolved after President Trump took office.

The U.S Congress also passed laws allowing for the sale of Russian assets, with the proceeds going to efforts in providing humanitarian assistance to the Ukrainian people.

Source: Maritime Shipping News