If youth is wasted on the young, then superyachts are wasted owing to sanctions. Whether its billionaire owner enjoys his prized possession or not, the fact remains that even seized superyachts are treated like royalty, with governments bearing heavy maintenance costs not to let the charm of the superyachts fade. This is what is happening with the US government, which is frustrated by bearing the humongous beauty treatment costs of a Russian oligarch’s ultra-opulent superyacht. The $330 million Amadea Yacht, seized 19 months ago, was spotted cruising around San Diego Bay.
Per CBS8, it has been parked at Pepper Park in National City for 19 months. The Government now wants to sell the Russian yacht while the forfeiture case continues. Keeping Amadea afloat without a proper owner and crew is not only a waste of a beautiful creation by noted shipyard Lurssen but also of the taxpayers’ hard-earned money that’s spent to the tune of a minimum of $1 million monthly. The 4,402 GT ship takes up space at Pepper Park, where the maximum size of the boat to be accommodated is 120 feet. The 348-footer would be racking up bills costing $45++ per foot, that’s a whopping $15,000 per month just for parking.
CBS8 also highlighted that part of maintaining the luxury vessel involves running the engines at sea for long hours. Tracking the yacht revealed this voyage that went in a loop off the coast of La Jolla before returning to its dock, which lasted 5 hours. The Amadea is a floating palace with a 392,000-liter fuel tank accommodating no less than 103,555 gallons. Topping up the tank could cost nearly $767,000, double the capacity of a Boeing 747 Jumbo jet. A 5-hour journey that is part of routine maintenance would easily burn diesel worth $10,000 to $15,000 and more.
Compared to a smaller motor yacht, such as Alfa Nero, which spans 269 feet and boasts similar luxuries, the latter burns a minimum of $2,000 in diesel daily to run its generators, primarily to keep the air-conditioning operational. However, the Amadea, being larger and more luxurious, likely consumes even more fuel just for air conditioning. After all, it’s the responsibility of the owners (the United States government) to protect features like hand-painted walls, marble flooring, and walls of leather-clad books, as well as the winter garden, from corrosive sea mist.
Additionally, all onboard electrical systems must be operational: the Amadea boasts an onboard cinema with D-box seating and a popcorn machine, an outdoor deck with a 20,000-watt speaker system accompanied by lasers, and an owner’s cabin featuring a mosaic-lined pool with a ceiling of 2,000 fiber-optic cables that recreate the night sky, including all the zodiac signs. It wouldn’t be surprising if trained technicians were employed to maintain these high-end, bespoke systems.
Former San Diego U.S. Attorney Charles La Bella reviewed the situation and stated, ‘It’s costly maintenance. It’s much more costly than, you know, a seized car where you put it into a lot and you pay $150 a month to have the car sit there until forfeiture is determined,’ said La Bella. He also highlighted an imperative fact: in order to win the case, the U.S. government is going to have to prove the actual owner is indeed a sanctioned Russian oligarch.
‘In most countries, people who have enough money to buy a yacht like this hide behind LLCs, bearer bonds, and they create a paper trail that’s almost impossible to unwind,’ said La Bella.” It is no easy mission, but one that has to be accomplished. According to CBS8, the forfeiture case in New York City may not be completed by the end of the year.
