Amadea, the glorious $330 million superyacht, was believed to belong to Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov. However, no rightful owner has come to claim the sailing beauty until now. Eduard Khudainatov, a Russian businessman and former CEO of the state-owned oil conglomerate Rosneft, has challenged the US government’s decision to seize the 348-footer. The Department of Justice (DoJ) seized the vessel in 2022, citing that a sanctioned Russian oligarch owned it.
Authorities bluntly stated the allegations that Khudainatov served as a straw owner for the sanctioned Kerimov. Khudainatov is sanctioned by the EU but not by the US. His name may seem familiar, as Khudainatov was also the proxy owner of the incredible 460-foot Scheherazade, allegedly owned by President Vladimir Putin.
He has also been linked to the Crescent Yacht, currently under arrest in Spain, per Superyachtnews. The memorandum disclosed that the government plans to amend its complaint, a move contested by Khudainatov’s defense team, who stated the US lacks a valid claim for forfeiture.
Not one to stand by idly, the US government has threatened to pursue the allegations of Khudainatov’s role as a “straw owner” for Vladimir Putin and fellow oligarch Igor Sechin for Crescent and Scheherazade if he persists in asserting ownership over Amadea. At the end of the day, divesting the $330 million Amadea would be a dream come true for the US government, which is frustrated by the humongous costs of maintaining the ultra-opulent superyacht.
Seized over a year ago, it has been cruising around San Diego Bay. The government now wants to sell the Russian yacht while the forfeiture case continues, but roadblocks, namely Khudainatov, keep springing up, ensuring the Lürssen beauty stays put. The 4,402 GT luxury vessel is parked at Pepper Park, squeezing into a space meant for a 120-footer. The 348-footer is racking up bills upwards of $45++ per foot, amounting to a whopping $15,000 per month just for parking. Its upkeep entails a 5-hour journey for routine maintenance.
Topping off its gigantic 392,000-liter fuel tank costs nearly $767,000, double the capacity of a Boeing 747 Jumbo jet. The Amadea, beautiful and luxurious, guzzles a lot of fuel just for air conditioning 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. Will Eduard Khudainatov win the megayacht back from the New York Court, or will the government continue to bear the cost of this high-maintenance pleasure craft that offers little pleasure and barely functions as a craft?
