The concept of ‘finders, keepers’ has taken on a new meaning for the United States of America in the case of the superyacht Amadea. With nearly $1 million spent monthly on maintenance for this mammoth vessel, it’s becoming a case of ‘finders, weepers’! Little did the nation know that their association with the 348-foot-long, $300 million boat would continue beyond two years, becoming an absolute nightmare. After a relentless legal battle, the Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov’s vessel was first seized by US authorities in Fiji in April 2022.
It’s now docked in San Diego, and as much as the government wants to sell it due to huge maintenance costs, the floating financial drain ain’t going anywhere. It was reported in February 2024 that the Lurssen ship was costing the United States Marshals $600,000 a month to maintain.
That cost has now gone up to $922,000 a month to maintain, according to court records. Luxurylaunches had shared a detailed breakdown of the upkeep costs that included $360,000 for crew salaries; $75,000 for fuel (nearly $2,500 spent on diesel daily) and $165,000 for maintenance. Add to this another $144,000 to insure the megayacht, and dry-docking fees of $178,000 a month, per Business Insider.
Spending a million on maintaining the Amadea superyacht isn’t the only torment for the US, but also their ongoing legal battle over Amadea ownership with another Russian tycoon, Eduard Khudainatov, who claims he, not Kerimov, is the actual owner of the yacht. The ex-Rosneft CEO’s attorneys have objected to the U.S. government’s efforts to sell the yacht, while also refusing to pay the maintenance costs, so long as the government pursues a sale and forfeiture.
The magnate has roped in a team of US lawyers and public relations executives to pursue the quest of acquiring Amadea yacht. If the United States still miraculously manages to sell the superyacht that boasts hand-painted walls, marble flooring, winter gardens, etc., the proceeds wouldn’t go to the government. Under law, the money would be held while Khudainatov and the government continue their battle in court over the ownership and forfeiture. Is this what being in a soup translates to in real life?
