It would be accurate to say that just like superyacht Alfa Nero’s sailing days are behind her, so are ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s waiting days. The billionaire is finally done with waiting for the Oceanco beauty that made legal troubles her best friend. Fate remains unchanged for the 269-foot vessel abandoned in February 2022 by Russian oligarch Andrey Guryev. Schmidt has backed out of purchasing a superyacht incessantly mired in lawsuits and withdrew his $67.6 million bid. According to Bloomberg, Antigua and Barbuda’s ambassador to the US, Ronald Sanders confirmed the Silicon Valley tycoon withdrew his winning offer made on June 16, 2023 for the luxury vessel several days ago.
“Schmidt, because of the legal wrangling, determined that we could not give him clear title of the ship, ” Sanders said in a Friday interview. “That’s not accurate, because the ship belongs to us, it is owned by the government.” Schmidt lawyers and advisers believe otherwise; in their opinion, any property subject to litigation isn’t free and clear.
The 267-foot Alfa Nero, complete with a baby grand piano and a swimming pool that turns into a helipad, would be an excellent asset for any billionaire, but that’s not Eric Schmidt, after all.
Perhaps the government will iron out the legalities, and Alfa Nero may land in the lap of American billionaire Warren Halle, who has sued the government of Antigua for breach of contract and not letting him take the yacht home per the auction rules.
