The 81-metre Oceanco superyacht Alfa Nero could soon be sold at auction by the government of Antigua and Barbuda after being “abandoned” in Falmouth Harbour.
The yacht has been moored at the Antigua Yacht Club Marina since February 2022 and was blocked from leaving the port subject to an official search to determine whether the ultimate beneficiary owner had been named on international sanction lists following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Minister of justice and attorney general of Antigua and Barbuda, Steadroy Benjamin, declared the vessel “a hazard to shipping and to the harbour where it is moored”.
A statement from the Office of The Prime Minister Antigua and Barbuda said: “A notice to the newspapers and other media will be published for a period of ten days, notifying the sale of the Alfa Nero vessel in order to satisfy the requirements under the law for a forced sale. If the owner fails to claim the vessel within that time period, the Government of Antigua and Barbuda will sell it to the highest bidder.”
The statement also claimed that the crew had not been paid, nor had the provider of the fuel that the vessel has consumed since her arrival in Antigua.
In August 2022, the government obtained a warrant to search the vessel, pursuant to a request by the government of the United States, in order to confirm the identity of the ultimate beneficiary owner. Local businesses were advised against conducting any transactions with anyone named on the list of sanctioned individuals.
