The US seized a Russian oligarch's 348-foot, $325 million superyacht — and now it's up for grabs
Eugene Tanner/AFP via Getty Images
- The $325 million yacht of Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov is now on sale.
- The six-deck, 348-foot-long superyacht was made in 2017 and seized by the US government in 2022.
- It will be sold by sealed auction on September 10. Interested buyers must pay a 10 million euro deposit.
A $325 million yacht that belonged to a Russian oligarch is now up for grabs.
The US government is auctioning off the Amadea, a 348-foot-long superyacht seized from sanctioned billionaire Suleiman Kerimov in 2022.
The yacht, built in 2017 by the German shipbuilder Lürssen, can accommodate 16 guests in 8 staterooms and 36 crew members.
The yacht offers numerous amenities on its six decks, including a gym, a 32-foot swimming pool, an outdoor jacuzzi, a private cinema, and a helipad.
"This is perhaps the most spectacular, exacting and beautiful ship any of us will ever see," Bob Toney, chairman of National Maritime Services, said in the auction press release on Tuesday. "An opportunity like this for discerning owners is exceedingly rare — maybe once in a lifetime."
The yacht's buyer will be guaranteed a "substantial discount on the original price of the yacht," per information provided by a representative of Fraser Yachts, the luxury yacht broker representing Amadea's sale.
The representative added that the yacht has been "virtually untouched" since it was seized.
The yacht will be sold by sealed bid auction on September 10 to the highest bidder in its berth in San Diego. To be considered for the bid, interested parties must deposit 10 million euros, or $11.6 million.
Per a May 2022 press release by the Department of Justice, the Amadea was seized off the coast of Fiji by the FBI and local law enforcement.
"Last month, I warned that the department had its eyes on every yacht purchased with dirty money," Lisa Monaco, the then-US deputy attorney general, said in the release. "This yacht seizure should tell every corrupt Russian oligarch that they cannot hide — not even in the remotest part of the world."
Representatives for the National Maritime Services and Fraser Yachts did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.