Seized $300-million Russian superyacht is set to be auctioned off

The Russian oligarch billionaire lifestyle can be yours for the potentially low, low price of tens of millions of dollars, courtesy of the U.S. government.

The National Maritime Services, working on behalf of the U.S. Marshals Service, is auctioning off a superyacht, the $300-million-plus Amadea, which currently sits in a San Diego harbor, with a bid deposit starting at $10 million.

Florida-based Fraser Yachts, the auction’s promotional agents, described the prize “as one of the most comprehensively equipped yachts in her class.”

The 348-foot-long ship was built in 2017 and can comfortably host 16 guests in eight luxurious staterooms.

An additional 21 cabins can house a professional crew of up to 36 workers.

One of the ship’s jewels is a glass elevator that serves all decks, while a second lift is available for crew.

The yacht includes a glass-edged mosaic pool with submerged barstools, and an outdoor bar area surrounded by sun pads (cushioned areas for perfecting your tan).

The ship’s main salon showcases a piano and marble fireplace.

The superyacht Amadea sails into San Diego Bay on June 27.

(Gregory Bull / Associated Press)

The yacht was designed by Espen Øino, the acclaimed Norwegian designer and naval architect, while its decadent interiors were created by designer François Zuretti.

The ship has an ocean-crossing range of 8,000 nautical miles at a speed of 13 knots.

For late-arriving quests, the Amadea also boasts a helideck.

The U.S. Justice Department maintained in a 2023 civil forfeiture complaint that Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov was the ship’s owner. Kerimov took possession of the vessel sometime around 2021, though his transactions were cloaked through shell companies, according to the complaint.

The Amadea is escorted by the Coast Guard in the ocean off San Diego. The vessel was seized from a sanctioned Russian oligarch, officials say.

(Gregory Bull / Associated Press)

Kerimov was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2018 and labeled a “specially designated national” for his alleged role in money laundering related to the purchase of French villas.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control determined Kerimov was a direct beneficiary of Russian President Vladimir Putin and “played a key role in advancing Russia’s malign activities,” which includes the invasion of Ukraine.

The U.S. has said it’s working with allies to put pressure on Russian oligarchs, some of whom are close to Putin and have had their yachts seized, to try to compel him to stop the war, the Associated Press reports.

The Amadea was seized in Fiji in April 2022 and arrived in San Diego in June that year.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled in March that the Amadea was to be forfeited to the federal government. That decision is being appealed by the man who claims to own the sumptuous vessel — Eduard Khudainatov, the nonsanctioned former chairman of Russian state-controlled oil giant Rosneft, according to the Associated Press. U.S. prosecutors maintain that Khudainatov is a straw owner of the yacht.

On July 1, the Marshals Service authorized Fraser Yachts as the promotional agent for the sealed bid auction.

The auction is being conducted in U.S. dollars and is running until 11 a.m. on Sept. 10 at amadeaauction.com/.

The initial deposit necessary to make a bid is $10 million. All bids will remain sealed, with the highest bidder winning the yacht.

Should multiple participants tie with the top price, each bidder will be given a chance to increase their offering until a winner is determined.