There are superyachts and then there are seized superyachts. The former makes headlines for its fabulousness and the latter for its fate. One such fateful luxury vessel is the 348-feet Amadea motoryacht, that was seized in Fiji two years ago by the United States and was languishing in San Diego for over a year. Last week, the ultra-luxurious pleasure craft took to the high seas 21 months after its capture. According to Heraldnet and publicly available AIS data the $325 million yacht made a five-day journey from San Diego to Everett Port in Washington state, where she arrived on April 29th.
The vessel is believed to belong to Russian billionaire Suleiman Kerimov. The seizure was contested by another Russian tycoon Eduard Khudainatov proclaiming to be the rightful owner, who is attempting to block a civil forfeiture. While that battle continues in court, the Amadea yacht is headed for dry docking. Port of Everett does not offer dry docking services, and according to a DoJ representative, Amadea’s journey will, in all probability, end in Seattle where premium shipyards offer dry docking services for lavish yachts.
The Lake Union Drydock Company is one such option catering to vessels over 100 feet in length. Dry docking is an imperative step in the maintenance of a vessel, especially if the US government aims to auction the goliath packed with every luxurious amenity across six decks and flaunting several bars, lavish suites, and a helipad. It is a process that maintains the ship, inspects, and repairs the parts that are usually submerged and, therefore unseen on a daily basis.
So far, the American taxpayer was paying almost $600,000 a month — $7 million a year — to maintain the superyacht. The dry dock repairs were said to cost $5.6 million in the month of March, according to the US. Amadea is a very opulent vessel with expensive furnishings, artwork, amenities, etc. It was seized two years ago, after the vessel completed an exhaustive 18-day voyage sailing across the Pacific Ocean from Mexico to Fiji. Since its seizure the vessel has not undergone repairs and the US govt had earmarked $5.6 million for the dry dock expenditure. But keeping in mind the long gap in servicing and the thousands of miles the yacht has travelled since it was last serviced by its owner the US will end up paying way more than $5.6 million. On the brighter side, the $600,000 per month cost will be suspended during this tenure, per Bloomberg.
Built by Lürssen, the Amadea is a massive yacht with a volume of 4,400 tons, capable of accommodating 16 guests and 36 crew members. Among its many jaw-dropping features, the owner’s cabin is particularly stunning, featuring a night sky effect created with 2,000 fiber-optic cables. The yacht also boasts a winter garden, leather-clad walls, a Pleyel grand piano, and ceilings hand-painted with Michelangelo-inspired clouds, with hardware like hinges and pedals plated in 24-karat gold.
It is powered by twin diesel MTU (20V 4000 M93L) engines producing 5,766hp each, achieving a maximum speed of 20 knots. Additionally, the ship includes stabilization systems, generators, and hundreds of electronic systems that work in tandem to maintain this floating palace. While authorities have not specified how long the Amadea will remain in dry dock, it is safe to assume that the superyacht will not be sailing the high seas for at least two months.
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