EVERETT — After a two-month stay in Port Gardner Bay, a $300 million superyacht seized from a Russian oligarch has bid adieu to Everett.
The 4,400-ton vessel was a spectacle for passersby near the Port of Everett. At 106 meters, the Amadea is bigger than a football field.
The mysterious vessel sailed into a private dock owned by Everett Ship Repair in late April.
Though the ship is now U.S. government property, it reportedly belonged to Suleyman Kerimov, a Russian oligarch, politician and multi-billionaire.
In 2018, the Department of Justice placed Kerimov, 58, under U.S. sanctions. The government identified him as an oligarch who profits “from the Russian government through corruption and its malign activity around the globe.”
Then in 2022, Fijian authorities captured Kerimov’s prized Amadea and delivered to the United States.
The Department of Justice wrote in 2022 that Kerimov “caused U.S. dollar transactions to be routed through U.S. financial institutions for the support and maintenance of the Amadea,” justifying the seizure.
The government brought the Amadea to San Diego, where it docked for nearly two years before heading to Everett.
Now that its Puget Sound vacation is over, the Amadea is back in San Diego.
On Tuesday morning, it landed near Chula Vista, where it docked before leaving for Everett.
A Department of Justice spokesperson said in May the Amadea came to Everett to undergo “routine, scheduled maintenance.”
But out of all the ports on the West Coast, why Everett?
It’s still not clear.
The department couldn’t comment any further on the Amadea’s ventures or how costly maintenance was.
Lane Richards, the vice president of sales at Everett Ship Repair, declined to comment on the Amadea’s presence in April.
The superyacht is reported to be equipped with luxurious amenities like a wine cellar, walk-in humidor, home cinema, spa center and conference room.
Sound enticing? The Amadea could have been yours.
In February, the government began court proceedings urging a New York judge to allow it to auction off the boat, citing its “excessive” upkeep.
After possessing it for two years, the Amadea has cost taxpayers a fortune: monthly maintenance was $600,000, or more than $7 million per year.
In June, however, the New York judge denied the request to sell the boat, saying the maintenance costs are typical for a vessel of that value.
Jenelle Baumbach: 360-352-8623; jenelle.baumbach@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @jenelleclar.
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