The superyacht Alfa Nero docked in Falmouth Harbour in Antigua, on April 20. Photo Credit:Bloomberg
By Jim Wyss and Devon Pendleton
(Bloomberg) –Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has backed out of purchasing a superyacht that’s been abandoned in Antigua for over a year, after the sale became mired in lawsuits.
Schmidt withdrew his $67.6 million winning bid for the Alfa Nero several days ago, said Ronald Sanders, Antigua and Barbuda’s ambassador to the US. In June, Schmidt won an auction for the luxury vessel, but the deal was later challenged in court by the daughter of Russian fertilizer billionaire Andrey Guryev.
“Schmidt, because of the legal wrangling, determined that we could not give him clear title of the ship,” Sanders said in a Friday interview. “That’s not accurate, because the ship belongs to us, it is owned by the government.”
People close to Schmidt who asked not to be identified discussing the sale said any property subject to litigation isn’t free and clear.
The 267-foot Alfa Nero, complete with a baby grand piano and a swimming pool that turns into a helipad, was abandoned in Antigua’s Falmouth Harbour in March 2022, after the US Treasury sanctioned Guryev. While he denied he owned the superyacht, his daughter, Yulia Gurieva-Motlokhov, later stepped forward to claim it.
After the US lifted sanctions on the vessel, Antigua’s government auctioned it off despite Gurieva-Motlokhov’s attempts to block the sale. Since then, her lawyers have appealed to courts in Antigua hoping to void the transaction.
Sanders said Warren E. Halle, a developer from Maryland, was the runner-up on the Alfa Nero auction. Halle didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment.
Schmidt, who served as Google’s chief executive for about a decade, has an estimated net worth of $27 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He’s collected about $4 billion from the sale of Alphabet stock over the years, which has helped fund his investments in AI startups.
–With assistance from Anna Edgerton and Anna Jean Kaiser.
© 2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.
Join the 105,871 members that receive our newsletter.
Have a news tip? Let us know.
By Lisa Baertlein LOS ANGELES, April 26 (Reuters) – Four cargo ships, stuck for about a month at the Port of Baltimore by the ruins of the collapsed Francis Scott Key bridge, have exited...
April 26 (Reuters) – Argentina’s massive Rosario farming port lost its spot as the world’s No. 2 grains export hub in 2023, a report from a local exchange showed on Friday, underscoring...
Update: Yemen’s Houthis targeted the Panama-flagged tanker Andromeda Star with an anti-ship missile in the Red Sea. The ship reported minor damage but is continuing its voyage, according to the...
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
Sign Up
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 105,871 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
