There was a time when superyachts were recognized by their wealthy billionaire owners. Ever since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, it is now the other way round. Billionaires are now recollected by the luxury vessels they own or owned (before seizure). The soon-to-be-mothballed $610 million Solaris brings to mind the name of sanctioned Roman Abramovich. The Dilbar luxury yacht instantly presents itself as the darling of Russian Billionaire and Oligarch Alisher Usmanov. While there was speculation about the ownership of the lavish $325 million mega yacht Amadea, the air was cleared with a Fiji court ruling in favor of the United States, which stated sanctioned tycoon Suleiman Kerimov owns Amadea. Earlier, lawyers of the sanctioned oligarch asserted that U.S. or Fiji authorities could not capture the vessel as it belongs to a different billionaire.
According to Reuters, Fiji’s High Court ruled it would grant an order to register a U.S. seizure warrant, Fiji Broadcasting Corp reported. The 347-feet luxury boat is moored at the Lautoka Wharf in Fiji, and the court has ruled in favor of its U.S. seizure. This proves Suleiman Kerimov is its owner after all and not Eduard Khudainatov, as stated by the registered owner, Millemarin Investments.
The saga of seizing Amadea has been on for a while now. First, the luxury boat toured for 18 tiresome days from Mexico and crossed the Pacific only to end up in the lap of trouble. On reaching Fiji, Amadea was in jeopardy as it arrived at the Pacific island nation without customs clearance.
This was followed by a ban on leaving Fijian waters owing to a restraining order granted by the country’s high court in Suva. Finally, Fiji authorities argued that the court did not need to determine ownership of the vessel, only that it was subject to a U.S. warrant in a money-laundering case and the rest is history. To avoid getting captured, all that hustling and rushing the mammoth across the Pacific Ocean for more than two weeks days was futile.
Outstanding features of the Amadea megayacht:
While all luxury yachts flaunt largeness, a few are considered elegant despite their entirety. At the request of its owner Kerimov, Amadea was designed to look beautiful. That explains the double-height atrium, Pleyel grand piano, leather-book-clad walls, and hand-painted Michelangelo clouds on the ceiling.
Amadea is one of the few yachts that boasts terrific features like a dedicated party deck with 20,000 watts of speakers and a cinema with a popcorn machine.
Focused on entertaining guests, the ship is equipped with a galley on the top deck, beaming with copper pots and pans, a huge grill area, and even a live tank for lobsters. With a billionaire owner worth $13.7 billion, the owner’s deck is the most beautiful space on board with an array of luxuries like a dressing room, a bathroom with an ornate bath, and a gym.
It also includes a separate saloon, bar, and dining area using the best materials like marbles, rare woods, exceptional stone, and wood inlay. So luxurious is the vessel that the ceiling of the owner’s cabin recreates the night sky using 2,000 fiber-optic cables.
Russian tycoon Suleiman Kerimov holds a 76% stake in Russia’s biggest gold producer, Polyus. Forbes described Kerimov as one of the most private Russian billionaires who has not given a single interview in his 20 years in business. It looks like the media will be hounding him pretty soon.
