Autoevolution’s, Elena Gorgan: How’s this for a happy ending? After two years of legal troubles, uncertainty, and complete neglect, one of the most iconic Oceanco builds – and arguably one of the most accomplished superyachts in the world – is back on track.
Alfa Nero, the superyacht in question, is also out of Antigua and Barbuda state waters. At long last.
Alfa Nero was force-sold at auction in July this year for a price that feels like peanuts in comparison to its reported value: $40 million to the $120 million it was valued at when it last sailed into Antigua in 2022, doomed not to move again for the next two years.
The new owner is only known as a “Turkish billionaire” with big plans to return Alfa Nero to the condition and status it enjoyed before it fell into disrepair and disrepute. The first step in that direction has already been made, with the superyacht leaving Antigua earlier this week, as local media and the video below confirm.
The next step is to head in for a refit, reportedly at a Turkish shipyard. The refit part is not subject to speculation and is confirmed by brokerage firm Northrop & Johnson both on the official channels and in a statement to Boat International. Alfa Nero is coming back in the Summer 2025 season, but you can already book it for charter.
The official launch has been scheduled for the Antigua Charter Yacht Show in December 2024, in what the brokerage agency calls the most “poetic” twist in the recent saga. It will cruise the Med starting with the summer 2025 season and will head to the Caribbean and the Bahamas for the winter season. Rates start at $812,500 per week and don’t include expenses.
A very troubled chapter in Alfa Nero’s illustrious story
Before 2022, Alfa Nero was one of the most distinguished and famous superyachts to have come out of the luxury shipyard Oceanco.
Then came the wave of international sanctions against Russian oligarchs as a response to President Putin’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine. The FBI established that Alfa Nero was the property of sanctioned Russian oligarch Andrey Guryev and, based on that, demanded that Antigua seize the vessel on their behalf when it sailed into a marina early that year.
Alfa Nero would spend the rest of the year stuck in legal limbo while local authorities were forced to fork over over $30,000 a week to cover all expenses after the yacht’s management company stopped doing it.
A few months after the seizure, as hurricane season loomed in, the superyacht was declared a hazard for having been abandoned in the marina and posing a danger to the other vessels at anchor. The Antiguan government announced that it would sell it to get it out of their hair and ultimately recoup all the costs it had incurred up to that point.
It would be many more months before they were able to force sell it. As the saying goes, third time’s a charm, and it was definitely so for Alfa Nero, which finally changed hands after three auctions – and three different valuations, including a short while when former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was the official owner.
In July 2024, a Turkish billionaire offered $40 million for the superyacht and was declared the winner of the auction. In the process, he also received protection against future liabilities from creditors, which allowed him to move forward with plans for the refit.
Weeks later, Guryev’s unsanctioned daughter and a management company claiming paper ownership of the superyacht sued the state for the sale, seeking as compensation the profits the state had already spent. According to local media, the matter is yet to be resolved.
A one-of-a-kind beauty
All this controversy aside, Alfa Nero is a superyacht that instantly commands attention. Delivered in 2007, it swept industry awards in the following year, scooping the Best Interior Design and Best Exterior Styling award at the World Superyacht Awards, Best Power Yacht 65m+ award at the International Superyacht Society Awards, and Most Innovative Exterior Yacht Design of the Year at the Asia Boating Awards.
Compared to more recent Oceanco deliveries, its 82-meter (269-foot) hull might seem on the smaller side, but its features and pop art meets Art Deco styling make it a true standout. The Alberto Pinto-designed interior features a now-iconic infinity jet pool with a glass waterfall that can turn into a dancefloor or a helipad at the touch of a button – officially the first “statement” pool in the industry.
With the charter listing also come more details about its lavish interiors that have been kept a well-guarded secret for so long. For instance, we learn that Alfa Nero doubles as a floating art gallery, as the interiors are filled with works by Roy Lichtenstein, Joan Miró, Takashi Murakami, Andy Warhol, Frank Stella, and Marc Chagall, which are described as “not merely decorative elements [but] integral to the yacht’s identity.”
Accommodation onboard is for 12 guests across six suites, with the owner’s suite designed as a self-contained private haven that takes up the entire forward section. Finishes include rare marbles and “exquisite” hardwoods, rich leathers, and “elegant fabrics” from all over the world, combined to create an interior that is a genuine “visual feast.”
If you have over $1 million to spend for a single week onboard such a gem, you wouldn’t expect any less.
About the author: Elena Gorgan
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
