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Superyacht Alfa Nero back on sale at $103M after Turkish businessman’s contested purchase

The luxury yacht Alfa Nero docked in the Bay of Gibraltar, November 8, 2018. (Adobe Stock Photo)
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The luxury yacht Alfa Nero docked in the Bay of Gibraltar, November 8, 2018. (Adobe Stock Photo)
September 01, 2025 05:30 PM GMT+03:00

The 82-meter superyacht Alfa Nero has been relisted for sale at €88.5 million ($103 million) ahead of the first hearings in lawsuits filed by Yulia Guryeva-Motlokhov, daughter of the yacht’s previous owner, sanctioned Russian oligarch Andrey Guryev, demanding the cancellation of the transaction made by the government of Antigua and Barbuda to Turkish businessman Ali Riza Yildirim.

Ali Riza Yildirim, Chairman of Turkish Yildirim Holding, had acquired the yacht from the Antigua and Barbuda government for €40 million in March and transported it to Samsun, Türkiye.

Global yacht brokerage Northrop & Johnson confirmed the new listing for the vessel, which has been at the center of international legal battles, according to a company release on August 25.

Abandoned in Caribbean waters, drawn into sanctions fallout

The Alfa Nero was abandoned in February 2022 in Falmouth Harbour, Antigua and Barbuda, during a period when the United States imposed sanctions on Russian assets. After repeated international notices to locate the owner went unanswered, the government seized the vessel, noting monthly maintenance costs of roughly $100,000.

An initial auction in 2023 produced a winning bid of $67.6 million from former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt. The sale was blocked when Yulia Guryeva-Motlokhov, daughter of sanctioned Russian billionaire Andrey Guryev, obtained a court injunction asserting ownership rights.

The superyacht Alfa Nero cruising off the coast. (Adobe Stock Photo)
The superyacht Alfa Nero cruising off the coast. (Adobe Stock Photo)

Legal disputes escalate as Russian heir seeks compensation

Soon after the yacht's transaction to Turkish tycoon Yildirim, Guryeva-Motlokhov filed lawsuits in both Antigua and Barbuda and Russia, alleging that the vessel had been sold for less than its value. In the Russian case, she demanded compensation through Yildirim Group assets, including the Tikhvin Ferrochrome Plant, which supplies a significant share of the country’s ferrochrome.

The first court hearings are scheduled for October 2025, according to the business-focused patronlardunyasi.com.

Built in 2007 by Dutch shipyard Oceanco, Alfa Nero combines naval architecture by Azure with exterior design by Nuvolari Lenard and interiors by Alberto Pinto. The vessel is 82 meters long and 14.2 meters wide, and can host up to 12 guests. It includes a master suite, two VIP cabins, two guest cabins, and a twin cabin.

A distinctive feature is its aft-deck swimming pool, which can be drained and converted into a helipad.

September 01, 2025 05:31 PM GMT+03:00
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