- A sanctioned superyacht is racking up about $112,000 per month in crew costs, Bloomberg reported.
- The crew have been on the vessel for over a year and have reportedly taken to playing "Call of Duty."
A 267-foot superyacht that was tied to a sanctioned Russian oligarch is racking up about $112,000 a month in costs for crew that have been stuck on the ship for over a year, according to a recent report from Bloomberg.
The vessel, a $81 million yacht called the Alfa Nero, has been docked in Antigua since March 2022. At the time, the UK had sanctioned Russian billionaire Andrey Guryev, who is allegedly tied to the vessel. The US brought in the FBI to search the ship later that year.
It can be difficult to prove ownership of the sanctioned yachts as the documents for the ships are often signed by secondary individuals and the legal process for sanctions is murky, Insider previously reported. A spokesperson for Guryev's fertilizer company PhosAgro did not respond to a request for comment from Insider ahead of publication, but Guryev's lawyer told Bloomberg the billionaire does not own the yacht, but uses it "from time to time."
Over the past year, Alfa Nero's crew have tried to find ways to pass time while the ship remains stuck. Bloomberg reported that the crew have taken to playing "Call of Duty" and other PlayStation games in the ship's master suite. The crew — which has dwindled from 44 to 6 people — will also sometimes swim in the yacht's infinity pool, Bloomberg said. Though for the most part, the Alfa Nero's luxury amenities — which include a spa and gym — are untouched, per Bloomberg.
Insider previously reported that the ship has been running out of money to feed its crew and the Antigua and Barbuda government have been looking to sell the vessel to pay for its expenses, including the crew's salaries, but the yacht has remained in limbo due to the sanctions. Though, there have already been some bids on the vessel.
The yacht is one of several that has been stuck at ports across the country since Russia invaded Ukraine. Experts previously told Insider that the annual maintenance for some of the yachts could cost as much as $115.6 million a year and that the vessels could deteriorate within weeks if they were not cared for by crew.