By Gemma Handy
Gemma.handy@antiguaobserver.com
Antigua and Barbuda (Antigua Observer) – The sale of superyacht Alfa Nero – believed to be owned by Russian fertiliser tycoon Andrey Guryev – has moved a step closer with government issuing an official notice of intention to do so.
The notice signed by Port Manager Darwin Telemaque and sent to local media for publication declares the luxury 267ft vessel to be “abandoned”.
The Alfa Nero has been languishing in Falmouth Harbour for over a year with government claiming it poses both an environmental and a security risk.
Multi-billionaire Guryev, 62, is a known close associate of Russian president Vladimir Putin and is under sanctions from a number of countries including the US, UK and Canada.
Telemaque’s notice dated March 21 is addressed to an entity by the name of Flying Dutchman Overseas Ltd in Tortola, BVI. It is also copied to Guernsey-based wealth management firm Opus Private, along with Guryev himself in Lobnya, on the outskirts of Russia’s capital Moscow.
It lists a number of reasons for wanting the boat moved, citing that it is uninsured, likely to become unseaworthy, and is a threat to the safety and security of people and other vessels using the harbour.
