Seizing a Russian Superyacht is much more complicated than you think
Amadea, a superyacht worth $325 million, has been moored in the port of San Diego since June, unused, legally bound there for many more months, likely years. It’s 348 feet long, with six decks, and it looms over a waterside park where families come for picnics and anglers for mackerel. The US claims the owner is a Russian oligarch who’s been sanctioned; as evidence the government noted his recent purchases of a new pizza oven and superfast jet skis. Already on board were two baby grand pianos (one hand-painted), a 32-foot mosaic pool and what could be one of the last remaining Fabergé eggs, commissioned by Russia’s Imperial family and worth millions of dollars. All of that is now under the care of American taxpayers. And a superyacht requires a lot of care. It’s not possible to seize one, then leave it docked and untended until Russia’s war against Ukraine ends.
