Affidavit Reveals Mounting Costs Aboard Abandoned Alfa Nero Making the Decision to sell the right one

Affidavit Reveals Mounting Costs Aboard Abandoned Alfa Nero as Antigua Defends Decision to Sell

A sworn affidavit from the captain of the Alfa Nero has revealed the escalating financial and environmental risks posed by the abandoned superyacht, as Antiguan authorities defend their controversial decision to sell the vessel.

In a detailed statement, ship’s master Christopher Malcolm Lewis described how the crew was left to fend for themselves after the vessel was effectively abandoned at the Antigua Yacht Club Marina in March 2022. The document outlines that by March 2023, more than US$3.6 million in unpaid expenses, including US$560,000 in fuel, US$420,000 in docking fees, and US$2.7 million in crew salaries.

The yacht, which required 11,000 litres of fuel per week to remain habitable, ran on credit extended by local marina operator Carlo Falcone. With critical systems failing and spare parts unavailable since March 2022, Lewis warned that Alfa Nero had become a “hazard on the marina, other docked vessels and the environs.”

Antiguan officials say the captain’s affidavit confirms that continuing to hold the sanctioned vessel would have led to an untenable financial burden on the state.

“The ship was sanctioned by the US, not the Antiguan government,” a senior government official said. “Had we left it there for a few more years, the charges would have been astronomical, with a declining value.”

Authorities pointed to a parallel case in the United States, where the government is now seeking over US$25 million from Russian oil magnate Eduard Khudainatov for the costs of maintaining the Amadea, a luxury yacht seized under sanctions enforcement in 2022.

The comparison underscores what Antiguan officials described as the “wisdom” of selling Alfa Nero rather than absorbing potentially US$5 million per year in maintenance fees, which the country could not afford. “We could not have gone to the Treasury or the State Department for reimbursement. We would have gotten stuck with the maintenance costs if we did not sell,” the official added.

Since its docking, the Alfa Nero has been deregistered by the Cayman Islands and stripped of classification by Lloyd’s Register, leaving it uninsured and legally unable to dock anywhere in the world. Only five crew members remain on board, with food supplies rapidly running out.

The affidavit paints a stark picture of a vessel in decline — once a symbol of excess, now a liability in urgent need of resolution. For Antigua and Barbuda, the sale was not just practical, but necessary.

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