- A sanctioned Russian
oligarch 'ssuperyacht is heading for the US bearing the American flag. - It comes after Fiji's supreme court ruled the
yacht must leave the island.
A Russian oligarch's $300-million superyacht is sailing to America under the US flag after being seized in the Pacific Island of Fiji for over seven weeks.
A Fiji court ruled on Tuesday US authorities could take control of Amadea, a luxury yacht they said belonged to Russian gold tycoon Suleyman Kerimov.
Fiji's supreme court ordered the yacht to "sail out of Fiji waters" because it was costing the Fijian government too much money to maintain.
According to ship-tracking data from analytics firm Spire, Amadea is currently heading north-east towards the West Coast of America. The vessel left the port of Lautoka in West Fiji early on Tuesday, according to Spire.
Amadea previously flew the Cayman Islands flag, but now it's bearing the US flag, according to vessel tracker MarineTraffic.
Department of Justice spokesperson Anthony Cole confirmed in a tweet on Tuesday the yacht had set sail for the US with a new flag, after authorization from the Fijian court.
—Anthony Coley (@AnthonyColeyDOJ) June 7, 2022
Kerimov's superyacht moored in Fiji on April 12 after sailing for 18 days across the Pacific.
One week later, Fiji's high court imposed a restraining order on Amadea, meaning it couldn't leave the port. The court then ruled in early May the US was able to seize the vessel.
The EU and UK sanctioned Kerimov on March 15 over his close links to Putin, but he had been sanctioned by the US in 2018 over alleged money laundering.
Amadea, which can hold 16 guests and 36 crew onboard, has a helipad, jacuzzi, swimming pool, and a winter garden, according to Superyacht Fan.