Mega-yacht seized from Russian oligarch is costing US taxpayers nearly $1MILLION a month to maintain as court battle to sell ship rages on

A megayacht seized by the U.S. government from a Russian oligarch nearly two years ago is costing taxpayers nearly $1 million a month in maintenance, court records show.

The $300 million, 100-meter Amadea megayacht was seized by Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov in May 2022 as part of an effort to pressure Russia to end the war in Ukraine.

It has been docked in San Diego since arriving in the United States in June 2022 and costs $922,000 a month to maintain, according to court records.

The authorities want to sell the yacht, but Russian businessman Eduard Khudainatov is challenging the ownership of the boat in court.

“It is ‘excessive’ for taxpayers to pay nearly $1 million a month to maintain Amadea when these costs could be reduced to zero through interim sales,” the government said in recent court filings.

Authorities want to sell Kerimov’s seized yacht (left), but Russian businessman Eduard Khudainatov (right) is challenging the boat’s ownership in court

The Amadea was taken out of San Diego Bay via a loop off the coast of La Jolla for a maintenance trip in January

The cost is broken down into $600,000 per month in ongoing costs; $360,000 for crew; $75,000 for fuel; and $165,000 for maintenance, waste disposal, food and other expenses, reported CNBC.

The government will pay $144,000 in monthly prorated insurance costs and other costs, including dry docking costs, will add another $178,000, bringing the total to $922,000.

The luxury yacht features a live lobster tank, a hand-painted piano, a swimming pool and a large helipad.

It was built in 2017 by the German company Lurssen and is listed as the 63rd largest yacht in the world, according to Superyacht Times.

The Amadea was taken out of San Diego Bay for a maintenance trip in January via a loop off the coast of La Jolla. CBS 8.

Khudainatov has claimed ownership of the Amadea and said it cannot be forfeited to the US government because he has not been sanctioned.

Prosecutors allege that Khudainatov acts as the “straw owner” of the Amadea to conceal Kerimov’s role.

Kerimov, 57, was sanctioned in 2022 for violating previous sanctions against him by using U.S. bank accounts to purchase products and services “for the operation and maintenance of the Amadea.”

The cost is broken down into $600,000 per month in ongoing costs; $360,000 for crew; $75,000 for fuel; and $165,000 for maintenance, garbage disposal, food and other expenses

The government will pay $144,000 in monthly pro-rata insurance costs and other costs, including dry dock fees, adding another $178,000, bringing the total to $922,000

The luxury yacht features a live lobster tank, a hand-painted piano, a swimming pool and a large helipad. It was built in 2017 by the German company Lurssen and is listed as the 63rd largest yacht in the world, according to Superyacht Times

He was previously sanctioned in 2018 for being “complicit in certain activities related to Ukraine” after Russia invaded the Crimean Peninsula in 2014.

The oligarch is a former oil trader and member of the Council of the Russian Federation, the country’s highest legislative chamber. He is a close ally of President Vladimir Putin and is reportedly worth $14.5 billion.

The Amadea was docked in Fiji when US authorities first tried to seize the boat.

The US ultimately won a legal battle in Fiji to take over the boat and now wants to sell it while its ownership is challenged in US court.

If the US government succeeds in auctioning the yacht, it will likely eventually transfer the proceeds from the sale to Ukraine.