The decision by the Antigua and Barbuda government to sell the Alfa Nero, the sanctioned superyacht that was abandoned in the Falmouth Harbour, was the best option available to the government at the time of the sale.
That’s the view expressed by Prime Minister Gaston Browne as he and a team of officials who played varying roles in the sale of the vessel last year, appeared on ABS Television to address issues regarding the sale of the vessel and he subsequent disposal of the sale funds.
“We are the only small island state that had ended up with a sanctioned vessel and we don’t have the US$5 million that is required annually to upkeep the vessel. In the United States, they have seized a number of Russian yachts and my understanding is that it is costing them tens of millions of dollars annually to upkeep these vessels. They can afford those payments,” PM Browne stated.
The prime minister indicated that prior to the government selling the Alfa Nero, it had to petition the US Treasury Department to lift the sanction off the vessel and in doing so it had to explain the potential environmental problems, the economic problems and the cost of maintaining the vessel.
“We had to explain that there was no way that a small island state could afford to maintain a sanctioned vessel that was uninsured and without a flag and there was a need for us to acquire the vessel so that we could sell it and in the process resolve a fundamental liability that the government and people of Antigua and Barbuda would have had,” he stated.
According to PM Browne when all the issues are properly examined, the government took what was the best option available in the disposal of the vessel, prior to it becoming a major environmental challenge and for the smooth operations of the Falmouth Harbour.
The prime minister is assuring the people of Antigua and Barbuda that ‘there is nothing to worry about’ as the government is taking certain legal actions to ensure the view that it acted in the best interest of the people of the country.
The prime minister’s contention was fully supported by Port Manager, Darwin Telemaque who stated that the actions of the government were the correct ones. “The boat was delisted, uninsured, and without a flag. Therefore, moving it was impossible. The crew that was on board said they were about to leave because they had no more food on board the vessel. A decision was taken to acquire the vessel and to sell it. But even at that time, it was still sanctioned and our task was to persuade the US authorities to remove the sanction before we could proceed with anything,” Telemaque explained.
Also appearing on the programme were the government’s chief attorney handling the sale, Senior Council Anthony Astaphan and Financial Secretary, Rosana Davis-Crump.
