Antigua and Barbuda has successfully lobbied the Government of the United States
of America to allow it to proceed with the unfettered sale of the super yacht, Alfa
Nero.
Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States of America, Sir Ronald
Sanders, announced on Thursday that discussions with the Government of the
United States of America, concerning its application for a license to proceed with
the unfettered sale of the Super Yacht, Alfa Nero – that the license has now been
granted.
On 18 th May, the United States Department of the Treasury issued license, No.
RUSSIA-EO14024-2023-1060959-1, to the Government of Antigua and Barbuda,
authorizing persons licensed by the U.S. Treasury Department to “participate in the
Government of Antigua and Barbuda’s auction of the vessel M/Y Alfa Nero”. It
also authorizes “transactions that include, but are not limited to, bidding on the
purchase of the vessel; paying deposits; and providing financing, insurance, or
funding in connection with the purchase”.
This authorization was announced in the Parliament by Prime Minister Gaston
Browne, opening up the way for the Antigua and Barbuda Port Authority to
proceed with a sale of the Alfa Nero by auction, to any persons who are not on a
sanctioned list and who have applied for, and received, a license from the U.S.
Treasury Department to engage in financial transactions related to the vessel.
The Office of the Prime Minister has indicated that more than twenty bids have
been received from interested parties wishing to purchase the vessel, several of
whom have already received individual licenses from the U.S. Treasury
Department.
Ambassador Sanders said that, while the license permits the Government of
Antigua and Barbuda to proceed with the auction and to sell the vessel, other
matters, such as the formal delisting of the Alfa Nero, from the U.S. Treasury
Department’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) list, are
still being pursued.
The Ambassador remarked that “this entire process broke new ground; there were
no rule books or patterns to follow. In this sense, much has been achieved by a
small State”.
The Office of the Prime Minister announced that the Antigua and Barbuda
Department of Marine Services and the Antigua and Barbuda Port Authority will
begin the process to select and inform the winner.
