Russian oligarch's seized yacht costs $7 million a year to maintain, US says

FILE PHOTO: Part of a Hawaii themed cruise ship is seen near the Russian-owned super yacht Amadea, which was seized in Fiji by American law enforcement, while it is docked in Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. June 17, 2022. REUTERS/Marco Garcia

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. government said it is spending more than $7 million a year to maintain a superyacht it seized from a sanctioned Russian oligarch, and urged a judge to let it auction the vessel before a dispute over its ownership is resolved.

Authorities in Fiji seized the 348-foot (106-meter), $300 million Amadea in May 2022, pursuant to a U.S. warrant alleging it was owned by Suleiman Kerimov, a multibillionaire sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2014 and 2018 in response to Russia's activities in Syria and Ukraine.