Crew of $300 million super yacht refuses to set sail with US officials: CBS

• It was the United States trying to seize A $300 million yacht has been tied to a Russian oligarch for weeks.
• But the crew “refuses to sail” with US authorities, according to him Court documents seen by CBS.
• The crew fears the collaboration could ruin their reputation in the yachting industry, the outlet reports.

Crew of a $300 million mega yacht tied to a sanctioned Russian oligarch “refuses to set sail” with US authorities trying to seize the ship, according to Court documents obtained by CBS News.

For weeks, US officials have struggled to seize the Amadea luxury yacht moored in Fiji that the Justice Department says is owned by Russian billionaire Suleiman Karimov. The lengthy legal process became further complicated on May 7, when the ship’s crew refused to assist US authorities in the ship’s departure, CBS reported.

The reason for the crew’s refusal was twofold, according to a CBS report based on an affidavit from British ship captain John Walsh.

The first is that crew members are no longer paid to sail the Amadea because the owner’s money has been frozen. Furthermore, the crew is concerned that violating their employment contract by working with US law enforcement could tarnish their professional reputation, the report says.

“In short, the current crew of the Amadea refuse to sail the Amadea with US authorities to an unknown destination,” Walsh wrote, according to CBS.

After the accident, it appears that the United States has hired a new crew for the ship. However, the captain of the boat has repeatedly refused to have new personnel on board due to a lack of proper “checking,” CBS reports.

At 348 feet, the Amadea, equipped with a helipad, swimming pool, and eight cabins, is one of the largest luxury yachts in the world.

Karimov alleged owner, Sanctions were imposed by the United States in 2018 and are said to have “close relations” with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The billionaire gold tycoon is one of dozens of oligarchs whose foreign assets have become pawns in the West’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

So far, the United States has backed away from its European allies when it comes to seizing the “illegal gains” of sanctioned billionaires, an economic punishment that officials hope will turn the country’s elite against Putin.

The oligarch’s lawyer argued that the real owner of the ship is a Russian oil manager named Eduard Khodinatov, who is not subject to sanctions. Friday, a The Fiji Court dismissed the lawyer’s appeal This was to prevent the capture of the ship. He has a week to appeal the decision.