The government of Antigua and Barbuda has revealed its strategy to protect the controversial superyacht Alfa Nero during the 2024 hurricane season, as negotiations for its sale continue behind closed doors.

During a recent post-Cabinet press briefing, Chief of Staff Lionel Hurst outlined the government’s approach to safeguarding the 267-foot vessel, which has been docked in Falmouth Harbour for over two years.

“If a hurricane is threatening Antigua and Barbuda, we will dispatch it to a safe harbour rather than attempt to lift that massive vessel out of the sea,” he said.

Hurst explained that the country still lacks the capability to dry dock the Alfa Nero, highlighting the challenges of managing such a large asset.

“I don’t think the capability for so doing exists in Antigua,” Hurst admitted.

Emphasising the government’s approach to potential threats, Hurst elaborated, “We listen closely and watch closely the development of hurricanes in the Caribbean, so that if perchance there was need to secure it from a hurricane that might be heading in Antigua’s direction, we would sail it to some other safe harbour until such time as the hurricane passed.”

The hurricane protection plan comes amid ongoing maintenance costs for the superyacht, which the government previously revealed exceed US$100,000 per month.

Hurst also touched on the yacht’s pending sale, stating that the government is “close to selling the Alfa Nero” but declined to provide further details, saying public discussions on the matter are “of no benefit” to the parties involved.

He cited ongoing negotiations with a potential buyer.

The Alfa Nero has been at the centre of controversy and legal disputes since its alleged owner, Russian oligarch Andrey Guryev, appeared on sanctions lists following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The yacht’s ownership remains contested, with Guryev’s daughter challenging the government’s right to seize and sell the vessel.