The Italian government is spending roughly $11 million per year to keep Andrey Melnichenko's seized Sailing Yacht A operational and climate-controlled. Specialized climate systems must run around the clock to preserve multimillion-euro works by Claude Monet and other historic artists from humidity and temperature damage. Powering these systems, paying a 20-person skeleton crew, and covering insurance consumes approximately $30,000 per day. The financial commitment could deepen as impending technical inspections may soon demand millions more from the Italian Treasury.
Key points
Sanctions enforcement has obligated the Italian government to spend nearly $11 million an…: Sanctions enforcement has obligated the Italian government to spend nearly $11 million annually maintaining the Russian industrialist's impounded vessel.
Climate-control systems cannot be switched off without exposing a multimillion-euro priva…: Climate-control systems cannot be switched off without exposing a multimillion-euro private art collection to permanent structural ruin.
The Italian Treasury faces a potential $12 million advance to cover technical repairs nee…: The Italian Treasury faces a potential $12 million advance to cover technical repairs needed for an upcoming mandatory class-renewal survey.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
Italian authorities have reportedly been stuck with an unusual and expensive responsibility for more than four years: paying to keep a Russian billionaire’s $600 million superyacht in pristine condition. Sailing Yacht A, owned by Russian industrialist Andrey Melnichenko who has brought in new technologies in his businesses, has been sitting in the port of Trieste since March 2022, when Italian authorities seized it under international sanctions. Even though the futuristic vessel cannot leave the dock, it still requires constant maintenance, a working crew and nonstop power.
Even worse for Italy’s budget, authorities cannot simply shut the ship down to save money. Inside the yacht sits a multimillion-euro private art collection, including paintings by Claude Monet, that would deteriorate if the air conditioning were turned off.
Super-yacht needs $30,000 per day just to sit in port
According to the French newspaper Le Parisien, keeping Sailing Yacht A, reportedly dubbed the world’s ugliest superyacht, in working order costs roughly $30,000 a day, or nearly $11 million a year. That money pays for a 20-person skeleton crew tasked with cleaning the vessel and…
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