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Mystery surrounds the fate of a £100m mega yacht linked to several Russian billionaires – including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Alfa Nero boat, measuring in at around 270ft, is currently sitting in a port in Antigua having been seized by police two years ago. It was part of a crackdown on assets belonging to friends and allies of Putin during the first few months of his invasion of Ukraine.

And despite the vessel – which has a giant 40ft infinity pool at the back of it – being left abandoned for all that time, someone is shelling out around £22k for its upkeep every month, including spending around £1,600 just on fuel so that the air conditioning stays on.

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While most would find the cost eye-watering, the official owner of the boat is listed as Putin's very rich pay Andrey Guryev – sanctioned by both the US and UK. The 63-year-old Soviet-born chief executive officer and founder of Russian chemical company PhosAgro was thought to be worth around £4billion in 2016, while his company is worth around £5billion.

The bloke is actually a judo master, but hasn't been able to fight his way out of the legal issues over the boat. He tried to claim that the boat was actually owned by his daughter, Yulia Guryeva-Motlokhov, who is married to London-based Russian hedge fund manager Alexei, but the courts weren't having it.

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Earlier this year, she said: “The ownership of the vessel was known by the Government prior to the seizure and auction, and it was never abandoned. We are seeking the return of the vessel to its rightful and lawful owner through the proper process and legal means.

“This hearing is a step in that process that stops the sale of Alfa Nero by the Government, which has no right to its ownership.”

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But the mere presence of the ship is annoying those in charge of the port. Antigua and Barbuda Port Authority CEO Darwin Telemaque said in June: “This whole thing has been like a Tom Clancy novel, and I'm stuck in the middle. I just want to see it gone.”

The boats fate hangs in the balance, despite Google CEO Eric Schmidt nearly buying it for a knockdown price of £54million earlier this year. Legal battles over the boat saw that deal fall through, so the vessel remains sitting in the dock . . . with its air con on.

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• Vladimir Putin
• Courts
• London
• Russia
• Russia Ukraine war

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