The 'Alfa Nero' had re-entered the global market with a price tag of approximately US$102 million, just over a year after the Government of Antigua and Barbuda sold the vessel for around US$40 million. The potential markup suggested a paper profit of more than US$50 million before factoring in refit expenses, broker commissions, and carrying costs. Antigua's authorities had seized the yacht after it was abandoned in Falmouth Harbour. Following a failed public auction in 2023, the government transitioned to a private treaty arrangement, concluding the sale in July 2024 for approximately US$40 million. Court filings later revealed the buyer as Ali Riza Yildirim, head of Turkey’s Yildirim Group. The vessel. however, remained entangled in ongoing legal disputes, which stem from a claim by Russian national Yullia Gureyeva, who asserted ownership of the yacht.
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FORTUNA
The Groen company from Scheveningen has decommissioned and sold the 'Fortuna' for further use as a houseboat with a mooring in Slikkerveer. The vessel was built in 1954 as 'Geestroom' by the Shipyard A. Apol in Wirdum, Groningen, for the company Waling van Geest & Zonen in 's-Gravenzande. The ship transported fruit and vegetables from Maassluis to England, and livestock was carried as return cargo. On Aug 28, 1961, she was ballasting en route to Boston, England, when she was struck amidships on the Nieuwe Waterweg between Maassluis and Hoek van Holland by the incoming Norwegian tanker 'Juranda' and sank. All 11 crew members were rescued. On Sep 4, the wreck was raised by a crane by the Van den Tak salvage company and repaired at the De Groot en Van Vliet shipyard in Slikkerveer.. In 1971, the transport of vegetables, fruit, and livestock came to an end. amd the ship changed owners twice. The last one changed its name to 'Fortuna'. In 1972, she was converted for recreational fishing and came under the management of Groen. The FORTUNA also served as a passenger ship, making trips in the early 1970s to the pirate radio ships Radio Veronica and Radio Noordzee, which were moored off the coast of Scheveningen. In 1998, the ship was chartered and served as a tender for goods and passengers on the east coast of Scotland, but was mainly deployed as an offshore support vessel. One of her last assignments involved serving as a guard vessel at the K13-A platform in the Dutch North Sea. The offshore work has now come to an end, andvessel left her home port of Scheveningen for the last time on July 10, 2025.
