After four years, this seized 303-footer may be finally splashing down on the market.
A $200 million superyacht christened Royal Romance, reportedly linked to former Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, will soon be sold by Ukraine, according to the nation’s National Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA), Boat International reported.
Royal Romance was seized in Croatia back in 2022 following a series of sanctions in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; after a court ruling, Croatia then placed the superyacht’s sale under ARMA’s jurisdiction. Previously, the 303-footer was said to be going up for auction in December 2022 and then again in 2024, but due to continued legal delays, the sale was postponed. Now, though, it now seems the sale will actually come to fruition.
The proceedings for a transaction, which will be decided by a judge, have already began, with Royal Romance having finished a pre-trial investigation, according to ARMA. Now, Ukraine’s Office of the Prosecutor General has submitted an indictment to the courts, which will get the ball rolling on a trial to decide the superyacht’s fate. Important details have also been shared with the Croatian government as a part of a continued international legal corporation.
“The Royal Romance case is at the stage of practical implementation of a clear roadmap—from the recognition of a Ukrainian court decision to the sale of the asset and the transfer of proceeds to state accounts, with their subsequent distribution between jurisdictions,” ARMA said in a statement.
The 303-footer, which was delivered by Feadship back in 2015, offers up an exterior design by De Voogt Naval Architects, according to Superyacht Times. Royal Romance, also featuring a steel hull and aluminum superstructure, can hold up to 14 passengers across seven staterooms and space for 21 crew. Elsewhere, there’s a 39-foot swimming pool with a waterfall, a cinema, and a gym, with interiors by the team at U.K.-based firm Seymour Diamond.
Royal Romance isn’t the only seized superyacht on the seas (or, rather, about to return to the water). Flying Fox, a 446-foot Lürssen behemoth, was placed back on the charter market after previously being sanctioned. And Mark Zukerberg reportedly acquired a 387-foot Feadship called Launchpad, which was originally commissioned by a Russian billionaire before he was sanctioned. Others still have ended up in a legal limbo as the courts decide their new path, much like Royal Romance.
Authors
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Nicole Hoey
Digital Editor
Nicole Hoey is Robb Report’s digital editor. While studying at Boston University, she read, wrote and read some more as an English and journalism major. A class taught by a Boston Globe copy editor…


