It pays to seize Russian superyachts.⁠ ⁠ That’s what Antigua learned this week, as the sale of a superyacht it had blocked from leaving port since February '22 netted the country ~$63 million.⁠ ⁠ Sold at auction to former Google exec Eric Schmidt for $67.6 million, Antigua made out like bandits.⁠ ⁠ The country had been paying roughly $100,000 per month to keep the ship maintained and fully staffed, with the total cost of their efforts over the last year and a half totaling $3.7 million (which will be more than covered once the sale is finalized).⁠ ⁠ The yacht sale is a huge boon for the small island nation, with the $63 million in profit boosting its GDP by around 4%. As of 2021, its GDP stood at ~$1.47 billion.⁠ ⁠ #antigua #barbuda #yacht #superyacht #gdp #businessnews