Court-Ordered Auction of the Yacht Stefania Concludes

Following a yearlong delay, the auction of the yacht Stefania resolved last week, but not entirely as expected. Instead, a buyer stepped forward two days prior to the scheduled court-ordered sale in France.

On its Facebook page on March 27, the U.S. brokerage firm The Italian Yacht Group announced one of its clients acquired the yacht. The 134-foot (41-meter) megayacht originally saw delivery in 2021, from Dynamiq. In October 2023, while the yacht was in Genoa, French authorities requested that the Italian financial police arrest her. The Marseille public prosecutor’s office identified the owner as Chaslau Koniukh, a Belarusian citizen who they alleged used money fraudulently to acquire both the yacht and a French Riviera villa. Five months prior to seizing the yacht, French officials seized the villa.

The French public administrative body Agency for the Management and Recovery of Seized and Confiscated Assets (AGRASC) ordered the auction of the yacht Stefania. Initially, the auction was set for January 2024, with the firm De Baecque & Associés handling it. However, Agrasc postponed the judicial sale. Further delays resulted in April of that year, since officials scheduled her for yard time to maintain RINA classification.

For the March 27 auction of the yacht Stefania, De Baecque & Associés set an opening bid of €10 million (about $10.8 million). The firm had valued her between €10 and €12 million ($10.8 to $13 million). Although The Italian Yacht Group doesn’t mention the selling price, De Baecque & Associés issued a statement saying it was €11.428 million (about $12.365 million). Significantly adding to her value, the twin MAN engines have just 250 engine hours. Additionally, the yacht sold with two Seabobs and all interior furnishings. “Numerous details, such as glass-inlaid railings and a transparent flagpole, are unique features never seen on a yacht,” it also states.

Stefania still bears her original metallic-gold exterior paint and Art Deco interior design. All five staterooms, including the master suite, are below decks. Dynamiq’s largest delivery to date, the yacht bears a 1,292-square-foot (120-square-meter) sundeck with two 75-inch TVs, plus a fireplace in her formal dining area.

The yacht was at La Ciotat’s shipyard, where the auction was to take place, too, when she sold.

De Baecque & Associés debaecque.fr

The Italian Yacht Group theitalianyachtgroup.com