While the route to auction can be a consequence of legal action, some owners view the bidding format as an exciting alternative to the traditional means of buying and selling a boat. And for eagle-eyed buyers, an auction is a sure way to snap up Dutch flagships, custom builds and lucrative refit projects for way below asking price.
BOAT takes a look at the coolest yachts to have gone under the hammer, starting with a "once in a lifetime" opportunity ending this September...
Amadea
Length: 106.1m
Builder: Lürssen
Where to start with Amadea? This superyacht has been at the centre of a fraught legal process since 2022, when she was seized by US authorities following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Her ownership is still being contested by Russian oil magnate Eduard Khudainatov – though the US Justice Department was officially granted permission to sell Amadea back in March 2025. Designed by veteran studios Espen Øino and Francois Zuretti, she's a truly spectacular specimen and a "once in a lifetime opportunity", according to her auctioneers. Her most "out-there" features include a 4D cinema, a private owner's pool with constellation-inspired lighting and a galley with a live lobster tank.
What is Amadea's auction price?
A $10 million deposit is required to bid on the yacht for sale. The auction will officially close on 10 September 2025.
Read More/Update: Auction of 106m seized superyacht Amadea opensIndian Empress (now H3)
Length: 95m (originally)
Builder: Oceanco
This mighty Oceanco was seized in Malta following claims that her crew was owed more than $1 million in unpaid wages. A court-ordered auction took place in June 2018 – though Indian Empress was instead privately sold to Sea Beauty Yachting Ltd. for €35 million, after the auction winner failed to pay their €43.5 million bid. A year later, the superyacht was returned to her mother yard Oceanco for a multi-year rebuild that would become one of the most radical transformations in industry history. Her exterior was totally redesigned by British studio Reymond Langton; her length extended by 10 metres for a total LOA of 105.3 metres; her accommodation reformatted from 32 to 20 guests for more generous and thoughtful spaces. Today, she's classified as a new build and goes by the name H3.
What was Indian Empress' auction price?
The yacht was sold for €35 million. She is now the second-most expensive superyacht on the brokerage market at €295,000,000.
Read More/Rebuild: 5 ways H3 is a totally different yacht from Indian EmpressEquanimity (now Tranquility)
Length: 91.5m (originally)
Builder: Oceanco
Delivered as Equanimity, this Oceanco is the second-largest yacht sold at auction to date, though this may change with the sale of Amadea pending. Tranquility was seized by Indonesian authorities at the request of the US Department of Justice in 2018 – and her auction, which took place in October 2018, was managed by Burgess, appointed by the High Court of Malaya to assist with the sale. The first yacht built to PYC (Passenger Yacht Code), Tranquility can accommodate up to 22 guests in intricate, Asia-inspired living spaces by British studio Winch Design. Materials used include wenge, gold leaf, bamboo and marble.
What was Equanimity's auction price?
The winning bid – a staggering $126 million – was made by gaming operator company Genting Malaysia Bhd.
Alfa Nero
Length: 81.3m
Builder: Oceanco
Another complicated story, Alfa Nero is one of the latest superyachts to be sold at auction after she was abandoned in Antigua. The 81.3-metre yacht had been moored at the Antigua Yacht Club Marina since 2022, blocked from leaving the port following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. After no claim to ownership was made, the government of Antigua and Barbuda announced that she would be auctioned – and Alfa Nero was ultimately sold for $40 million to an undisclosed buyer represented by Northrop & Johnson. The superyacht was put on the charter market shortly after, with her "industry-defining" infinity pool and pop-art Alberto Pinto interiors pricing her at $812,500 per week.
What was Alfa Nero's auction price?
A winning bid of $67 million was made in June 2023 by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, though this was rescinded shortly after. She was later sold to an undisclosed buyer represented by Northrop & Johnson for $40 million,
Lone Ranger (now Sea Ranger)
Length: 77.7m
Builder: Schichau-Unterweser
Lone Ranger (now Sea Ranger), an oceangoing tug turned luxury explorer, was sold at a live auction held during the Antibes Yacht Show in 2013. The "Prestige Yacht Auction" was the first of its kind and was heralded as a new way to buy and sell a yacht. The superyacht swiftly found a new owner at the auction, with the buyer represented by Burgess. While the final bid remains undisclosed, Lone Ranger was listed at £20,000,000 prior to the auction. The Schichau-Unterweser build has circumnavigated the world several times – but don't be fooled by her hardy exterior, which houses a private library, a basketball court and a swimming pool, among other luxury amenities.
What was Lone Ranger's auction price?
The yacht was listed at £20,000,000 prior to the auction.
Axioma
Length: 72.5m
Builder: Dunya Yachts
In 2022, Axioma was seized after her former owner was found to be in breach of a loan agreement with JP Morgan Bank. She was sold for just over $37.5 million by the Admiralty Court of Gibraltar, in a private auction with Howe Robinson handling the sale. A total of 63 bids were considered after US-based buyers were authorised to participate in the sale, with the winning bid selected following "an enhanced due diligence process". Axioma was known to have one of the best water toy collections on the market, with a range of pool toys that included a basketball set, football net, two inflatable sailing boats and SeaBobs. It's no surprise that her new owner decided to invest in her charter potential, with Axioma now cruising everywhere from Greece to the Grenadines following a multi-million-euro refit at MB92.
What was Axioma's auction price?
She was sold for just over $37.5 million.
Apoise (now Titania)
Length: 72m
Builder: Lürssen
Apoise was put under the hammer in 2010 after four years spent cruising around the world. Her owner was Dave Ritchie, co-founder of Ritchie Bros Auctioneers, and so it was only natural that the superyacht should be sold in such a way. The public auction was held at the Ritz-Carlton Caymans in March 2010. Bidding started at €20 million without a reserve and the yacht soon sold for €33.75 million – roughly half the boat’s estimated value – to British businessman and Phones4U Tycoon John Caudwell. She was refitted, lengthened and renamed Titania. The superyacht last hit the headlines in 2024, when her owner donated a week-long charter to UK-based charity Caudwell Children.
What was Apoise's auction price?
Bidding started at €20 million without a reserve, and the yacht soon sold for £33.8 million.
Galactica Star (now Illusion)
Length: 65m
Builder: Heesen Yachts
Galactica Star (now Illusion) was listed for auction in 2019 after a U.S. federal court ordered her sale at the joint request of the U.S. Department of Justice and the Nigerian government following an international corruption investigation. The yacht was sold following a sealed auction with a minimum reserve price set at $42,000,000. On board highlights include accommodation for 12 guests and a 77-square-metre beach club with a glass-bottomed swimming pool above. Galactica Star was the largest yacht to be delivered by the Dutch shipyard at the time. British designer Dickie Bannenberg (of Bannenberg & Rowell) recently sat down with BOAT International to discuss her as being among his favourite designs – namely for the original Warhols found on board.
What was Galactica Star's auction price?
The yacht was sold at a sealed auction, though the minimum reserve price was confirmed at $42,000,000.
Read More/Designer's insight: Dickie Bannenberg on six of his most compelling designsForce Blue
Length: 70m
Builder: Royal Denship
An unconventional build, Force Blue was put up for auction at the beginning of 2021. With the opening price set at €7,000,000, the yacht was sold at auction on 27 January after four bids were placed. Force Blue can sleep a total of 12 guests and features a spa, gym, cinema and disco among its many amenities. Soon after, she underwent a transformative seven-month refit – including a seven-metre extension of the swim platform and an interior overhaul – to prepare her for a new charter programme with Fraser. Three years later and Force Blue can still be seen cruising Corsica or claiming a trackside berth at the Monaco Grand Prix.
What was Force Blue's auction price?
The opening bid was set at €7,000,000, with her sale price undisclosed after four bids were placed.
Bacarella
Length: 59.7m
Builder: Trinity Yachts
In 2014, Bacarella was auctioned by the Supreme Court, Gibraltar with ICAP Shipping acting as the broker and overseeing the sale. The auction saw 19 serious bidders and the winning offer was in excess of $30 million. The first Trinity yacht designed by Bannenberg and Rowell, Bacarella is helicopter-capable and powered by twin 2,012hp Caterpillar engines for a range of 4,500 nautical miles. The commissioning owner stipulated an extra-large master suite, with the buyer also benefitting from a full-beam VIP cabin, an elevator and a bridge deck gym and spa.
What was Bacarella's auction price?
The auction saw 19 serious bidders and the winning offer was in excess of $30 million.
Triton
Length: 49.7m
Builder: Delta Marine
In another court-ordered auction, this time by the United States Marshal, the 49.7-metre Triton found a new owner in 2013, selling for $11 million. At the time of her launch in 2004, Triton was the largest composite yacht built in the United States. Still under the same name, this rugged build is best suited to worldwide cruising, deep-sea fishing and exotic reef diving, with an underwater camera in the bow and a lighting rig at the stern that "provides guests front-row seats for observing the ocean’s mysteries". Interior highlights include a full-width master cabin with a sitting room, library, office and his and hers bathroom.
What was Triton's auction price?
Triton sold for $11 million.
Stefania
Length: 41m
Builder: Dynamiq
Another recent sale, Stefania was put under the hammer following her seizure in a money laundering case involving her former owner, a Belarusian national. Her auction (originally scheduled for January 2024) was delayed by a dry-docking period to uphold her RINA classification, with the golden superyacht sold in March 2025 for €10,000,000. Delivered in 2021, Dynamiq's flagship superyacht was met with immense acclaim, securing a nomination at the 2022 World Superyacht Awards and a win at BOAT International's Design & Innovation Awards. Auctioneers De Baecque & Associés noted Stefania's "real, wood-burning fireplace", large sundeck and 2.2-metre-high ceilings as design highlights.
What was Stefania's auction price?
Stefania sold for €10,000,000, with De Baecque & Associés managing the auction and The Italian Yacht Group assisting the buyer.
Read More/The five biggest superyacht price drops of July