The yard that outgrew its slipway

Alfa Nero and KORU share a builder but diverge in every measurable dimension. Comparing their hull numbers, tonnage, and ownership histories reveals how Oceanco adapted its Alblasserdam facility to accommodate radically different engineering demands and vastly larger pools of liquid capital.

Alfa Nero and KORU are separated by sixteen years of shipyard history, yet they sit on the same registry table under the same builder designation. Both carry Oceanco hull numbers—Y702 and Y721—and both reflect the specific engineering priorities of their respective eras. The comparison between them does not track a single owner’s evolution or a gradual refit cycle. It tracks a yard that had to physically expand its dry docks and reconfigure its supply chains to handle a jump from 82.0 metres to 113.26 metres. The capital that funded these two vessels also tells a story of structural change in the superyacht market. One hull was entangled in Caribbean maritime seizures and failed auctions; the other was financed directly from American technology equity.

The hull number gap

Alfa Nero measures 82.0 metres in length with a beam of 13.8 metres and displaces 2,159 gross tonnes. She entered service in 2007, designed by Nuvolari and Lenard with interiors by Alberto Pinto. The master suite occupies the entire forward aspect of the upper deck, creating a private and self-contained zone with pale colours and opulent finishes. Other suites feature coordinated colour schemes, while the full-beam upper saloon maintains a palatial design. KORU measures 113.26 metres, carries a beam of 16.95 metres, and registers 3,493 gross tonnes. She was delivered in 2023 as a three-masted sailing yacht with a navy blue hull. The jump in dimensions required more than a longer steel plate. Oceanco operated from Alblasserdam, roughly 20 kilometres from Rotterdam, and maintained almost unrestricted access via inland waterways. In 2010 the yard began demolishing its original slips to construct a covered dry dock capable of handling vessels up to 140 metres. That infrastructure update is the mechanical reason KORU could be launched while Alfa Nero remained confined to the older slipway capacity.

The propulsion philosophy diverges sharply between the two hulls. Alfa Nero operates as a motor yacht with a maximum speed of 21.0 knots and a cruising range of 5,760 nautical miles at 15.0 knots. She accommodates twelve guests and twenty-six crew across 370 square metres of living space. KORU is rigged as a sailing schooner, which shifts the internal volume allocation away from machinery spaces and toward accommodation and tankage. Her estimated build cost sits at $500,000,000, with annual maintenance running at $30,000,000. Alfa Nero carries an estimated valuation of $102,000,000. The difference in gross tonnage alone—over 1,300 tonnes—dictates entirely different stability calculations and ballast requirements.

The constraint of departure

Amenities on these vessels function as hard engineering constraints rather than decorative lists. Alfa Nero features a pool measuring 3.7 metres by 11.6 metres on her aft deck. Through a hydraulic system, this surface transforms into a dance floor or a helipad. The requirement to reinforce the stern structure for rotor downforce and fuel lines dictates the placement of the lower deck machinery and limits the usable volume in the aft quarters. KORU presents a different physical problem: clearing a historic bridge in Rotterdam. In 2022, the city proposed temporarily dismantling the De Hef bridge to allow the yacht to pass through during sea trials. The plan triggered public opposition, and Oceanco withdrew the request. The masts were eventually stepped while the vessel remained moored downstream of the bridge. The sailing rig introduces height restrictions that a conventional motor yacht never faces, forcing the yard to coordinate with municipal heritage authorities rather than simply adjusting a hydraulic lift.

Their current positions reflect their operational profiles. Alfa Nero broadcasts from the Ligurian Sea at 43.71° N, 7.37° E. She is registered under the Maltese flag with Valletta as her home port. KORU reports from the Solomon Sea at -8.97° S, 159.62° E. She flies the Cayman Islands flag and calls George Town her home port. AIS data shows KORU moving through the Pacific basin, consistent with a sailing yacht optimised for long-range passages, while Alfa Nero remains positioned in the Mediterranean, where her 5,760-nautical-mile range supports extended regional cruising.

The ledger volatility

The ownership record for Alfa Nero reads as a sequence of legal interventions rather than a standard transfer. According to United States Department of Justice records, Russian national Andrey Guryev purchased the vessel in 2014. Economic sanctions imposed following the invasion of Ukraine left the yacht stranded in Falmouth Harbour in the Caribbean. Crew members departed over unpaid wages, and the Antigua and Barbuda government declared the vessel abandoned in March 2023. Monthly upkeep costs reached $100,000. The government seized the asset and auctioned it in June 2023. Former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt placed the winning bid for $67,600,000 but withdrew the purchase in September 2023 after title lawsuits emerged. Yulia Guryeva-Matlakhov, Guryev’s daughter, filed suits claiming she retained true ownership and that the seizure violated procedure. Attempts to void the auction failed. The government ultimately sold the hull via private treaty in July 2024 to Turkish businessman Ali Rıza Yıldırım for $40,000,000. The vessel was transferred to Samsun and listed again in 2025 for $103,000,000.

KORU’s acquisition path bypasses maritime litigation entirely. Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, commissioned the vessel starting in 2021. His net worth stood at approximately $284,000,000,000 in 2026 according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The $500,000,000 build cost represents a direct allocation of corporate equity liquidity. There were no seized titles, no unpaid crew wages, and no foreign government auctions. The capital structure is transparent in its simplicity: a single buyer financing a custom build through a holding entity, resulting in a Cayman Islands registration and George Town as the home port.

The two hulls demonstrate how Oceanco’s Alblasserdam facility evolved from constructing 80-metre displacement motors to launching 113-metre sailing rigs. The yard expanded its dry dock capacity to meet the dimensional demands, while the financial mechanics shifted from post-sanction asset liquidation to direct technology-sector investment. Alfa Nero remains a functional motor yacht navigating Mediterranean waters under new Turkish ownership. KORU continues Pacific passages as a fully operational sailing schooner. The register holds both entries side by side, separated only by hull number and year.