Moored in Barcelona for three years, the superyacht Meridian A has become a textbook case of sanctions circumvention. Behind nominee owners and offshore layers lies a deeper issue: Europe’s inability to turn asset freezes into effective confiscation.

One week after the announcement of the sale of the 106-metre megayacht Amadea, all indicators point to a clear operational success. Beyond the yacht itself, the transaction illustrates how a properly structured judicial sale of a frozen asset can combine speed, legal security and buyer commitment — and why this model should now become the benchmark.

Frozen under international sanctions, the superyacht Royal Romance has become a €20 million-a-year liability. Once intended to support Ukraine’s war effort, it now exposes Europe’s legal deadlocks, institutional paralysis and the shortcomings of maritime justice in dealing with frozen assets.