Controversy over the security detail for the US ambassador’s mega-yacht
To mark the 250th anniversary of American independence, Fertitta has organised a tour along the Italian coast. Bonelli (AVS): “Who pays for security?”
There is controversy over the security costs for Coastal diplomacy Italia, the US Ambassador to Italia’s journey along the Italian coast Tilman Fertitta to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence. “Italia cannot become the free escort for the US Ambassador’s private megayacht,” says the AVS MP and co-spokesperson for Europa Verde, Angelo Bonelli, announcing a parliamentary question.
Fertitta’s idea (born in Texas but of Sicilian descent) is to tour 13 regions on his yacht, the Boardwalk, meeting local politicians, business leaders and military representatives with the aim of strengthening relations between the United States and Italia. However, this initiative is keeping Italian security services on their toes and causing some discontent amongst the opposition. For example, in Venice, where Fertitta is due to arrive on 18 July to watch the ‘Foghi del Redentore’ fireworks display. Details of this visit to the lagoon city have so far been kept strictly confidential, and there are fears of protests.
Fertitta is the owner of the Houston Rockets basketball team, but his career spans hotels, restaurants, casinos and amusement parks. He was also a star on the reality TV show Billion Dollar Buyer on CNBC, and in 2017 he bought the Rockets for $2.2 billion. Married twice, he has four children from his first wife. In the past, he has made bipartisan donations to both Democrats and Republicans, from the Clintons to the Bushes, and in 2020 he donated $140,000 to Trump’s campaign and $5,600 to Joe Biden’s.
His yacht certainly doesn’t go unnoticed: the “Boardwalk” is 117 metres long and worth around 450 million dollars. It features two helipads, swimming pools, a spa, a gym and a small golf course. “From Civitavecchia to Naples, Vibo Marina, Palermo, Cefalù, Gallipoli and Bari, right through to the announced stops in Venice, Trieste, Genoa and Sardinia, the yacht – as Bonelli assures us – is accompanied and monitored by vessels from the Guardia di Finanza and the Port Authority-Coastguard, helicopters and personnel from the Italian police forces.” According to the AVS representative, this is therefore not “a simple escort, but a massive security and maritime police operation” and ‘the orders issued by the police headquarters also specify that the ambassador is the subject of a protection measure corresponding to the first level of risk, provided by specialised personnel from the Rome Escort Unit’.
Bonelli therefore asks: ‘Why should the security of a US ambassador sailing on his private mega-yacht be guaranteed by Italian naval and air assets using Italian state resources? Why aren’t American security forces being deployed? How many personnel and assets are being diverted from territorial and coastal surveillance? And how much is all this costing Italian taxpayers?’
