Romina Gingașu allegedly took from Romania’s state patrimony the luxury boat that belonged to Nicolae Ceaușescu and gifted it to her elderly millionaire husband on his 80th birthday. All with the Government’s approval, acording to Strict Secret.
The story of the boat begins in the 1960s, when Romania’s then president, Nicolae Ceaușescu, purchased through the party’s household two RIVA AQUARAMA motorboats. This boat model, only 8.2 meters long and entirely made of wood, has been and still is considered the most beautiful boat ever produced in the world. The value of such a fully restored boat today exceeds 1.2 million euros.
Riva Aquarama is a legendary luxury speedboat produced by the Italian Riva shipyard between 1962 and 1996, nicknamed the “Ferrari of the seas” due to its polished mahogany design, outstanding performance and artisanal craftsmanship. Known for its panoramic windshield, the two front seats and refined interior, it became a symbol of the dolce vita lifestyle for celebrities and royalty. Ceaușescu owned two such boats still coveted by sheikhs who would pay even 10 million euros for such a jewel precisely because they are very rare.
After 1989, one of them was immediately sold and, once restored, ended up with former Formula 1 driver Eddie Irvine. To prevent the second boat, serial number 119, from suffering the same fate, after the 1990s it was transferred from the Party Household to the Ministry of National Defense, under the Naval Academy Mircea cel Bătrân, and remained stored in a depot in Neptun for the past 30 years.
In 2023, the Academy sought to restore the boat’s engines. They sent a letter to the RIVA shipyard in Sarnico requesting parts and information. But something happened here: the RIVA shipyard is part of the Italian Feretti Group, one of the major global yacht manufacturers.
Within this group, Piero Ferrari holds the position of Vice Chairman of the Board and owns 4.2% of the shares. As soon as the letter from Romania arrived, Piero was informed and, naturally, Romina as well. From that moment, Romina allegedly made acquiring this boat her top priority and, for that purpose, reached the Government.
Two years ago, the Government transferred the boat’s administration, through a Government Decision, from the Ministry of National Defense via the Naval Academy Mircea cel Bătrân to RAPPS.
On May 23, 2025, the boat was loaded in Neptun onto an Italian truck with registration number FV 426 DG bound for Italy, Sarnico, the RIVA CLASSICHE shipyard.
Romina personally oversaw the loading, and the boat was insured for transport at a value of 850,000 euros. According to strictsecret.ro, for the export of such an object of inestimable historical value from Romania, RAPPS should have completed a legal procedure. RIVA specialists are working on its restoration, believing it to be Piero Ferrari’s boat — something the shipyard’s director, Anselmo Vigani, reportedly told employees.
Moreover, Romina also allegedly strongly desired to obtain another valuable item belonging to the Ceaușescu couple, namely the dictator’s fox fur coat dating from the 1950s. Romina Gingașu reportedly came specifically to Romania for this, with her private jet, and negotiated with an Israeli man who had purchased it at an auction.