Secrets of the Bayesian will be retrieved by crane this weekend
The Bayesian superyacht will be raised to the surface on Saturday, almost a year on from its sinking off Sicily in a freak storm.
Weather permitting, the 184ft yacht will be hoisted from the seabed by the Hebo Lift 10 barge, which features one of Europe's most powerful maritime cranes. Undersea drones have fitted the yacht, which is 50m down, with a steel sling to facilitate the lift.
The $40 million vessel sank last August off the fishing port of Porticello, killing the British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and six others including his daughter Hannah, 18.
Investigators in Italy looking into whether the vessel's design or the crew were to blame for the disaster are keen to inspect the yacht, which will be transferred to the nearby port of Termini Imerese on Monday after it is salvaged.
• My husband and Mike Lynch were colleagues. They died 42 hours apart
'Over the coming days, all going well, the vessel's final recovery will take place this weekend and lead to her ultimate safe delivery to the authorities in Termini Imerese,' Marcus Cave, from the salvage firm TMC Marine, said.
Preparations to raise the Bayesian slowed when divers were replaced by undersea drones after a Dutch diver was killed by an explosion as he worked on the wreck last month.
The drones inserted under the vessel four of the eight cables needed to create the sling but could not place the four required under the stern due to the hard clay sea bed. TMC said on Wednesday the Hebo Lift 10 crane had been used to lift the stern, allowing the cables to be inserted.
• Why the Bayesian yacht sank: report points to design flaws
The Hebo Lift 10 will carry the Bayesian towards the port, where it will be lifted onto a cradle
SPLASH
A breakthrough came on Tuesday when a remote-controlled diamond wire precision cutting tool was used to sever the mast from the Bayesian, which has been lying on its side. Freed from its mast, the yacht partially righted naturally. 'The vessel will be gently helped into a totally upright position in the coming days,' TMC said.
Once raised above the water, the Bayesian will remain suspended in the air from the crane as the Hebo Lift 10 sails slowly towards Termini Imerese, where it will be lifted onto a custom-built steel cradle.
The cost of the salvage operation, funded by the Bayesian's insurers, has been estimated at about $30 million.
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