Italy salvages superyacht that sank off Sicily killing seven
PORTICELLO, Italy: Salvage workers on Friday (Jun 20) raised a superyacht that sank off Italy during a pre-dawn storm last year, killing UK tech mogul Mike Lynch and six others.
The luxury 56m "Bayesian" was struck by a storm on Aug 19 when it was anchored off Porticello, near Palermo in Sicily.
It sank within minutes, killing Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah and five others.
The yacht, which was hit by something akin to a mini-tornado, was raised from the seabed - some 50m below the surface - on Friday, according to an AFP photographer.
TMC Marine, the salvage company overseeing the operation, cut off the yacht's mast before lifting the vessel using a crane barge.
The Bayesian had an exceptionally tall mast, measuring 72m.
Investigators from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) - a UK government agency - said last month its profile "produced a degree of effective lift" that increased the boat's lean in the wind.
When the yacht sank, there were 22 people on board, including 12 crew members and 10 guests.
Lynch, the 59-year-old founder of software firm Autonomy, had invited friends and family onto the boat to celebrate his recent acquittal in a huge US fraud case.
Italian prosecutors have launched investigations into the captain and two others on suspicion of manslaughter and the crime of negligent shipwreck.
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Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Tycoon Mike Lynch's sunken superyacht raised towards surface ahead of final lift
Floating crane ships HEBO LIFT 10 and HEBO LIFT 2 recover the \"Bayesian\" yacht of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, who died when the yacht sank off Porticello, near Palermo, Sicily, Italy, June 20, 2025. REUTERS/Igor Petyx Floating crane ships HEBO LIFT 10 and HEBO LIFT 2 recover the \"Bayesian\" yacht of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, who died when the yacht sank off Porticello, near Palermo, Sicily, Italy, June 20, 2025. REUTERS/Igor Petyx Floating crane ships HEBO LIFT 10 and HEBO LIFT 2 recover the \"Bayesian\" yacht of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, who died when the yacht sank off Porticello, near Palermo, Sicily, Italy, June 20, 2025. REUTERS/Igor Petyx PALERMO, Italy - Salvage experts winched Mike Lynch's sunken superyacht towards the surface on Friday, 10 months after it went down off the coast of Sicily, killing the British tech tycoon, his teenage daughter and five others. The vessel is scheduled to be lifted out of the water in the final phase of the recovery on Saturday, TMC Marine, the company leading the salvage operation, said. "Accelerated progress in salvage works off the coast of northern Sicily mean that all preparations are now nearing completion, ahead of the delicate lifting procedure," the statement said. The work was briefly halted last month after the death of a diver involved in the operation. The 56-metre-long (184-foot) Bayesian was moored off the small port of Porticello, near Palermo, in August last year when it sank during a sudden storm. The yacht was vulnerable to violent winds and was probably knocked over by gusts of more than 117 km (73 miles) per hour, an interim UK report said last month. The recovery process has been made easier after the vessel's 72-metre mast was detached using a remote-controlled cutting tool and placed on the seabed on Tuesday. The hull of the yacht has been supported by a specially designed steel wire lifting arrangement which is, in turn, attached to a floating lifting asset. The vessel is between two barges supplied by Hebo Maritimeservice, a Dutch specialist salvage company. The salvage experts are now reinforcing the cables because the yacht will be heavier once pulled out of the water, a source at the Italian coast guard said. The yacht is expected to be transported to the nearby port of Termini Imerese on Monday and handed over to the authorities who are investigating the tragedy. Lynch's daughter Hannah, lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda, banker Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy, and chef Recaldo Thomas were killed when the yacht sank. Nine other crew members and six guests were rescued. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
5 hours ago
- CNA
Italy salvages superyacht that sank off Sicily killing seven
PORTICELLO, Italy: Salvage workers on Friday (Jun 20) raised a superyacht that sank off Italy during a pre-dawn storm last year, killing UK tech mogul Mike Lynch and six others. The luxury 56m "Bayesian" was struck by a storm on Aug 19 when it was anchored off Porticello, near Palermo in Sicily. It sank within minutes, killing Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah and five others. The yacht, which was hit by something akin to a mini-tornado, was raised from the seabed - some 50m below the surface - on Friday, according to an AFP photographer. TMC Marine, the salvage company overseeing the operation, cut off the yacht's mast before lifting the vessel using a crane barge. The Bayesian had an exceptionally tall mast, measuring 72m. Investigators from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) - a UK government agency - said last month its profile "produced a degree of effective lift" that increased the boat's lean in the wind. When the yacht sank, there were 22 people on board, including 12 crew members and 10 guests. Lynch, the 59-year-old founder of software firm Autonomy, had invited friends and family onto the boat to celebrate his recent acquittal in a huge US fraud case. Italian prosecutors have launched investigations into the captain and two others on suspicion of manslaughter and the crime of negligent shipwreck.
CNA
13 hours ago
- CNA
Cyclist jailed a week over collision with jogger who suffered serious injuries
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