Latest news with #Palermo
CTV News
7 hours ago
- CTV News
British superyacht Bayesian resurfaces for 1st time since August sinking ahead of recovery
Italian Coast Guard's Luigi Dattilo patrol boat, left, assists the multi-purpose floating work barge Hebo Lift 2 monitoring the stretch of sea off Porticello, near Palermo, Sicily, Italy, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Salvatore Cavalli) ROME — The British superyacht that sank off Sicily last August killing seven people resurfaced for the first time Friday as salvage recovery crews readied it to be hauled ashore for further investigation. The white top and blue hull of the 56-metre (184-foot) Bayesian emerged from the depths of the sea in a holding area of a yellow floating crane barge. The coast guard said the actual recovery was scheduled to begin Saturday morning. A spokesman for TMC Maritime, which is conducting the recovery operation, said the vessel has been slowly raised from the seabed, 50 metres (165-feet) down, over the past three days to allow the steel lifting straps, slings and harnesses to be secured under the keel. What became visible for the first time Friday on the surface of the water was the top of the passenger area of the Bayesian where passengers would sit, known as the accommodation area, said a spokesman for TMC Maritime, David Wilson. The British-flagged luxury superyacht sank Aug. 19 off Porticello near Palermo during a violent storm, killing U.K. tech magnate Mike Lynch, his daughter and five others. Fifteen people survived, including the captain and all crew members except the chef. Italian authorities are conducting a full criminal investigation. When it resurfaced, the Bayesian was missing its 72-metre (236-foot) mast, which was cut down and left on the seabed for future removal. The mast had to be detached to allow the hull to be brought to a nearly upright position that would allow the craft to be surfaced, TMC Maritime said earlier this week. British investigators said in an interim report issued last month that the yacht was knocked over by 'extreme wind' and couldn't recover. The report stated that the Bayesian had chosen the site where it sank as shelter from forecast thunderstorms. Wind speeds exceeded 70 knots at the time of the sinking and 'violently' knocked the vessel over to a 90-degree angle in under 15 seconds. Lynch had been celebrating his recent acquittal on fraud charges with his family and the people who had defended him at trial. The Associated Press
Reuters
7 hours ago
- Reuters
Tycoon Mike Lynch's sunken superyacht raised towards surface ahead of final lift
PALERMO, Italy, June 20 (Reuters) - 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.
The Independent
8 hours ago
- The Independent
British superyacht resurfaces for first time since tragic sinking
A British superyacht that sank off Sicily last August, claiming seven lives, has resurfaced for the first time as salvage crews prepare to haul it ashore for further investigation. The 56-meter (184-foot) Bayesian, with its distinctive white top and blue hull, emerged from the depths of the sea on Friday, held in a designated area by a yellow floating crane barge. The coast guard confirmed that the full recovery operation, including hauling the vessel ashore, is scheduled to commence on Saturday morning. TMC Maritime, the company overseeing the salvage, stated that the vessel has been slowly raised from its resting place 50 meters (165 feet) below the seabed over the past three days. This meticulous process allowed steel lifting straps, slings, and harnesses to be securely fastened under its keel. David Wilson, a spokesman for TMC Maritime, noted that the first part of the yacht to become visible on the surface was the top of the passenger area, known as the accommodation area. The British-flagged luxury superyacht sank Aug. 19 off Porticello near Palermo during a violent storm, killing U.K. tech magnate Mike Lynch, his daughter and five others. Fifteen people survived, including the captain and all crew members except the chef. Italian authorities are conducting a full criminal investigation. When it resurfaced, the Bayesian was missing its 72-meter (236-foot) mast, which was cut down and left on the seabed for future removal. The mast had to be detached to allow the hull to be brought to a nearly upright position that would allow the craft to be surfaced, TMC Maritime said earlier this week. British investigators said in an interim report issued last month that the yacht was knocked over by 'extreme wind' and couldn't recover. The report stated that the Bayesian had chosen the site where it sank as shelter from forecast thunderstorms. Wind speeds exceeded 70 knots (81 mph) at the time of the sinking and 'violently' knocked the vessel over to a 90-degree angle in under 15 seconds. Lynch had been celebrating his recent acquittal on fraud charges with his family and the people who had defended him at trial.
The Guardian
8 hours ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Mike Lynch's superyacht Bayesian raised from seabed off Sicily
Mike Lynch's superyacht, Bayesian, has been resurfaced for the first time since it sank during a violent storm off the coast of Sicily in August last year, killing seven people including the tech tycoon and his teenage daughter. The white top and blue hull of the 56-metre (184ft) vessel emerged from the depths of the sea in a holding area of a yellow floating crane barge, as salvage crews readied it to be hauled ashore for further investigation. The Italian coastguard said the recovery was scheduled to begin on Saturday morning. A spokesperson for TMC Maritime, which is conducting the recovery operation, said the vessel had been slowly raised from the seabed, 50 metres (165ft) down, over the past three days to allow the steel lifting straps, slings and harnesses to be secured under the keel. The operation – which has cost approximately $30m (£22m) - was 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 vessel will be transported to the port of Termini Imerese, where investigators are expected to examine it as part of an inquiry into the cause of the sinking. Sign up to Headlines Europe A digest of the morning's main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day after newsletter promotion The Bayesian was anchored just offshore near the port of Porticello, in the province of Palermo, when it sank during a violent storm shortly before dawn on 19 August 2024. Lynch had been cleared two months earlier of fraud charges in the US relating to the purchase of his company, Autonomy, by Hewlett-Packard in 2011, and was enjoying a voyage around Sicily to celebrate with his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, and his wife, Angela Baraces, whose company owned the Bayesian. The lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife, Neda, the banker Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, Judy, and the yacht's chef, Recaldo Thomas, were also killed when the vessel sank. Nine other crew members and six guests – including Baraces – were rescued. The salvage operation was very complex, and was temporarily suspended in mid-May after Rob Cornelis Maria Huijben, a 39-year-old Dutch diver, died during underwater work. The British-based consultancy TMC Marine, which oversaw a consortium of salvage specialists undertaking the project, said the hull would be lifted on to a specially manufactured steel cradle on the quayside once it had been transported to Termini Imerese. Investigators hope the yacht will yield vital clues to the causes of the sinking. A forensic examination of the hull will seek to determine whether one of the hatches remained open and whether the keel was improperly raised. Prosecutors have opened an inquiry into suspected manslaughter. The boat's captain, James Cutfield, from New Zealand, and two British crew members, Tim Parker Eaton and Matthew Griffiths, have been placed under investigation. In Italy, this does not imply guilt or mean that formal charges will necessarily follow. According to a preliminary safety report released last month by the UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch, the Bayesian may have been vulnerable to high winds when running on its engine and that these 'vulnerabilities' were 'unknown to either the owner or the crew' as they were not included in the stability information book carried onboard. The MAIB said a possible 'tornadic waterspout' headed towards the boats in the harbour. The docks seemed to divert the whirlwind, which went straight towards the Bayesian, and the vessel sank in the space of a few seconds. In September, Italian authorities requested additional security around the wreck of the Bayesian, after fears were raised that material in watertight safes onboard might be of interest to foreign governments.
Al Arabiya
10 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
British Superyacht Bayesian Resurfaces for 1st Time Since August Sinking Ahead of Recovery
The British superyacht that sank off Sicily last August, killing seven people, resurfaced for the first time Friday as salvage recovery crews readied it to be hauled ashore for further investigation. The white top and blue hull of the 56-meter (184-foot) Bayesian emerged from the depths of the sea in a holding area of a yellow floating crane barge. The coast guard said the actual recovery was scheduled to begin Saturday morning. A spokesman for TMC Maritime, which is conducting the recovery operation, said the vessel has been slowly raised from the seabed 50 meters (165 feet) down over the past three days to allow the steel lifting straps, slings, and harnesses to be secured under the keel. 'What became visible for the first time Friday on the surface of the water was the top of the passenger area of the Bayesian where passengers would sit, known as the accommodation area,' said a spokesman for TMC Maritime, David Wilson. The British-flagged luxury superyacht sank Aug. 19 off Porticello, near Palermo, during a violent storm, killing UK tech magnate Mike Lynch, his daughter, and five others. Fifteen people survived, including the captain and all crew members except the chef. Italian authorities are conducting a full criminal investigation. When it resurfaced, the Bayesian was missing its 72-meter (236-foot) mast, which was cut down and left on the seabed for future removal. 'The mast had to be detached to allow the hull to be brought to a nearly upright position that would allow the craft to be surfaced,' TMC Maritime said earlier this week. British investigators said in an interim report issued last month that the yacht was knocked over by extreme wind and couldn't recover. The report stated that the Bayesian had chosen the site where it sank as shelter from forecast thunderstorms. Wind speeds exceeded 70 knots (81 mph) at the time of the sinking and violently knocked the vessel over to a 90-degree angle in under 15 seconds. Lynch had been celebrating his recent acquittal on fraud charges with his family and the people who had defended him at trial.
