Salvors have successfully raised the first major component of the superyacht Bayesian, which sank during a storm off Sicily last August, resulting in seven fatalities, including the owner, British tech tycoon Mike Lynch. This initial recovery is part of a larger salvage operation aimed at retrieving the yacht’s rigging and ultimately raising the wreck to investigate the sinking’s cause and mitigate pollution risks from remaining fuel.
The salvage operation is complex and hazardous. Tragically, Dutch diver Rob Huijben died on May 9 while attempting to remove Bayesian’s boom with a cutting torch; the incident is under investigation. The 180-foot aluminum-hulled yacht, launched in 2008, had garnered significant media attention due to its high-profile owner and the circumstances surrounding its sinking.
A criminal investigation into the crew’s actions is ongoing, led by Italian prosecutors. Concurrently, the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch released an initial report indicating that Bayesian was susceptible to capsizing in winds as low as 63 knots, particularly given its configuration at the time of the accident. The vessel had a bare mast, a raised keel, and only 10% of its stores on board, conditions not accounted for in its stability documentation.
