Advertisement
Supported by
The body of the vessel’s cook was recovered while divers searched the hull of the Bayesian for passengers, including the tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch.
By Elisabetta Povoledo
Deep-sea divers with Italy’s firefighter corps resumed their search on Tuesday for six missing passengers — including a British software mogul and his daughter — of a yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily the previous day.
Twenty-two people were on board the 180-foot British-flagged sailing yacht, the Bayesian, which was anchored near the port of Porticello, when it was hit by what witnesses described as a waterspout, a small tornado on water, during a sudden and violent storm.
Fifteen people who managed to get to a raft were rescued by the captain of a nearby sailing cruise ship. The body of the yacht’s cook, identified by news outlets as Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian Antiguan, was recovered on Monday. But several people are still unaccounted for, according to Salvatore Cocina, an official with Sicily’s civil protection agency.
Those still missing are Mike Lynch, a British technology entrepreneur; his daughter Hannah; Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Christopher J. Morvillo, a lawyer at Clifford Chance; and his wife, Neda Morvillo.
Mr. Lynch was acquitted of fraud in a U.S. trial in June, ending a high-profile, decadelong legal battle against accusations that he had defrauded Hewlett-Packard when he sold his company, Autonomy, to Hewlett for $11 billion.
Mr. Lynch and the others went missing days after Mr. Lynch’s co-defendant at the fraud trial, Stephen Chamberlain, a former vice president of finance at Autonomy, was fatally struck by a car on Saturday while out for a run, his lawyer, Gary S. Lincenberg, said in a statement.
Prosecutors in the Italian city of Termini Imerese, east of where the yacht sank, are opening a formal investigation into the yacht’s sinking. Reached by telephone, the chief prosecutor declined to comment.
The search for the missing passengers began on Monday but was suspended late that night as crews found themselves limited to the bridge deck and items like furnishings “obstructing passage,” the firefighters’ corps wrote on social media .
When divers resumed the search on Tuesday, ships trawled the waters near the site, the corps said in a statement. The Italian Coast Guard also said in a statement that search operations were “continuing unabated,” with the deployment of helicopters. There was no evidence that gasoline was leaking from the yacht, the Coast Guard said.
The yacht was lying on its right side in about 165 feet of water, meaning that divers, working in pairs, could stay underwater for only about 12 minutes at a time, said Luca Cari, a spokesman for the firefighters’ corps.
Divers were seeking a safe point of access to the vessel’s cabins. “Obviously, everything fell and the space is very tight,” Mr. Cari said, adding that the divers were having to remove obstacles, like furnishings and electrical wiring, that were “completely blocking passages.”
The firefighters’ corps said in a statement that it was impossible to verify whether people were inside the hull.
Mr. Cari said that several divers had been part of the search-and-rescue operations when the Costa Concordia, a cruise liner, capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio in 2012, killing 32 people. It is considered one of the worst maritime disasters in modern Italian history.
“It’s like the Costa Concordia, but much smaller,” Mr. Cari said in a telephone interview, comparing the search operations. “In the Costa Concordia, we came across many obstacles but we somehow were able to overcome them. Here, the obstacles block the passages and have to be removed.” He added, “This makes it more difficult.”
Crews were also trying to raise the yacht, which experts will examine to try to determine why it sank. Until then, experts can only hypothesize what happened.
Karsten Borner, the captain of a ship, the Sir Robert Baden Powell, which picked up the Bayesian’s 15 survivors, said in an interview that when the wind picked up around 4 a.m. Monday, the Bayesian was about 490 feet behind his vessel. Once the wind wound down, he said, he could not see the yacht anymore.
“My theory was that she was capsized first and then went down over the stern,” Mr. Borner said.
Dario Boote, a ship structures and naval architecture professor at the University of Genoa, said: “Now I imagine that a whole series of lawsuits will be triggered, obviously to ascertain whether there is any responsibility, as always happens very unpleasantly in these situations.” He said, however, that in this case, responsibility might be hard to determine. “Clearly, only once the wreck is raised will we know more,” he added.
Several fishermen told Italian news outlets that they had witnessed a waterspout. Peter Inness, a meteorologist at the University of Reading, said they were relatively common in the Mediterranean, though their occurrence and intensity are unpredictable.
“Until one actually forms, you can’t start telling people where it is,” Mr. Inness said, or “how to get out of the way.”
The inclement weather — with lightning intermittently streaking through the sky — made it hard to know exactly why the yacht sank. Col. Attilio Di Diodato, director of the Italian Air Force’s Center for Aerospace Meteorology and Climatology, said the agency had registered intense lightning activity and strong gusts of wind in the area at the time the boat sank.
The Bayesian had one of the tallest aluminum masts in the world, according to its builder, Perini Navi. “Having a tall aluminum mast would not make it the safest port to be in case of a storm,” said Andrea Ratti, associate professor of nautical design and architecture technology the Politecnico di Milano. The type of intensity unleashed by a violent lightning storm “could have created a significant shock wave,” he added.
He, too, cautioned that “a lot of questions will remain until we have other elements at our disposal.”
Modern yachts are built to withstand meteorological events of reasonable intensity, and all international naval registers suggest that new ships be designed for higher waves and more frequent and extreme weather events.
But “this seems a case of an unreasonable extreme event,” said Emilio Fortunato Campana, an expert in Naval Hydrodynamics at Italy’s National Research Council. “In that case, no ship is 100 percent safe,” he added. “I think the Titanic showed that nothing is unsinkable.”
Elisabetta Povoledo is a reporter based in Rome, covering Italy, the Vatican and the culture of the region. She has been a journalist for 35 years. More about Elisabetta Povoledo
COMMENTS
Sleeps 10 overnight. The 46.5m/152'7" motor yacht 'Rahal' was built by Feadship in the Netherlands at their De Kaag shipyard. Her interior is styled by English designer design house Terence Disdale and she was completed in 2003. This luxury vessel's exterior design is the work of Terence Disdale.
Rahal has a top speed of 14.00 knots and a cruising speed of 13.00 knots. She is powered by a twin screw propulsion system. Rahal is a custom motor yacht launched in 2003 by Feadship in Kaag, Netherlands. Based in the Netherlands and with roots dating back to 1849, Feadship is recognised as the world leader in the field of pure custom superyachts.
Rahal. 2003. first ordered a Feadship in 1959. Determined as always to accept nothing but the very best, this new jewel in the crown benefited from all their experience and know-how. The owners took great personal interest in the external features and the entire styling of profile, working in close cooperation with De Voogt Naval Architects and ...
RAHAL is a 46.51 m Motor Yacht, built in Netherlands by Feadship and delivered in 2003. Her top speed is 14.0 kn and her cruising speed is 13.0 kn and her power comes from two Caterpillar diesel engines. She can accommodate up to 10 guests in 5 staterooms, with 12 crew members. She has a gross tonnage of 562.0 GT and a 8.85 m beam.
This 47 m (153 foot) luxury yacht was created by The Feadship Royal Van Lent Shipyard in 2004. Motor Yacht RAHAL is a generous superyacht. The naval architect which delivered this yacht's design on the yacht was De Voogt Naval Architects and Terence Disdale Design. The vessel had interior design work was the brain child of Terence Disdale Design.
About Rahal. Rahal is a 46.5 m / 152′7″ luxury motor yacht. She was built by Feadship in 2003. With a beam of 8.85 m and a draft of 3.2 m, she has a steel hull and aluminium superstructure. This adds up to a gross tonnage of 562 tons. She is powered by engines of 1000 hp each giving her a maximum speed of 14 knots and a cruising speed of 13 ...
Interior design from Terence Disdale. Sleeps 12 overnight. The 46.5m/152'7" motor yacht 'Rahal' was built by Feadship in the Netherlands at their De Kaag shipyard. Her interior is styled by English designer design house Terence Disdale and she was completed in 2003. This luxury vessel's exterior design is the work of Terence Disdale.
Rahal yacht has a steel hull with a aluminium superstructure with a beam of 8.85m (29'0"ft) and a 3.20m (10'5"ft) draft .This custom yacht is equipped with an ultra-modern stabilization system which reduces roll motion effect and results in a smoother more enjoyable cruising experience. She also features bow thrusters making her more ...
Rahal is a motor yacht with an overall length of m. The yacht's builder is Feadship from The Netherlands, who launched Rahal in 2003. The superyacht has a beam of m, a draught of m and a volume of . GT.. Rahal features exterior design by Terence Disdale Design and interior design by Terence Disdale Design. Up to 12 guests can be accommodated on board the superyacht, Rahal, and she also has ...
Vessel RAHAL is a Yacht, Registered in Cayman Is. Discover the vessel's particulars, including capacity, machinery, photos and ownership. Get the details of the current Voyage of RAHAL including Position, Port Calls, Destination, ETA and Distance travelled - IMO 1007639, MMSI 319882000, Call sign ZCIU2
Discover insights about motor yacht Rahal (47m, 2003) crafted by Feadship on Yacht Career Hub. Explore valuable yacht reviews sharing onboard experiences, guiding your informed decisions in the maritime industry and enhancing your yachting career journey.
Feadship Rahal. Yachts Royal. Feadship. Rahal. Rating 5.0 (votes: 1) Medium sized yacht made by Feadship shipyard that was built in 2003. It has powerful engine installed that allows to achieve maximum speed of 14 knots. ... The yacht is spacious enough and allows 12 guests to be on board at the same time. Terence Disdale was responsible for ...
We don't have any additional photos of this yacht. Do you? Send Media . Fleet Search Rahal Specifications. Overview Name. Rahal Type. Motor Model. Custom Sub Type - Year. 2003 Flag. Cayman Islands MCA. Yes Class. LR Hull NB. 789 Hull Colour - Builders Builder - Naval Architect. De Voogt Naval Architects ...
The current position of RAHAL is at East Mediterranean reported 24 mins ago by AIS. The vessel is en route to KEFALONIA, and expected to arrive there on Jul 2, 10:30.The vessel RAHAL (IMO 1007639, MMSI 319882000) is a Yacht built in 2003 (21 years old) and currently sailing under the flag of Cayman Islands.
Where is the current position of RAHAL presently? Vessel RAHAL is a yacht ship sailing under the flag of Cayman Islands.Her IMO number is 1007639 and MMSI number is 319882000. Main ship particulars are length of 46 m and beam of 9 m. Maps show the following voyage data - Present Location, Next port, Estimated (ETA) and Predicted Time of Arrival (PTA), Speed, Course, Draught, Photos, Videos ...
Real-time and current position of RAHAL (Yacht, MMSI: 319882000, IMO: 1007639) on ais live map is in Mediterranean Sea - Western Basin with coordinates 43.52406° / 6.94710° and speed 0 knots as reported on 2023-11-19 18:41 by AIS live data.
Details and realtime position for the vessel RAHAL with MMSI 319882000, IMO 1007639 that is registered in [KY] Cayman Is. No Internet. MyShipTracking. Map Vessels; Ports Ports Port Calls Submit a new Port. Community ... Yacht. Show on Live Map. Upload Photo. Alerts. Add to fleet.
Rahal Project Name: Yacht type: Motor Yacht Based concept: Sub type: Imo: ... Name: Rahal Year: 2003 Exterior: Terence Disdale Design Ltd. > Web Page Interior Terence Disdale Design Ltd. > Web Page Country: United Arab Emirates Top speed: 14 Cruise speed: 13 Listing ID: 1058. Details
RAHAL is a Yacht built in 2003 by VAN LENT & ZONEN - KAAG, NETHERLANDS. Currently sailing under the flag of Cayman Islands. It's gross tonnage is 562 tons. Seafarers worked on: No sea service records found: Open vacancies on: No open vacancies on this ship: Vessel MLC insurance: Search:
Rahal is a 46.5 m / 152′7″ luxury motor yacht. She was built by Feadship in 2003. With a beam of 8.85 m and a draft of 3.2 m, she has a steel hull and aluminium superstructure. This adds up to a gross tonnage of 562 tons. She is powered by engines of 1000 hp each giving her a maximum speed of 14 knots and a cruising speed of 13 knots. The motor yacht can accommodate 12 guests in 5 cabins ...
Specifications: Length of 65 meters (213 ft), accommodating 14 guests in 7 cabins and 16 crew members in 8 cabins. Performance: Powered by two Caterpillar engines, top speed of 15 knots, cruising speed of 12 knots, and a range of 5,000 nautical miles. Value: Estimated at $75 million with annual running costs between $4 - $8 million.
The luxury motor yacht Rahal is displayed on this page merely for informational purposes and she is not necessarily available for yacht charter or for sale, nor is she represented or marketed in anyway by Trident Media Ltd. This document is not contractual. The yacht particulars displayed in the results above are displayed in good faith and ...
Détails et position en temps réel pour le navire RAHAL avec MMSI 319882000, IMO 1007639 qui est enregistré en [KY] Cayman Is
One man has died and six people are missing after a luxury yacht sank in freak weather conditions off the coast of Sicily. The 56m British-flagged Bayesian was carrying 22 people - 12 passengers ...
The captain of the luxury Bayesian yacht that sank near Porticello, off the coast of Sicily, last week will face an investigation into multiple counts of manslaughter and negligent shipwreck, the ...
But the $40 million sailing yacht sank within minutes and with fatal results: seven dead, including the British technology billionaire Michael Lynch, his teenage daughter, four of Mr. Lynch's ...
Rescuers were on Monday searching for six people missing after a luxury yacht was hit by a tornado and sank off the coast of Sicily, killing one of the 22 people on board. CNN values your feedback 1.
The yacht was lying on its right side in about 165 feet of water, meaning that divers, working in pairs, could stay underwater for only about 12 minutes at a time, said Luca Cari, a spokesman for ...
"For two seconds I lost my daughter in the sea then quickly hugged her amid the fury of the waves," the paper quoted her as saying. Charlotte said she held her baby "afloat with all my ...
The yacht's mast stood 72.27 meters (237 feet) high above the designated water line, just short of the world's tallest mast which is 75.2 meters, according to Guinness World Records.