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A Waterspout Was Seen When a Luxury Yacht Sank. What Is It?

Witnesses reported seeing the tornado-like phenomenon hit the Bayesian, a sailing yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily on Monday.

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By Eve Sampson

What caused the sinking on Monday of a sailing yacht carrying the British billionaire Mike Lynch and 21 other people off the coast of Sicily is still unknown. But some attention has focused on observations by witnesses, who described seeing a small tornado-like column known as a waterspout forming over the water during an abrupt and violent storm as the vessel sank.

Fifteen passengers on the 180-foot yacht, the Bayesian, escaped on a raft before being rescued by a neighboring cruise ship. The body of the ship’s cook was recovered on Monday and six people remain unaccounted for , including Mr. Lynch and his daughter Hannah, according to officials with Sicily’s civil protection agency.

Prosecutors in the nearby city of Termini Imerese have opened an inquiry into the cause of the sinking.

Here is what to know about waterspouts, a surprisingly common weather phenomenon that may have helped sink the luxury yacht.

What are waterspouts?

Waterspouts are columns of spinning air and moisture — similar to tornadoes over water, according to the National Weather Service .

While some form in fair weather, and are aptly called fair weather waterspouts, another more dangerous variety called tornadic waterspouts develops downward from a thunderstorm. These tornadic waterspouts can either form as regular tornadoes over land and move out to sea, or form in a storm already over a large body of water, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association .

Fair weather waterspouts are weak, often dissipate quickly and do not cause major damage, according to the agencies, but tornadic waterspouts are more often associated with high winds, dangerous and frequent lightning, and hail. The Italian authorities recorded strong winds and intense lightning activity at the time the yacht went down.

How common are waterspouts?

Experts say waterspouts may be more common than tornadoes, but because oceans are so vast, they are more difficult to track — and as difficult to predict.

“The Mediterranean is possibly one of the places where waterspouts are most likely around the world due to the warm ocean surface and a climate that is very susceptible to thunderstorms throughout the summer and autumn,” according to a statement by Peter Inness, a meteorologist at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Inness pointed to a 2022 study by scientists from University of Barcelona , which found that waterspouts occurred more frequently over warmer sea surfaces. The North Atlantic ocean has been unusually hot for over a year, repeatedly reaching record highs for the time of year , according to data from the oceanic association.

The International Centre for Waterspout Research on Monday said on X , the platform formerly known as Twitter, that it had confirmed 18 waterspouts near Italy in recent days, and several fishermen in the area of the accident told Italian media that they had witnessed a waterspout near the yacht.

What may have happened?

Karsten Börner, the captain of the nearby boat that rescued the 15 passengers, said in an interview that he saw the Bayesian about 490 feet away before the wind and lightning picked up.

While it was difficult to see what happened amid the storm, “my theory was that she was capsized first and then went down over the stern,” he said.

Towering over 237 feet tall, the Bayesian mast was one of the tallest aluminum masts in the world and it also had a special keel that could be raised or lowered, according to its manufacturer, Perini Navi. A keel is the downward-extending centerline underneath a boat that can help stabilize the vessel.

“In this case, 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.

He added that “a lot of questions will remain until we have other elements at our disposal.”

Elisabetta Povoledo contributed reporting.

Eve Sampson is a reporter covering international news and a member of the 2024-25 Times Fellowship class, a program for journalists early in their careers. More about Eve Sampson

Divers recover 2 bodies following sinking of luxury yacht off Sicily

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Tech magnate missing after luxury superyacht sinks off Sicily in 'violent storm'

A British tech magnate and several other people are missing after a luxury superyacht sank near Sicily’s main city, Palermo, during a violent storm, Italian officials and sources familiar with the matter told CNBC . At least one person was killed.

Mike Lynch, who was regularly described in U.K. media as “Britain’s Bill Gates,” was not among those rescued, said the sources, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the situation. They added that Angela Bacares, Lynch’s wife, had been plucked from the waters off the Italian island.

Lynch was among six people who were unaccounted for, The Associated Press quoted Salvo Cocina of Sicily’s civil protection agency as saying. “They were in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said. Cocina also confirmed that Bacares had survived.

Italy's coast guard said in a statement that the 184-foot sailboat, named the Bayesian, sank “due to a violent storm” off Palermo at around 5 a.m. local time (11 p.m. ET) with 22 people on board. Fifteen people were rescued, and six passengers were missing, it said.

American, British and Canadian citizens were among the missing, the statement said. The coast guard said in later statement that the ship’s cook had died. It did not give the cook's nationality.  

Karsten Borner, the captain of a ship that rescued the survivors, told reporters that there was a “strong hurricane gust, and we had to start the engine to keep the ship in an angled position,” according to Reuters.

He added that they had “watched the ship behind us not to touch them and we managed to keep the ship in position.” After the storm was over, he said, “we noticed that the ship behind us was gone.”

“Fifteen people inside. Four people were injured, three heavily injured, and we brought them to our ship, he said. “Then we communicated with the coast guard, and after some time, the coast guard came and later picked up injured people.”

One of the survivors, identified as Charlotte Emsley, 35, told the Italian news agency ANSA that she had momentarily lost hold of her 1-year-old daughter, Sofia, in the water but managed to retrieve her and hold her up over the waves until a lifeboat inflated and they were pulled to safety.

“I immediately hugged her again amid the fury of the waves. I held her tight, close to me, while the sea was stormy,” she said. “Many were screaming. Luckily, the lifeboat inflated, and 11 of us managed to get on it.”

The City Council of Bagheria said in a statement that a child of that age was being treated at a children’s hospital. It said that seven adults were taken to the emergency room but that “it seems that none are in serious conditions.” 

Lynch, 59, the missing tech entrepreneur, founded the enterprise software firm Autonomy and became the target of a protracted legal battle with Hewlett-Packard after the U.S. tech giant accused him of inflating the company’s value in an $11 billion sale. Extradited from Britain to the U.S. last year to stand trial, he was acquitted of fraud after a three-month trial.

Italy’s national fire department said in a statement that “divers, a motorboat and a helicopter” had been deployed to help with the search. The wreck was at a depth of around 165 feet, the statement said.  

Divers from the Sicilian city of Sassri and Naples, a city on the Italian mainland , were “arriving on site to search inside the sunken vessel,” it said. 

Built by Italian shipbuilder Perini in 2008, the U.K.-registered Bayesian has an aluminum hull and can carry 12 guests and a crew of up to 10, according to online specialist yacht sites. Online sites list the luxury vessel for charter for up to 195,000 euros (about $215,000) a week, the AP reported.

The boat left the Sicilian port of Milazzo on Wednesday and was last tracked east of Palermo on Sunday evening, with a navigation status of “at anchor,” according to the vessel tracking app Vesselfinder.

Fabio La Bianca, 40, took a picture of the boat at around 10 p.m. local time Sunday shortly after he closed his bar in nearby Santa Flavia. “Absurd tragedy tonight. I am lost for words,” he said Monday on Facebook.

Matteo Moschella is a London-based reporter for NBC News' Social Newsgathering team.

Henry Austin is a senior editor for NBC News Digital based in London.

Superyacht sinks latest: Fifth body found in search today - six people now confirmed dead

Five bodies have been found in the search for several people missing after a yacht sank off the Sicily coast, bringing the total number of dead to six. Search efforts are in their third day, after the captain was reportedly questioned by Italian prosecutors over the sinking.

Wednesday 21 August 2024 22:03, UK

• Superyacht sinking

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• Five bodies found in search for survivors, taking number of confirmed deaths in superyacht tragedy to six - with one person still missing
• Search ends for day as darkness falls
• Eyewitness: Onlookers wipe away tears as bodies hauled up
• Yacht's captain questioned for more than two hours - report
• Advanced underwater drone deployed
• Watch: CCTV captures yacht seconds before it sinks
• Explained: Inside the superyacht
• Live reporting by Mark Wyatt

We're pausing our coverage for tonight but here is a recap of what we know:

• Five bodies have been found in the wreckage of the sunken Bayesian;
• Four of the bodies have been retrieved and recovered to shore. Efforts to recover the fifth will resume tomorrow;
• One person is still unaccounted for;
• Divers employed the use of an upgraded remote-controlled underwater vehicle to help with the search;
• Emergency service staff and others involved in the search and rescue operations formed a "guard of honour" as bodies were brought ashore;
• The UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) confirmed it is investigating the sinking;
• The Bayesian's captain, James Cutfield, was questioned for more than two hours by Italian prosecutors;
• An investigation might result in changes to how masts are constructed, according to a professor of transport law;
• Two crew members who survived the disaster reportedly said it is a "miracle" they are still alive;
• Another crew member who survived the disaster was confirmed as Dutch national Tjis Koopmans.

It's been a busy day for search and rescue teams as they continued their quest to find people unaccounted for from the Bayesian's sinking.

Divers found five bodies, leaving just one person still unaccounted for when the search resumes tomorrow.

Below, we have a look at some images of the day as it unfolded:

Karsten Borner, the captain of a boat that came to the Bayesian's aide, has described the moment he came across the life raft containing survivors.

The 69-year-old told Sky News he had been busy trying to secure his own vessel when the violent storm hit when he noticed the Bayesian had disappeared behind him.

 "We saw a flickering light and it turned out to be the life raft, a 12-person life raft with 15 people inside including one baby," he said.

The people "stepped on" to his vessel, where he "took care of them". 

He added: "We gave them dry clothes, towels, blankets, tea and coffee and so on.

"I was busy talking to the coastguard to get them an ambulance and to send a message to search and rescue."

Those involved in the search and rescue operation looking for bodies should receive mental health support, an expert has told Sky News.

Divers have been working tirelessly since Monday morning to find the passengers unaccounted for following the sinking of the Bayesian.

Since then, six bodies have been found, with one person still missing.

"There's been a lot of focus on the physical risks involved with diving for the vessel," says Matthew Schanck, chair of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council.

"We've talked about debris and we've talked about the complex layout, but the lasting impacts on everybody involved is going to be on the mental health and we hope that the support is going to be there. 

"And I'm sure it will be for the emergency responders and also for the people who have survived and what is obviously been a very, very traumatic experience."

Searches have finished for the day and will resume tomorrow, the head of Sicily's civil protection agency has told the PA news agency.

Salvatore Cocina confirmed earlier that five bodies have been found today, but only four recovered.

One person remains missing.

A shipbuilding expert has said the Bayesian superyacht which sunk on Monday is among the "safest" available.

Giovanni Costantino is the chief executive of The Italian Sea Group, which now owns the firm that previously built the yacht.

He told Sky News this week's disaster off the coast of Sicily has put him "in a state of sadness on the one hand and of disbelief on the other".

He said: "Being the manufacturer of Perini [boats] I know very well how the boats have always been designed and built."

"The sailing ships, it is well known, are the safest in the most absolute sense," Mr Constantino added.

"First of all, because they have very little surface compared to a yacht facing the wind. Second, with the structure, the drift keel... they become unsinkable bodies."

The Bayesian sunk in the early hours of Monday morning off Palermo following a violent storm.

Investigators looking into the sinking of the Bayesian must work through evidence "methodically and meticulously", says the managing director of a maritime consulting group.

The UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has already confirmed it is investigating the incident. 

James Wilkes, a maritime investigator, told Sky News the investigation into the deaths of passengers will take time.

"The key thing for the investigators is to work methodically and meticulously through the evidence that they are able to get and make sure they're not missing something or not over interpreting something," he said.

Five bodies have been found today, bringing the number of confirmed deaths to six.

"They'll want to expedite it because if bodies are being recovered of British nationals, then it is very likely that an inquest will be opened into their deaths in the UK," added Mr Wilkes.

"There is no benefit to anybody rushing it. We need to arrive at the right conclusions with as little supposition and ambiguity as possible so that we actually make yachts safer in the future and actually understand what happened in detail."

Search and rescue teams have been working hard since Monday morning to find those unaccounted after the sinking of the Bayesian.

Specialists divers and experts have been called in, with coastguard helicopters and underwater remotely operated vehicles deployed to help.

Sky News correspondent Laura Bundock has been taking a closer look at the how the recovery operation unfolded...

A fifth body has been found today in the search for survivors of the sunken superyacht

The head of Sicily's civil protection agency Salvatore Cocina said four bodies have been recovered and that efforts to bring a fifth to shore are "ongoing". 

It brings the number of confirmed deaths to six, after the body of the yacht's on-board chef was recovered shortly after the incident on Monday.

By  Ashna Hurynag , news correspondent

The crowd on the harbourside has been growing since lunchtime. 

News that cave divers from Naples and Rome had joined the search came with more attention and interest. 

The search had entered its third day, and conservations were turning to fear about a lack of oxygen for those on board the sunken yacht. 

Radios were heard crackling across the water where a makeshift temporary search and rescue "centre" has been constructed. 

The white coastguard vessel and the search and rescue cream and red boat were coming in from the search site. 

As they docked, two divers dressed in orange wetsuits on the back of the boat lifted the first body bag.

The sight causing the crowd opposite to fall silent. The poignancy of the sombre moment bringing some watching on to tears.

Some looked away, whilst others filmed on their phones. 

The moment many had feared was unfolding before their eyes as the rescue mission only minutes ago quickly turned to recovery. 

The crowd watched on as another body was brought ashore too. 

A spontaneous guard of honour seemed to form as each body was brought to the harbourside - police officers, firefighters and search and rescue officials side by side, some with bowed heads - a moment of silence and respect. 

After hours of searching, this operation is coming to a close.

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Update: representative of 105m Lady Moura releases statement following collision with Steve Jobs' yacht

A representative for the owner of the 104.6-metre Lady Moura has released a statement explaining the events that led to the collision between the yacht and the 78.2-metre Feadship superyacht Venus last month (22 July).

The statement read: " Lady Moura anchored in the Bay of Naples at a depth of 40 metres with seven shackles of chain deployed, which is the minimum required for safe anchoring under the given conditions. Several hours later, Venus arrived at the anchorage and seemingly misjudged the length of the chain that Lady Moura had in the water."

The statement continued: "Subsequently, a violent squall with winds of 50-55 knots from an unexpected direction – different from the prevailing forecasts – caused the impact. Despite numerous efforts by Lady Moura 's crew to alert the Venus ’ crew by blowing the whistle and hailing on the radio, it appears that the bridge of the Venus was unmanned. Neither vessel dragged anchor."

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Katia Damborsky (@theyachtwriter)

It then concluded that damages to both yachts were minimal and cosmetic and that the situation was "amicably and professionally" resolved.

This follows an update provided by a "source close to the matter" last week (7 August) which confirmed that a sudden change of wind led to the collision. It added that "the wind changed very suddenly, picking up from a breeze to 55 knots over the course of a few minutes. Neither boat dragged anchor, though the other boat [ Lady Moura ] was on a chain double the length expected in the depth of water they were in."

Footage of the incident taken by Ricardo Salinas - Mexican businessman and Lady Moura 's owner – shows the incident take place. The video was released by Salinas on 7 August.

In the video's caption, Salinas has claimed that the crew of Venus were at fault, saying in Spanish: "I would like to know what the captain and crew were doing that they didn't see a yacht the size of mine in front of me. Good thing nothing but a scratch happened, but it's a big scratch that's going to [cost] a lot to fix."

Lady Moura was launched in 1990 and sold most recently in 2021, with a last known asking price of $125,000,000.

Venus was commissioned by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, though he never had the chance to see the yacht completed before his untimely death in 2011. She was delivered to widow Laurene Powell Jobs in 2012 and has been used privately ever since. 

BOAT International will update the story as it develops.

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Luxury Yacht Sinks After Being Hit by Tornado Off Coast of Italy: Report

O ne person has died and six others are missing after a luxury yacht was struck by a freak tornado off the coast of Sicily at dawn on Monday.

Two Americans, four Britons, including tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, and a Canadian were initially unaccounted for following the tragedy, which occurred between 4:30 a.m. and 5 a.m. local time, according to Italian media reports.

The 160-foot yacht , Bayesian , sank off the coast of Palermo with 22 on board, including ten crew and 12 tourists, said Italian news agency ANSA . Tourists from New Zealand, France and Sri Lanka are also believed to be among the passengers.

The body of a man, the only personconfirmed dead, was retrieved next to the sunken yacht on Monday, ANSA reported. Palermo's coastguard identified him later that evening as the ship's cook. He has not been formally identified.

British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch was among those missing, and his wife, Angela Bacares, was among the 15 rescued, Reuters and PA news reported.

Raised in the U.K. county of Essex, Lynch created tech company Autonomy in 1996 and sold it for $11 billion to Hewlett-Packard in 2011. A year later, the U.S. company took an $8.8 billion writedown in the firm's value after discovering "serious accounting improprieties" at Autonomy and accused Lynch of perpetrating a $5 billion fraud. Earlier this year, Lynch was cleared of all fraud charges in the HP trial.

The tornado struck off Porticello, about 12 miles from the city of Palermo. Witnesses told ANSA that the $18 million yacht was still near the Porticello harbor with the sail down when a violent storm hit the area and engulfed the sailing boat.

The boat sank and the wreck is now over 164 feet deep at the bottom of the sea, reported Italian news media, including ANSA and Il Post .

Fifteen have so far been rescued and taken to hospitals in the Sicilian city, including a one-year-old child who was taken to Palermo's children's hospital.

The 35-year-old British mother of the one-year old child told ANSA: "For two seconds I lost my daughter in the sea." She was able to find her again, and kept her safe during the storm: "I held her tightly, close to me, while the sea was in a tempest. Many people screamed. Luckily the lifeboat inflated and 11 of us were able to get on board," she said.

Crew members and passengers were first rescued by a nearby sailing boat, the Sir Robert BP, and later by the Italian Coast Guard, according to the Il Post .

Rescue operations continue in the area with the involvement of four vessels and a helicopter from the Italian Coast Guard, as well as professional divers.

Authorities suspect that some of the missing people may have been in their cabins when the yacht was struck by the freak tornado and might have been trapped there.

A video shared on social media by Italian authorities shows the Coast Guard's vessels during rescue operations after the incident. The sea appears relatively calm after the sudden storm earlier this morning.

Another clip shared on X shows a helicopter flying over the area and divers trying to reach the wreck.

The yacht, Bayesian , was built in 2008 and refitted in 2020 by Italy's Perini Navi. It had the world's second tallest mast and largest aluminum mast at 246 feet.

Sicilian news channel TRM Web Sicilia reported that the yacht ran luxury cruises across the Mediterranean Sea. The Bayesian had left the harbor in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, before passing the Strait of Gibraltar. The last destination before reaching the Porticello harbor had been Milazzo, another town in Sicily.

Update, 8/19/24 7:20 a.m. ET: This breaking news article was updated to offer more details on the incident.

Update, 8/19/24 10:30 a.m. ET: This article was updated to add that Mike Lynch is among those missing.

Correction: 8/20/24, 7:25 a.m. ET: The person confirmed dead was a crew member, not a passenger as previously stated.

Update: 8/20/24, 7:25 a.m. ET: More details have been added about the person confirmed dead.

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Yacht that sank off Sicily was carrying people celebrating tech magnate's acquittal; 6 missing

Police divers resumed searching Tuesday for six people believed trapped in the hull of a superyacht that sank in deep seas off Sicily, including a British tech magnate who was celebrating his recent acquittal on fraud charges with the people who had defended him at trial.

The resting place of their sailboat is some 50 meters (164 feet) underwater off Porticello — a depth that required special precautions that complicated the work: Recovery crews said they were working in 12-minute shifts, a measure that slowed down their efforts to reach the cramped inside of the wreck.

The Bayesian, a 184-foot British-flagged yacht, was moored about a half-mile offshore when a storm rolled in before 4 a.m. Monday. Civil protection officials said they believed the ship was struck by a tornado over the water, known as a waterspout, and sank quickly.

Grainy film from closed-circuit cameras from shore, broadcast on the website of the Giornale di Sicilia, showed the majestic, illuminated 246-foot mast of the Bayesian weathering the storm and then disappearing over the course of a minute.

Fifteen of the 22 people aboard survived, including a mother who reported holding her 1-year-old baby over the waves to save her. One body has been recovered, identified by officials as the Antiguan-born on-board chef. The rest of the 10-person crew survived, including the captain whom prosecutors reportedly sought to interview.

“It's a great, great tragedy,” said Britain's ambassador to Italy, Edward Llewellyn, who visited Porticello on Tuesday. Britain sent four investigators to the scene, given the disaster involved a British-flagged ship and British citizens were among the missing.

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Fire rescue officials have said the six other passengers will be considered missing until they are located in the wreckage. They include the tycoon Mike Lynch, who was once hailed as Britain’s king of technology and was cleared in June of fraud and conspiracy charges in a U.S. federal trial related to Hewlett Packard’s $11 billion takeover of his company, Autonomy Corp.

Also unaccounted for are Christopher Morvillo, one of Lynch’s lawyers, and Jonathan Bloomer, a chairman at Morgan Stanley International and the former head of the Autonomy audit committee who testified in Lynch’s defense.

Karsten Borner, the captain of the Sir Robert Baden Powell, which rescued the 15 survivors who managed to get into a lifeboat, said he was close enough to be able to see the Bayesian as the storm came in.

“A moment later, she was gone,” he said. “They said they went flat on the water and were sunk in two minutes," Borner added, quoting the survivors.

The rotating search teams, each made up of two specialized cave divers, worked Tuesday to open up access points to get inside the wreck, which lies at a depth far beyond what most recreational divers are certified to reach. They were using a remote-controlled underwater vehicle, or ROV, to help in the search.

The divers have not yet been able to access the below-deck cabins because they were blocked by furniture that had shifted during the violent storm. Rescue crews said they assume the missing six are in those cabins because the storm struck when most would be sleeping, but the teams haven't verified their presence there through portholes.

Luca Cari, a spokesman for the rescue teams, said the search was proceeding much more slowly than another big shipwreck in Italy, the 2012 Costa Concordia cruise ship that flipped on its side off Tuscany's coast, because of the depth of the wreck and the limited space divers have to maneuver.

“That was much simpler. Here everything is more tight," he said.

The outing was intended at least in part as a celebration of Lynch's acquittal and a “looking forward to what was coming next,” said Reid Weingarten, a Washington attorney and a member of Lynch’s defense team who was not on the yacht.

“A lot of people went, a lot of people were planning to go and then of course this happened,” Weingarten said.

Some of the people who stood by Lynch throughout the ordeal were on board, including Morvillo, the lawyer, who Weingarten worked with and said “was like a brother.”

Morvillo's wife, Neda, is also missing, according to his law firm Clifford Chance.

Aki Hussain, CEO of international insurer Hiscox Group, where Bloomer, the witness, was chairman, said the company was "deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic event."

"Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular our Chair, Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife Judy, who are among the missing, and with their family as they await further news from this terrible situation,” he added.

Charlotte Golunski, who survived the disaster, said she momentarily lost hold of her 1-year-old daughter Sofia in the water, but then managed to hold her up over the waves until a lifeboat inflated and they were both pulled to safety, Italian news agency ANSA reported.

The father, identified by ANSA as James Emslie, also survived, as did Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares. Hannah Lynch, reportedly the couple’s 18-year-old daughter, is among the missing.

The yacht’s registered owner is listed as Revtom Ltd., according to online maritime database Equasis. Bacares is listed as Revtom’s sole owner, according to corporate registration documents from the Isle of Man.

Its name, Bayesian, may be a reference to “Bayesian Inference,” one of the two main approaches to statistical machine learning and the one that was used by Lynch’s company.

RELATED STORY | NOAA expects 'extraordinary' 2024 Atlantic hurricane season

The yacht, built in 2008 by the Italian firm Perini Navi, was carrying 12 passengers and 10 crew. According to online charter companies, it had been available for charter for about $215,000 a week and was notable for its massive 246-foot-tall aluminum mast, one of the tallest in the world.

The coast guard said to date there was no trace of fuel leaks from the wreckage.

In an unrelated event, Lynch's co-defendant in the Autonomy trial who was also cleared, Stephen Chamberlain, was killed Sunday when he was hit by a car while running in Cambridgeshire, England, said Chamberlain's lawyer, Gary Lincenberg.

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Enormous MSC Cruise Ship Crashes Into Crowded Venice Port, Injuring at Least Five

By Caleb Jacobs

Posted on Jun 3, 2019 11:35 AM EDT

A commercial cruise ship suffered a catastrophic engine failure off the coast of Venice, Italy on Sunday, leaving it uncontrollable as it headed toward a nearby dock. With no effective way of steering the vessel, it resultantly crashed into the harbor—a hotspot for tourists—injuring five people, according to the Associated Press.

The news has made headlines worldwide with videos of the incident also being posted online, showing the situation from a firsthand perspective:

Operated by MSC, the Opera cruise ship was built to hold more than 2,675 passengers and, in this instance, it was carrying travelers back to Venice after visiting Kotor, Montenegro as well as the Greek cities of Mykonos, Santorini, and Corfu. Two nearby tugboats worked to guide the ship away from the dock after the captain immediately reported the engine failure but failed.

As can be heard in the videos, those aboard the ship and on shore were left wondering aloud what might come of the shipwreck. 

While there are obvious and immediate effects that come with a crash of this magnitude, Italian activists are using the episode to make a political point. Recently, there’s been a swing of protest regarding Venice’s acceptance of cruise ships that, due to their size , block narrow waterways and obstruct tourist views. This was not lost on Twitter after Sunday’s happenings as Italy’s environment minister Sergio Costa posted:

“What happened in the port of Venice is confirmation of what we have been saying for some time. Cruise ships must not sail down the Giudecca. We have been working on moving them for months now … and are nearing a solution.”

Quello che è successo nel porto di #Venezia è la conferma di quello che diciamo da tempo: le #GrandiNavi non devono passare dalla Giudecca. Per questo da mesi insieme ai ministri @DaniloToninelli e @BonisoliAlberto stiamo lavorando per spostarle e siamo vicini alla soluzione — Sergio Costa (@SergioCosta_Gen) June 2, 2019

A politician with the Italian Left party, Nicola Fratoianni, even went as far as to call cruise ships “steel monsters” which “risk carnage” in the seaside town.

Curioso quel Paese che blocca navi che salvano vite e permette a grandi navi di attraversare #Venezia … Situazione intollerabile. Interrogazione in Parlamento, e subito blocco passaggio navi da crociera dal canale della Giudecca #NoGrandiNaviVenezia https://t.co/eff5oAC3hj — nicola fratoianni (@NFratoianni) June 2, 2019

An MSC spokesperson explained to NPR   that the cruise ship is now being moored at the Marittima terminal and has begun passenger operations.

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Cruise ship rams into tourist boat, dock in Venice leaving several injured

Cruise ship hits boat in Venice, injuries reported

The cruise ship owner said that there was a mechanical problem when trying to dock.

Several people were injured in Italy after a towering, out-of-control cruise ship crashed into a tourist river boat and dock Sunday morning in Venice as tourists ran in panic as a ship's horn blared.

The collision happened around 8:30 a.m. on the Giudecca Canal, a major thoroughfare that leads to the city's famous Saint Mark's Square.

The northeastern Italian city is a tremendously popular site for both tourists and cruise ships, especially during the summer tourist season.

UKRAINIAN CAPTAIN ARRESTED IN FATAL BOAT CRASH THAT LEFT 7 DEAD, 21 MISSING: POLICE

Videos of the crash posted to Twitter show the cruise ship blaring its horn as it rammed into the much smaller river boat as dozens of people ran away in panic.

Some people can also be seen jumping and falling from the river boat as it is hit by the cruise ship that was apparently unable to halt its momentum.

Medical authorities said that four female tourists — an American, a New Zealander and two Australians between the ages of 67 and 72 — were injured falling or trying to run away when the cruise ship rammed into the tourist boat, the River Countess.

Elisabetta Pasqualin told the Associated Press she was watering plants on her terrace when she heard warning sirens and stepped out to see the ship "advancing slowly but inevitably towards the dock."

"There was this huge ship in a diagonal position in the Giudecca Canal, with a tugboat near which seemed like it couldn't do anything," she said.

The MSC Opera cruise liner stand by a tourist boat following a collision in Venice, Italy, Sunday, June 2, 2019. (Vigili del Fuoco via AP)

Pasqualin said the bow of the ship crashed hard into the bank with its massive weight crushing a big piece of it.

"Sirens were wailing loudly; it was a very dramatic scene," she said.

The cruise ship's owner, MSC Cruises, said the ship, the MSC Opera, was about to dock at a passenger terminal in Venice when it had a mechanical problem. Two towboats guiding the cruise ship into Venice tried to stop the massive cruise ship, but they were unable to prevent it from ramming into the river boat.

"The two towboats tried to stop the giant and then a tow cable broke, cut by the collision with the river boat," Davide Calderan, president of a towboat association in Venice, told the Italian news agency ANSA . Calderan added the cruise ship's engine was locked when the captain called for help.

SIGHTSEEING BOAT SINKS IN BUDAPEST'S DANUBE RIVER; AT LEAST 7 CONFIRMED DEAD

The cruise ship was built in 2004 and has a capacity of 2,150 passengers and weighs 65,591 tons, according to Sky News .

In this photo released by the Italian Firefighters, the MSC Opera cruise liner, a towering cruise ship, strikes a tourist river boat, left, Sunday, June 2, 2019, in Venice, Italy, injuring at least five people. (Vigili del Fuoco via AP)

According to its sailing schedule, the cruise ship left Venice on May 26 and traveled to Kotor, Montenegro, and Mykonos, Santorini and Corfu in Greece before returning Sunday to Venice.

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Following the accident, calls for banning cruise ships in Venice, long a source of contention in the over-extended tourist city, were renewed. Danilo Toninelli, Italy's transport minister, said that "today's accident in the port of Venice proves that cruise ships shouldn't be allowed to pass down the Giudecca anymore."

Toninelli added, "After many years of inertia, we are finally close to a solution to protect both the lagoon and tourism."

The incident also came days after a cruise liner collided with a pleasure boat on the Danube in Budapest, killing 7 people and leaving 21 missing and presumed dead, according to Reuters .

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Princess Cruises ship that crashed into San Francisco pier cleared for departure

New passengers had until 11 a.m. PT to decide whether to continue to Alaska.

The Ruby Princess cruise ship that was damaged after it crashed into a pier in San Francisco is expected to set sail on Sunday afternoon after it was cleared for departure.

The U.S. Coast Guard announced early Sunday morning that repairs on the ship, which startled sleeping San Francisco residents Thursday morning when it collided with Pier 27, are complete.

MORE: Cruise ship still docked in San Francisco after hitting pier

The Coast Guard lifted the Captain of the Port order at 1 a.m. PT Sunday.

The ship was scheduled to depart at 2:30 p.m. PT., Princess Cruises said in a statement.

New passengers who boarded the ship after the accident had until 11 a.m. PT on Sunday to decide whether to continue to the next port or disembark and end their trip. A total of 2677 guests and 1161 crew were expected to be on board when the ship departs -- down from the more than 3,000 guests who initially boarded, according to Princess Cruises.

MORE: Out-of-control cruise ship crashes into tourist boat on busy Venice canal

Originally a 10-day cruise, the trip has been whittled down to seven days and will return on July 16 as originally planned after stops in Ketchikan, Alaska, on July 12 and Prince Rupert, British Columbia, on July 13, according to Princess Cruises.

Guests who boarded Thursday were given the option to cancel their trip and receive a 100% refund on their cruise fare, post-cruise hotel packages and transfers booked through Princess, prepaid shore excursions and other prepaid items and taxes, fees and port expenses, according to the cruise line.

They were also offered a 50% voucher for a future cruise. Guests who did decide to stay aboard and embark on the shorter journey to Alaska will receive a partial refund of 75%.

MORE: USS McCain the 4th Navy warship to crash in Asia in 2017

The ship was returning from a 10-day cruise to Alaska when it slammed into San Francisco's Pier 27, a large dock on the waterfront of The Embarcadero that hosts cruise ships leaving and arriving in San Francisco Bay.

There were 3,328 guests and 1,159 crew members on board when it crashed, none of whom were injured and all safely disembarked, according to Princess Cruises.

While the ship was visibly damaged, the dock took the brunt of the crash, witnesses said.

The Coast Guard is investigating the incident, according to police.

ABC News' Nicholas Kerr and Ivan Pereira contributed to this report.

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Giant cruise ships dominate tiny Cornish town – and this is what locals have to say about it

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On Saturday an enormous 58,000 tonne cruise ship sailed into the small Cornish port town of Fowey

The Nicko Cruises ship, which dwarfed the tiny yachts moored in the same harbour, brought with it 1,258 mostly German passengers, more than half the town’s population of 2,315.

It’s one of around 15 cruise ships a year that visit Fowey, pronounced Foy as in Joy, and according to reports last year locals weren’t happy about it.

There were apparently complaints about the boats being an ‘eyesore’ and bad for the environment, but a number of people have since posted on social media to say those living and working in the town actually love the ships and that they don’t pollute the harbour.

The Metro spoke to a number of residents and business owners this week, and it does appear the ships are very much welcomed.

Retired business owner Gary Barr, who move to the town six years ago with his wife Kay, is a big fan.

He said: ‘We think the ships are brill. They bring a bit of theatre to the town and some of them are really beautiful.

The 60-year-old said the boats are also a great source of income for local businesses.

‘At a time when so many businesses on the high street are closing, this helps keeps our shops, bars and restaurants open, which for locals is only a good thing,’ he told us.

Gary, a passionate sailor, hasn’t heard anyone from the area speak negatively about the ships.

‘The only negative stuff I’ve heard is from people who don’t live here. Basically keyboard warriors,’ he added.

‘I don’t think they realise the harbour has a long history of welcoming cargo ships. This is just a different type of cargo.’

Caroline Cooper, who has lived in the town for three years and opened clothing and homeware store ‘Shop @ Number 3’ two months ago, also speaks fondly of the ships.

‘I think we’re very lucky we can accommodate something so special,’ she said.

‘We become an advertisement for Cornwall and even the UK and we’re proud of that. And it creates such a buzz in the town.

‘I haven’t heard anyone here say anything bad about it. I spoke to a couple of other shop owners about the ships recently and they were also very positive.

Caroline even shared a video of Saturday’s cruise ship, a Portuguese vessel named Vasco da Gama, on her shop’s Instagram page and wrote: ‘My commute to work this morning. Some places get coaches. We get ships.’

Meanwhile, a Fowey pub and restaurant owner, who preferred not to be named, said she’d never heard of any locals or guests having an issue with the boats.

She added: ‘The guests say how wonderful it is. And we think it’s lovely too. If we hear the hooter we’ll run into dining room to see the ship come in.’

Captain Paul Thomas has been Fowey’s harbour master for the past 12 years and will board the cruise ships and pilot them in and out of the harbour.

‘I basically stand beside the captain and guide them,’ he explained. ‘I know the currents and depths well so can make sure it’s all done safely.’

Paul said last year’s criticisms of the cruise ships came from outsiders not locals.

‘Ships are part of this town’s DNA, there’s been a port here for 150 years and many people have families who have worked with them.

‘So for them cruise ships aren’t a problem. Everyone got really cross when the stories came out saying locals were angry about the ships as that’s not how they feel.

‘Someone actually did a survey on a local Facebook group at the time asking if people were for or against the ships and of those who responded 97% were for.’

He said there is real affection for the boats and people will often line the streets waving at them when they arrive.

‘It’s a bit of an event,’ he explained.

Like Gary, Paul believes the ships – which usually stay one night – are great for local businesses.

‘I was talking to a lady who runs a gallery here and she said she had lots of people from Saturday’s cruise ship spending money,’ he said.

Asked if the ships have a detrimental effect on the environment, Paul replied: ‘The environment is very important to us and we have policies to make sure ships don’t pollute.

‘The cruise ships have systems that prevent emissions from contaminating the water and, contrary to myth, pumping sewage from the boats into the sea is not allowed.’

He said there had never been complaints about the sound of the ship’s whistle.

‘In fact if I’m piloting a ship and don’t blow the whistle locals tell me off! They like hearing it.’

Last week it was announced Fowey Harbour has been shortlisted in the ‘Destination of the Year’ category of the international Seatrade Cruise Awards 2024

‘We’re very honoured! Fowey is up against places like Dubai and Ontario so it’s a big deal for us,’ said Paul.

He hopes the town can increase the number of visiting cruise ships to around 20 a year, but doesn’t want the number to go much higher than that.

‘It’s important to keep a balance. And if we have too many it won’t feel special anymore.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected] .

For more stories like this, check our news page .

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Cruise Ship, Fishing Boat Collide Near Nantucket

The u.s. coast guard said the norwegian pearl came into contact with the gabby g, a fishing vessel, off the coast of nantucket early saturday morning, by jake levin and kaitlin mckinley becker • published july 31, 2022 • updated on august 1, 2022 at 1:03 am.

A cruise ship bound for Bermuda was delayed after striking a fishing vessel off the coast of Nantucket on Saturday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Departing from Boston, the Norwegian Pearl came into contact with a fishing boat, the Gabby G, around 2:30 a.m. Saturday, according to Coast Guard officials.

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A spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Line confirmed in a statement to NBC10 Boston that a "small unidentified fishing vessel made contact with Norwegian Pearl while she was sailing to Bermuda."

The Norwegian Pearl was "thoroughly assessed" and given clearance by the Coast Guard to continue on her seven-day voyage as planned, the spokesperson said.

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The Gabby G, however, reported some damages to the bow and was towed to New Bedford, arriving around 5:30 p.m. Saturday, the cruise line spokesperson and Coast Guard officials said.

A picture of the fishing vessel docked following the incident appears to show some of that damage.

According to officials, one minor injury was reported aboard the Gabby G, a cut that was treated on the boat. No injuries were reported aboard the cruise ship.

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An NBC10 Boston and NECN employee who is on board the Norwegian Pearl said the fishing vessel struck just below his cabin.

"There was a huge thump that woke us and then the shipped rolled drastically in a couple of directions," Jim Warner wrote in an email to the station. "The fog was incredibly thick and visibility was 0. It happened at 1:30am and we were under way again by 4:30am."

Warner, who noted the only casualty was a little bit less sleep for everyone, shared pictures of the ship's tender in the water investigating around 3 a.m.

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Ship hit by suspected Houthi missiles in Red Sea, leaving vessel "not under command," U.K. military says

Updated on: August 21, 2024 / 10:31 AM EDT / CBS/AP

Dubai, United Arab Emirates —  A commercial ship traveling through the Red Sea came under repeated attack Wednesday, leaving the vessel "not under command" in an assault suspected to have been carried out by Yemen's Houthi rebels , the British military said. There were few details about the attack, but it appeared to be the latest in the Houthis' monthslong campaign targeting commercial and military ships in what the group has said is a response to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

The attack saw men on small boats first open fire with small arms, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. The ship also was hit by three projectiles, it added.

"The vessel reports being not under command," the UKMTO said, likely meaning it lost all power. "No casualties reported."

UKMTO did not identify the vessel, but Greek Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy told CBS News Confirmed it was the Greek-flagged tanker "SOUNION", which was carrying 25 crew members. They said it was attacked about 72 nautical miles west of Hodeida and that all crew members were reportedly in good health. The ministry confirmed damage to the vessel from the attack and said it remained where it had been struck, adding that it had beenen route from Iraq to Greece.

The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack, though it can take them hours or even days to acknowledge their assaults.

Thus far the group has sunk two ships, most recently a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier called the Tutor that went down in June. Nobody was killed in that attack, but the sinking vessel is believed to have severed several undersea communications cables.

The first ship sunk by a Houthi attack was a British-owned vessel  struck by a missile in early March . U.S. officials said a Houthi missile attack on  another commercial ship , in the Gulf of Aden, also in March, killed at least three people and injured four others.

The attacks have drawn a coordinated military response from the U.S. and Britain, which have bombed Houthi infrastructure in Yemen for months and shot down dozens of Houthi-launched drones and missiles, but failed to stem the attacks in the vital shipping lanes of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The Houthis call the attacks a direct response to the Israel-Hamas war. The Yemeni rebels are backed by Iran, like Hamas. The U.S.  accused Iran  in December of being "deeply involved" in the attacks on ships in the Red Sea. Officials in Tehran reject any culpability, insisting the Houthis and other groups that operate across the region with Iran's support – often referred to as proxies - plan and act independently.

In July the Houthis declared a "new phase" in their operations with a first drone attack on Israel . One man was killed as explosive-laden drones slammed into Tel Aviv in an unprecedented attack by the group.

Israel quickly struck back with strikes targeting Houthi-held energy infrastructure in the port city of Hodeida.

CBS News Confirmed verification producer Joanne Stocker contributed to this report.

• Houthi Movement
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Damage from ice is 'extraordinarily rare': What happens after a cruise ship hits an iceberg

A Norwegian Cruise Line ship that hit a small iceberg last month will return to service this week, the cruise line said Monday.

The vessel "made contact with ice" while on its way to Hubbard Glacier in Alaska on June 25, resulting in multiple trip cancellations, though there were no injuries, a spokesperson for the cruise line told USA TODAY by email Monday. The ship will sail again Thursday.

The incident may raise questions about what exactly occurs  after a ship hits an iceberg. But Ross Klein, a cruise industry expert and a professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland, told USA TODAY that it "really depends on where the iceberg hits the ship and what kind of damage it may have done."

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What happens after a cruise ship hits an iceberg?

Norwegian made several itinerary changes for the Sun after it hit the iceberg.

"The ship sailed to Juneau, Alaska for further assessment, where it was decided that the current voyage would be shortened, and the cruise scheduled to embark on June 30, 2022, would be canceled, so that the necessary repairs can be made," the Norwegian spokesperson said. The cruise line also canceled a voyage that was set to embark July 5.

"We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and are communicating with all impacted guests directly," the spokesperson added.

Klein said those kinds of itinerary changes are to be expected when there is damage to a ship. He said that if the ice damages the ship's propulsion system, that "creates a larger problem than a dent in the side."

Klein added that the speed a ship is going plays a role in what kind of damage it sustains. When a ship has been damaged, he said, the U.S. Coast Guard must also inspect and clear it.

Where are cruise ships repaired?

After a ship hits an iceberg, Klein said, where the cruise line takes it for repairs depends in part on where it is sailing.

Victoria, British Columbia, for instance, has a shipyard dry dock frequently used by cruise lines, he said: "They're located (in) different places, and part of it depends on whether there's space available, but then the other part is related to its proximity to where the ship is."

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How often do cruise ships hit icebergs?

While ships might regularly make contact with ice, it's unusual for it to be an issue. Stewart Chiron, a cruise industry expert known as The Cruise Guy,  told USA TODAY last month that the incident was "extraordinarily rare," as cruise ships are extremely careful to avoid icebergs.

Chiron said it's common for ice to fall from glaciers and float in the water, but that it is unusual for a cruise line to change its itinerary after making contact with those pieces.

 "Sometimes, they bump them, and you know, no big deal," Chiron said.

Klein echoed that.

"I think it's not uncommon for ships to interact with ice," he said. "What's unusual is for the ship to actually be physically damaged by the ice."

But, he said, given the infrequency of these events, passengers looking to take a cruise should not worry.