ROME – Efforts to retrieve a sunken superyacht off the Sicilian coast came to a pause on Saturday after a tragic incident led to the death of an expert diver involved in the underwater operation. The company responsible for the mission announced this temporary suspension.
Last August, a fierce storm took the lives of U.K. tech mogul Mike Lynch, his daughter, and five others aboard their yacht. Ever since, the luxurious vessel has been resting at a depth of 49 meters (160 feet) under the sea.
TMC Marine, a British company, indicated in a communication that ceasing the salvage operation was “necessary for the investigations to be completed” and to give those involved a chance to grieve for the respected diver who lost his life on Friday.
The Palermo Port Authority, charged with overseeing the inquiry, chose not to disclose specifics about the diver’s death. Meanwhile, Marcus Cave, a director at TMC Marine and leading authority in naval architecture, confirmed their team’s collaboration with the authorities pursuing the investigation.
The site of the fatality has been secured by local prosecutors, as reported by nearby media sources. Initiated in early May, the salvage mission sought to recover the ship near the port of Porticello in Sicily, utilizing one of Europe’s most powerful maritime cranes.
Plans involved the removal of the yacht’s 75-meter (246-foot) aluminum mast—the world’s second-highest—facilitating the hull’s easier ascent to the surface. Originally, it was projected that the recovery efforts might span 20 to 25 days.
Measuring 56 meters (183 feet) and weighing 473 tons, the yacht succumbed unexpectedly to what appeared to be a thunderstorm-triggered downburst—a potent, swift wind upon impact with the surface. Current investigations are probing the roles of the captain and two crew members for accountability in the incident.
Among those who perished were Lynch, alongside his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International, his wife Judy, attorney Chris Morvillo and his spouse Neda, as well as the yacht’s cook, Recaldo Thomas.
The investigation is delving into how such a formidable sailing vessel, praised for its supposed unsinkability by Italian shipbuilders Perini Navi, could meet such a fate, especially when a nearby sailboat emerged largely unharmed.