In Milan, a salvage company anticipates the retrieval of the luxury yacht Bayesian from the seafloor off the coast of Sicily in late June. This announcement follows a recovery plan that has been approved by Italian maritime and investigative authorities, as reported by the TMC salvage company on Wednesday.
Recently, salvage teams have retrieved 17 fragments of debris suspected to be from the Bayesian from the ocean depths using a remote-operated submersible. These have been brought to shore at Termini Imerese as an integral part of ongoing investigations.
The British-flagged superyacht, which sank in August, resulted in the tragic loss of seven lives, including U.K. tech magnate Mike Lynch and his daughter.
In anticipation of hoisting the 56-meter, 473-ton yacht to the surface, the removal of its 72-meter mast will first take place using precision equipment. Subsequently, the yacht will be aligned upright and cautiously raised above water with eight robust steel lifting strops positioned beneath its hull. This operation is projected to extend over several days.
The marine salvage operation, starting in early May, aims to recover the superyacht, which rests at a depth of approximately 49 meters. A temporary halt occurred following a tragic incident resulting in a diver’s demise. A revised recovery plan received official approval earlier this week.
Marcus Cave, a director at TMC Marine, expressed optimism about the significant progress anticipated in safely recovering the Bayesian while ensuring the utmost safety in this intricate operation.
In a provisional report issued last month by British investigators, findings indicated the yacht capsized due to “extreme wind” conditions from which it couldn’t rebound. The Bayesian had anchored at the site as a refuge against anticipated thunderstorms. During the sinking at 4:06 a.m. on August 19, wind speeds surpassed 70 knots, forcibly tilting the vessel to a stark 90-degree angle almost instantaneously.
A comprehensive criminal investigation is being conducted by Italian authorities.
Among the casualties were 59-year-old billionaire entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah. The ill-fated voyage was intended as a celebration of Lynch’s recent acquittal from a fraud case in the United States. Meanwhile, fifteen individuals survived the calamitous event.