who owns super yacht sibelle

Divers recover 5 bodies from wrecked superyacht off Sicily; 1 still missing

Divers searching the wreck of a superyacht that sank off Sicily have found five bodies and searched for a sixth as questions intensified about why the sailboat sank so quickly

PORTICELLO, Sicily -- Divers searching the wreck of a superyacht that sank off Sicily found the bodies of five passengers Wednesday, leaving one still missing as questions intensified about why the vessel sank so quickly when a nearby sailboat remained largely unscathed.

Rescue crews brought four body bags ashore at Porticello. Salvatore Cocina, head of the Sicily civil protection agency, said a fifth body had been located. Divers on-scene said they would try to recover it on Thursday while continuing the search for the sixth.

The discovery made clear the operation to search the hull on the seabed 50 meters (164 feet) underwater had quickly turned into a recovery one, not a rescue, given the amount of time that had passed and with no signs of life over three days of searching.

The Bayesian, a 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged yacht, went down in a storm early Monday as it was moored about a kilometer (a half-mile) offshore. Civil protection officials said they believed the ship was struck by a tornado over the water, known as a waterspout.

Fifteen people escaped in a lifeboat and were rescued by a nearby sailboat. The body of the ship's chef, Recaldo Thomas of Antigua, was recovered Monday.

Thomas was born in Canada, according to his cousin David Isaac, but visited his parents’ homeland of Antigua as a child, and moved permanently to the tiny eastern Caribbean island in his early 20s. Italian officials previously listed Antigua and Canada as the nationality of people on board.

The fate of six missing passengers had driven the search effort, including British tech magnate Mike Lynch , his 18-year-old daughter and associates who had successfully defended him in a recent U.S. federal fraud trial.

Lynch’s spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Termini Imerese Public Prosecutor’s Office investigators were acquiring evidence for their criminal investigation, which they opened immediately after the tragedy despite no formal suspects having been publicly identified.

Questions have abounded about what caused the superyacht, built in 2008 by Italian shipyard Perini Navi, to rapidly sink, when the nearby Sir Robert Baden Powell sailboat was largely spared and managed to rescue the survivors.

Giovanni Costantino, head of The Italian Sea Group, which owns the ship maker, blamed human error for the disaster, which he said took 16 minutes. “The ship sank because it took on water. From where, the investigators will say,” he told RAI state television after he met with prosecutors.

Costantino cited AIS ship tracking data which he said showed the Bayesian had taken on water for four minutes when a sudden gust of wind flipped it and it continued taking on water. The ship straightened up slightly and then went down, he said.

But was it merely the case of a freak waterspout that knocked the ship to its side and allowed water to pour in through open hatches? What was the position of the keel, which on a large sailboat like the Bayesian might have been retractable to allow it to enter shallower ports?

“There’s a lot of uncertainty as to whether it had a lifting keel and whether it might have been up,” said Jean-Baptiste Souppez, a fellow of the Royal Institute of Naval Architects and the editor of the Journal of Sailing Technology. “But if it had, then that would reduce the amount of stability that the vessel had, and therefore made it easier for it to roll over on its side,” he said in an interview.

The captain of the sailboat that rescued survivors said his craft sustained minimal damage — the frame of a sun awning broke — even with winds that he estimated reached 12 on the Beaufort wind scale, which is the highest hurricane-strength force on the scale.

He said he had remained anchored with his engines running to try to maintain the ship’s position as the forecast storm rolled in.

“Another possibility is to heave anchor before the storm and to run downwind at open sea,” Karsten Borner said in a text message. But he said that might not have been possible for the Bayesian, given its trademark 75-meter (246-foot) tall mast.

“If there was a stability problem, caused by the extremely tall mast, it would not have been better at open sea,” he said.

Yachts like the Bayesian are required to have watertight, sub-compartments that are specifically designed to prevent a rapid, catastrophic sinking even when some parts fill with water.

The underwater search continued in dangerous and time-consuming conditions. Because of the wreck’s depth, which requires special precautions, divers working in pairs could only spend about 12 minutes at a time searching, though reinforcements outfitted with special equipment to enable longer dives were on the wreck Wednesday.

In all, some 27 divers took rotations, including four who helped with recovery after the 2012 Costa Concordia disaster off Tuscany. They called the Porticello wreck a “little Concordia,” fire crews said in a statement.

The limited dive time was aimed in part at avoiding decompression sickness, also known as the “bends,” which can occur when divers stay underwater for long periods and ascend too quickly, allowing nitrogen gas dissolved in the blood to form bubbles.

“The longer you stay, the slower your ascent has to be,” said Simon Rogerson, the editor of SCUBA magazine. He said the tight turnaround time suggested the operation's managers were trying to limit the risks and recovery time after each dive.

“It sounds like they’re operating essentially on no decompression or very tight decompression, or they’re being extremely conservative,” he said.

Divers were also working with debris floating around them, limited visibility and air tanks on their backs.

“We are trying to advance in tight spaces, but any single thing slows us down,” said Luca Cari, spokesman for the fire rescue service. “An electric panel could set us back for five hours. These aren’t normal conditions. We’re at the limit of possibility.”

Winfield reported from Rome and Kirka from London. Associated Press journalists Trisha Thomas in Rome; Andrea Rosa in Porticello; and Anika Kentish in St. John’s, Antigua, contributed to this report.

This story has been corrected to reflect that Thomas was born in Canada, not Antigua.

Drone attacks exchanged between Moscow, Kyiv

Aug 21, 3:35 PM

Man goes missing while on vacation

Aug 20, 5:18 PM

Phil Donahue, former TV talk show host, dead at 88

Aug 19, 5:55 PM

Harris is starting to rebuild the Biden coalition

Aug 20, 11:46 AM

Airport conveyor belt cause of death revealed

Aug 9, 8:42 PM

ABC News Live

24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events

Who are the six missing in luxury yacht disaster off Sicily?

Medium Text

Rescue operations continue after a luxury yacht sank off Sicily

MIKE LYNCH AND DAUGHTER HANNAH

Jonathan bloomer and wife judy bloomer, christopher morvillo and wife neda morvillo.

Reporting by Catarina Demony; Additional reporting by Sachin Ravikumar, Andres Estebaran and Sam Tobin; Editing by Sharon Singleton

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab

Thomson Reuters

Catarina is a UK-based breaking news correspondent. She previously worked as a multimedia journalist in Portugal and Spain, where she covered everything from elections to natural disasters. Catarina has previous experience in TV and local journalism, co-founded a project telling the stories of Portuguese-speakers living in London, edited a youth-led news site and worked for several NGOs. She recently produced a documentary about transatlantic slavery and its legacies in today's society.

Australia to manufacture Kongsberg cruise missiles

Australia said it will jointly manufacture long-range Naval Strike Missiles and Joint Strike Missiles with Norway's Kongsberg Defence in the city of Newcastle on Australia's eastern coast, the only site outside of Norway.

The U.S. Department of Justice Building is pictured

The superyacht tragedy will likely spark legal drama

A deadly superyacht sinking off the coast of Italy during a storm will likely spark legal drama, experts said.
Maritime legal experts say lawsuits are likely, but negligence would need to be established.
"I would not be optimistic about the chances for any claims," one expert said.

The operator of the superyacht that sank during a violent storm off the coast of Italy this week is likely to face legal troubles over the deadly tragedy, according to maritime law experts.

But the success of any potential lawsuit is up for debate.

Three maritime legal experts told Business Insider that the operator and owner behind the now-sunken luxury sailing yacht called the Bayesian should lawyer up in anticipation of possible claims from families of the dead or the survivors themselves.

"There's always the possibility of claims when there's a casualty," said Martin Davies, the director of the Maritime Law Center at Tulane University School of Law in Louisiana. But based on what is currently known about the incident, Davies said it is "unlikely that any claims would succeed."

Michael Sturley, an expert in maritime law and professor at the University of Texas at Austin's School of Law, agreed. "Based on what we know now, I would not be optimistic about the chances for any claims," he said.

However, Sturley noted, "There is still a lot that we don't know."

Bad weather does not automatically absolve a party of liability, but it would be challenging to make a wrongful death or personal injury claim as negligence would need to be established, according to the experts.

"Under English law, they'd have to prove fault and I don't think there's much prospect of anyone proving fault," said Davies.

"Bad weather at sea is not at all unexpected, which is why you can't just simply say bad weather and hope to get off the hook," Davies said. "What seems different about this case is that it came suddenly."

Still, said Oregon-based maritime lawyer Gordon Carey, "It doesn't spell defeat" for a potential legal claim "just because it's a weather event."

The yacht was carrying 22, including UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch and a Morgan Stanley exec

The British-registered 184-foot yacht was anchored about a half-mile off the Italian port of Porticello near Palermo, Sicily, and carrying 22 people, including UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch , when a fierce storm hit and quickly sank the vessel just after 4 a.m. on Monday, according to reports.

The body of the yacht's chef, Recaldo Thomas, was found on Monday. Six other passengers — Lynch; his 18-year-old daughter Hannah; Lynch's friend and Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer; Bloomer's wife, Judy; Lynch's attorney Christopher Morvillo and Morvillo's wife Neda — went missing during the disaster.

Divers on Wednesday found the bodies of five of the missing inside the sunken yacht that was around 164 feet below the surface.

Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares , was among the 15 people who were rescued in the aftermath of the tragedy. Reports said Lynch had been on the boat celebrating his recent acquittal on fraud charges in the US.

According to the Associated Press , documents show Bacares as the sole owner of Revtom Ltd., the Isle of Man-registered company that the online international maritime database Equasis lists as the owner of the Bayesian.

The Bayesian was being managed by the global yachting company Camper & Nicholsons. In a statement posted to its website, the company said it can "confirm that the vessel encountered severe weather conditions and subsequently sank near Palermo, Italy."

There were a total of 10 crew members and 12 guests on board, it said.

"Our priority is assisting with the ongoing search and providing all necessary support to the rescued passengers and crew," the company said.

It was not immediately clear who the captain and crew of the vessel were employed by. Camper & Nicholsons declined to comment beyond the statement posted online.

The maritime legal experts BI spoke to said that the operator of the Bayesian could potentially face liability claims, depending on the circumstances, if it hired the captain and crew and managed the vessel.

Davies said a boat like the Bayesian is bound to have "all kinds of insurance."

"And so someone may make a claim in the hope of getting some money from the insurance," he said.

English law would likely apply if any claims were made

According to Davies, it is more likely that English law would apply should the family of any of the victims or a survivor try to take legal action since the yacht was a UK-flagged vessel. US law could be applied if jurisdiction could be established, said Davies and others.

Under US law, crew members, not passengers, could potentially make an "unseaworthiness" claim, according to the maritime experts.

"The advantage of unseaworthiness is it's a strict liability claim," said Sturley. "You don't have to prove negligence. For other losses, you'd have to prove negligence."

To make an unseaworthiness claim, Davies explained, "you'd have to argue that there's something about the vessel that makes it unfit to withstand a sudden storm like this."

However, he said, "I find it hard to see there was any unseaworthiness of the vessel here."

Also under US law, the families of the dead could potentially make a legal claim under the Death on the High Seas Act, the experts said.

"People are supposed to take precautions against weather, but you take precautions that are reasonable under the circumstances, and sometimes you have a freak weather event that nobody could see coming, and it would not have been reasonable to have guarded against that," Sturley said.

He added, "Nobody prepares for hurricanes in the Sahara Desert. And if a hurricane happens to hit the Sahara Desert, that doesn't mean that people who didn't guard against it were negligent."

The AP reported that Italian civil protection officials believe that a tornado-like waterspout hit where the yacht was anchored, likely causing it to capsize.

"If it was a water spout, which it appears to be, it's what I would class as like a 'black swan' event," Matthew Schanck, chair of the UK-based Maritime Search and Rescue Council told the AP.

Main content

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

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

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.

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

Please use a modern browser to view this website. Some elements might not work as expected when using Internet Explorer.

Landing Page
Luxury Yacht Vacation Types
Corporate Yacht Charter
Tailor Made Vacations
Luxury Exploration Vacations
View All 3697
Motor Yachts
Sailing Yachts
Classic Yachts
Catamaran Yachts
Filter By Destination
More Filters
Latest Reviews
Charter Special Offers
Destination Guides
Inspiration & Features
Mediterranean Charter Yachts
France Charter Yachts
Italy Charter Yachts
Croatia Charter Yachts
Greece Charter Yachts
Turkey Charter Yachts
Bahamas Charter Yachts
Caribbean Charter Yachts
Australia Charter Yachts
Thailand Charter Yachts
Dubai Charter Yachts
Destination News
New To Fleet
Charter Fleet Updates
Special Offers
Industry News
Yacht Shows
Corporate Charter
Finding a Yacht Broker
Charter Preferences
Questions & Answers
Add my yacht

NOT FOR CHARTER *

This Yacht is not for Charter*

SIMILAR YACHTS FOR CHARTER

View Similar Yachts

Or View All luxury yachts for charter

Luxury Charter Yachts
Motor Yachts for Charter
Amenities & Toys

SIBELLE yacht NOT for charter*

50m / 164'1 | heesen | 2015 / 2022.

Owner & Guests

Cabin Configuration

Previous Yacht

Special Features:

Multi-award winning
Extensive health and beauty center, including beach club and sauna
Recent refit in 2022
Two VIP cabins
ABS (American Bureau of Shipping) ✠A1, Yachting Service, Ⓔ, ✠AMS classification

The multi-award winning 50m/164'1" expedition yacht 'Sibelle' was built by Heesen in the Netherlands at their Oss shipyard. Her interior is styled by Dutch designer design house Omega Architects and she was delivered to her owner in February 2015. This luxury vessel's exterior design is the work of Omega Architects and she was last refitted in 2022.

Guest Accommodation

Sibelle has been designed to comfortably accommodate up to 10 guests in 5 suites comprising two VIP cabins. She is also capable of carrying up to 11 crew onboard to ensure a relaxed luxury yacht experience.

Onboard Comfort & Entertainment

Her features include sauna, beach club, WiFi and air conditioning.

Range & Performance

Sibelle is built with a aluminium hull and aluminium superstructure, with teak decks. Powered by twin diesel MTU (8V 4000 M63) 8-cylinder 1,341hp engines running at 1800rpm, she comfortably cruises at 15 knots, reaches a maximum speed of 19 knots. Sibelle features at-anchor stabilizers providing exceptional comfort levels. Her water tanks store around 16,500 Litres of fresh water. She was built to ABS (American Bureau of Shipping) ✠A1, Yachting Service, Ⓔ, ✠AMS classification society rules, and is MCA Compliant.

Length	50m / 164'1
Beam	9m / 29'6
Draft	2.5m / 8'2
Gross Tonnage	497 GT
Cruising Speed	15.1 Knots
Built	\| (Refitted)
Builder	Heesen
Model	Custom
Exterior Designer	Omega Architects
Interior Design	Omega Architects

*Charter Sibelle Motor Yacht

Motor yacht Sibelle is currently not believed to be available for private Charter. To view similar yachts for charter , or contact your Yacht Charter Broker for information about renting a luxury charter yacht.

Sibelle Yacht Owner, Captain or marketing company

'Yacht Charter Fleet' is a free information service, if your yacht is available for charter please contact us with details and photos and we will update our records.

Sibelle Photos

Sibelle Awards & Nominations

The ShowBoats Design Awards 2016 Exterior Design & Styling Award – Motor Yacht below 500GT Winner
The World Superyacht Awards 2016 Displacement Motor Yachts below 500GT of 47m and above Winner
International Superyacht Society Awards 2016 Best Power 40m - 65m Nomination
World Yachts Trophies 2015 Most Innovative Yacht (38-54m) Winner
Asia Boating Award 2016 Best Custom Built Yacht Finalist

NOTE to U.S. Customs & Border Protection

Specification

M/Y Sibelle

Length	50m / 164'1
Builder
Exterior Designer	Omega Architects
Interior Design	Omega Architects
Built \| Refit	2015 \| 2022
Model
Beam	9m / 29'6
Gross Tonnage	497 GT
Draft	2.5m / 8'2
Cruising Speed	15.1 Knots
Top Speed	19 Knots

SIMILAR LUXURY YACHTS FOR CHARTER

Here are a selection of superyachts which are similar to Sibelle yacht which are believed to be available for charter. To view all similar luxury charter yachts click on the button below.

46m | Cheoy Lee

from $99,500 p/week

46m | Royal Denship

from $165,000 p/week

52m | C.N. Felszegi

from $86,000 p/week ♦︎

Hanse Explorer

48m | Fassmer Werft

from $198,000 p/week ♦︎

55m | Hitzler Werft

from $161,000 p/week *

47m | Sanlorenzo

from $225,000 p/week ♦︎

Northern Sun

51m | Narasaki Shipyard

from $161,700 p/week

Scintilla Maris

46m | Maaskant

from $160,000 p/week

55m | Pendennis

from $236,000 p/week ♦︎

49m | Anastassiades & Tsortanides

from $270,000 p/week ♦︎ *

45m | McMullen & Wing

from $245,000 p/week

Falco Moscata

50m | Perini Navi

from $200,000 p/week

As Featured In

The YachtCharterFleet Difference

YachtCharterFleet makes it easy to find the yacht charter vacation that is right for you. We combine thousands of yacht listings with local destination information, sample itineraries and experiences to deliver the world's most comprehensive yacht charter website.

San Francisco

Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on Instagram
Find us on LinkedIn
Add My Yacht
Affiliates & Partners

Popular Destinations & Events

St Tropez Yacht Charter
Monaco Yacht Charter
St Barts Yacht Charter
Greece Yacht Charter
Mykonos Yacht Charter
Caribbean Yacht Charter

Featured Charter Yachts

Maltese Falcon Yacht Charter
Wheels Yacht Charter
Victorious Yacht Charter
Andrea Yacht Charter
Titania Yacht Charter
Ahpo Yacht Charter

Receive our latest offers, trends and stories direct to your inbox.

Please enter a valid e-mail.

Thanks for subscribing.

Search for Yachts, Destinations, Events, News... everything related to Luxury Yachts for Charter.

Yachts in your shortlist

Updated Terms of Use
New Privacy Policy
Your Privacy Choices
Closed Caption Policy
Accessibility Statement

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset . Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions . Legal Statement . Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper .

Italian divers find 5 more bodies, 1 still missing after superyacht disaster survivor's ominous text message

The two missing americans include a new york city attorney and his wife.

Moment luxury yacht sinks off coast of Italy caught on camera, with 6 presumed dead

Grainy CCTV footage shows the moment a storm struck the Bayesian luxury yacht, which sank Aug. 19, 2024, off the coast of Italy. Six people are missing, officials say. (Giornale di Sicilia)

Italian divers on Wednesday morning found five more bodies after a superyacht sunk off the coast of Italy on Monday, and one person is still missing.

The 184-foot British-flagged Bayesian carrying English entrepreneurs and tourists capsized and sank off Sicily in bad weather early Monday. Rescue officials located the body of chef Recaldo Thomas on Monday, and 15 people were rescued. The identities of the recovered bodies were not disclosed.

A tornado may have struck the yacht Monday, according to civil protection officials.

Among the rescued was Ayla Ronald, senior associate at Clifford Chance, a global law firm that recently handed a win to billionaire tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, who was acquitted of fraud accusations in San Francisco in June, according to The Telegraph.

Italian firefighter scuba divers bring ashore, in the green bag, the body of one of the victims from the British-flagged vessel Bayesian, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. The yacht was hit by a violent sudden storm and sank early Monday, while at anchor off the Sicilian village of Porticello near Palermo, in southern Italy. (Salvatore Cavalli)

Ronald's father, Lin Ronald, told the outlet that he texted his daughter after the superyacht sank.

MOMENT LUXURY YACHT SINKS OFF COAST OF ITALY CAUGHT ON CAMERA, WITH 6 PRESUMED DEAD

Emergency services carry a body bag after a sailboat sank in the early hours of Monday, off the coast of Porticello, near the Sicilian city of Palermo, Italy, August 19, 2024. (REUTERS/Igor Petyx)

"[S]he hasn’t given me any updates about missing personnel or saved personnel. She has only said to me that there are deaths, and she and her partner are alive," Lin Ronald told The Telegraph, adding that his daughter "is a lawyer who is part of the legal team that was invited to go sailing as a result of the success in the recent United States court case."

Two Americans and four British nationals remain among the missing. The two Americans are Christopher Morvillo, a New York City partner at Clifford Chance who helped with Lynch's fraud case, and his wife, Neda Morvillo, a jewelry designer.

"We are in shock and deeply saddened by this tragic incident. Our thoughts are with our Partner, Christopher Morvillo, and his wife Neda who are among the missing, and with their families," a Clifford Chancespokesperson told Fox News Digital. "Our utmost priority is providing support to the family as well as our colleague Ayla Ronald, who together with her partner, thankfully survived the incident. Our thoughts extend to the other passengers and crew and all those affected. We have no further comment at this time. We, and the families, ask that their request for privacy is honored during this period."

MORGAN STANLEY INTERNATIONAL CHAIRMAN, WIFE AND 4 OTHERS STILL MISSING AFTER LUXURY YACHT SINKS OFF SICILY

Neda Morvillo and Chris Morvillo attend Summer Birthday Cocktails For Lawrence Kaplan at Tower 270 - Rooftop on June 21, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

Morvillo, who owns residences in New York City and South Kent, celebrated Lynch's June 6 acquittal on LinkedIn in one of his final social media posts before the luxury boat accident, eerily writing that his family would live "happily ever after."

"A huge thank you to my patient and incredible wife, Neda Morvillo, and my two strong, brilliant and beautiful daughters, Sabrino Morvillo and Sophia Morvillo," he wrote after thanking the legal team that helped in Lynch's legal success.

WHO IS MIKE LYNCH, THE BRITISH TECH ENTREPRENEUR MISSING AFTER YACHT SANK?

helicopter and boat off the coast of Porticello, near the Sicilian city of Palermo, Italy

Emergency and rescue services work near the scene where a sailboat sank in the early hours of Monday off the coast of Porticello, near the Sicilian city of Palermo, Italy, August 19, 2024. (REUTERS/Igor Petyx)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The boat sank sometime around 5 a.m. Monday near the port of Porticello, where it was anchored, according to the Italian coast guard. There were a total of 10 crew members and 12 passengers aboard the ship at the time.

"The wind was very strong. Bad weather was expected , but not of this magnitude," a coast guard official in Palermo told Reuters.

Fox News' Pilar Arias, Christina Coulter and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Audrey Conklin is a digital reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business. Email tips to [email protected] or on Twitter at @audpants.

The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.

By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use , and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.

You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter!

Find anything, super fast.

Destinations
Documentaries

We don't have any additional photos of this yacht. Do you?

Motor Yacht

The revolutionary Fast Displacement Hull Form (FDFH) developed by famous Dutch naval architects Van Oossanen and Associates allows significant improvements in fuel efficiency. Thanks to the FDHF’s low resistance characteristics, YN 16750 can reach a maximum speed of 18,5 knots with only two 1.000kW MTUs installed.

Hence an ocean-crossing range is achieved with minimal fuel capacity; only 45.000 litres are required to comfortably transit the Atlantic, leaving plenty of reserve. Perry van Oossanen, naval architect at VOA, comments: “Modest propeller tunnels have been defined allowing for 1,5m diameter propellers. The hull will be fitted with Quantum XT zero-speed fins, and bilge keels, allowing for a maximum reduction in roll angle when at anchor. The design of the hull, the appendages and the propulsion arrangement have been focused on obtaining the best fuel efficiency possible, without sacrificing performance and comfort when running in waves.” Carrying less fuel also means that the yacht is lighter which further improves efficiency. And the benefits don’t end there; the space saved by having smaller fuel tanks has been reallocated to provide the crew with valuable storage volume under the crew mess.

The cosy and inviting interior décor will be based on the colour contrast between swamp oak panelling and dark joinery details. Ten guests can be accommodated in five cabins. 61 square metres are dedicated to the master suite, traditionally located forward on the main deck, which boasts two separate dressing rooms, each with a private ensuite bathroom. The four guest cabins (two VIP and two twins) all have ensuite bathrooms and are positioned on the lower deck. Beyond their cabins, guests can enjoy 237 square metres of outdoor living space. The main and rescue tenders are placed on the fore deck under way, while the toys are stored in the forward garage. This configuration allows the aft part of the yacht to be used as a large (21,5 square metre) beach club equipped with sauna and hammam. The design of YN 16750 proves that high speed cruising can be achieved without sacrificing either luxury or efficiency.

Yacht Builder Heesen Yachts No profile available
Naval Architect Van Oossanen Naval Architects View profile
Exterior Designer Omega Architects View profile
Interior Designer Omega Architects View profile

Yacht Specs

Other heesen yachts, related news.

Heesen movies

Sibelle - 2015

Complex simplicity

Sibelle’s exterior lines are by Frank Laupman from Omega architects, assisted in the refinement of the design details by Mikhail Labazov and Andrei Savin from Architectural Bureau A-B Studio. The complex simplicity oxymoron epitomizes in two words the philosophy that led the design team in the development of this project. Sibelle’s elegant exterior lines are emphasized by contrasting bands of wraparound glass that give her a very distinctive look. The exterior lines look like they are running parallel, but in reality they are not! It is all about small adjustments that give an impression of parallelism to the eye.

First impressions

Sibelle is a 50 metre fully custom motor yacht, below 500 Gross Tonnage with an aluminum hull and superstructure. Large enough to offer her owner and his guests everything they need without compromise, whilst being small enough to allow plenty of freedom to anchor in bays with crystal clear water.

Specifications

Hull type: FDHF

Exterior design: Omega Architects & Architectural Bureau A-B Studio

Interior design: Architectural Bureau A-B Studio

Hull: Aluminium

Length over all: 49.90 metres / 163 feet 9 inches

Beam over all: 9.0 metres / 29 feet 6 inches

Draft (half load): 2.15 metres / 7 feet 1 inches

Tonnage: approx. 499 GT

Accommodations

Cabins: Full-beam owner’s stateroom, two double guest suites and two twin guest suites

Technical Details

Maximum speed (half load): 18.5 knots

Range: 3,150Nm at 13 knots

Fuel capacity: 49,000 litres / 12,844 US Gallons

Fresh water: 14,000 litres / 3,698 US Gallons

Propulsion Details

Main engines: 2 x MTU 8V 4000 M63

Maximum power: 2 x 1,000kW

Main generators: 2 x Kilo-Pak, each 99kW

Bowthruster: HRP 135kW, hydraulically driven

Stabilisers: Quantum extendable, 2 fins, zero speed

General arrangement

Wheelhouse deck

FEEL INSPIRED? PLEASE CONTACT US:

Headquarters.

Mark Cavendish Chief Commercial Officer

| Robert Drontmann Sales Director

| Sara Gioanola PR & Press Office Manager

Heesen Yachts North America

Thom Conboy Agent North-America, Mexico, Bahama's & Caribbean

Privacy Overview
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Analytical Cookies
Cookie Policy

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.

This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.

Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.

Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!

More information about our Cookie Policy

Today's news
Reviews and deals
Climate change
2024 election
Newsletters
Fall allergies
Health news
Mental health
Sexual health
Family health
So mini ways
Unapologetically
Buying guides

Entertainment

How to Watch
My watchlist
Stock market
Biden economy
Personal finance
Stocks: most active
Stocks: gainers
Stocks: losers
Trending tickers
World indices
US Treasury bonds
Top mutual funds
Highest open interest
Highest implied volatility
Currency converter
Basic materials
Communication services
Consumer cyclical
Consumer defensive
Financial services
Industrials
Real estate
Mutual funds
Credit cards
Balance transfer cards
Cash back cards
Rewards cards
Travel cards
Online checking
High-yield savings
Money market
Home equity loan
Personal loans
Student loans
Options pit
Fantasy football
Pro Pick 'Em
College Pick 'Em
Fantasy baseball
Fantasy hockey
Fantasy basketball
Download the app
Daily fantasy
Scores and schedules
GameChannel
World Baseball Classic
Premier League
CONCACAF League
Champions League
Motorsports
Horse racing

New on Yahoo

Privacy Dashboard

Divers recover 5 bodies from wrecked superyacht off Sicily; 1 still missing

Aptopix italy boaters missing.

PORTICELLO, Sicily (AP) — Divers searching the wreck of a superyacht that sank off Sicily found the bodies of five passengers Wednesday, leaving one still missing as questions intensified about why the vessel sank so quickly when a nearby sailboat remained largely unscathed.