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TIS Yacht (Ona) – Owner Alexei Fedorychev

Tis yacht (ona).

Fedorychev Yacht: TIS

Yacht Length: 111.5 m (365 ft)

Guests: 18 in 9 cabins

Crew: 38 in 20 cabins

Builder: Lurssen Yachts

Designer: Winch Design

Maximum Speed: 18 knots

Range: 7,000 nm at 12 knots

Engines: MTU 16V4000

Displacement: 4,650 ton

TIS Yacht Price: US$ 300 million

Interior construction according to PYC requirements

The TIS Yacht was built according to the internationally recognized Passenger Yacht Code IV (PYC IV), which defines technical and operational safety standards for yachts.

Only special, certified carrier plates and materials may be used. In the stairwell, for example, only the flame-retardant expanded glass was used as carrier plates for the curved wall paneling.

TIS Yacht design information

The substructures were refined with a matt paint finish and decorated with golden frames. Two specialists were commissioned for the line paint work, who implemented the special painting technology on the entire ship in order to guarantee a uniform appearance.

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The elliptical dining room was just as challenging. Here the wall panels had to be bent so that they fit into the substructure with an accuracy of one millimeter. Each bending shape had to be manufactured individually.

Entering aft along the upper deck, an intimate Parisian style tea room has been put in place. It features Louis XVI-inspired sofas and armchairs. Green, purple and pink colors give the space a feminine atmosphere which is also reflected by the curtains and cushions.

The vessel features 2 helicopter pads, a 12m swimming pool, a resort-inspired spa in the aft of the boat, and palatial breathtaking staircases.

TIS Yacht – Alexei Fedorychev

Alexei Fedorychev owns the Ukrainian transport company TIS. Reportedly her owner defaulted on the contract. The yacht was repossessed by Lurssen. She was listed for sale asking EUR 275,000,000.

The project was then handed over to Lürssen in the established List GC quality on the set date in December 2018. MY Tis was presented to the public for the first time in September at the Monaco Yacht Show 2019 and, with 111 meters, is the largest motor yacht ever to be exhibited at the fair. At the 6th MYS Superyacht Awards in Monaco, it was also awarded the prize for “Best Interior Design”. With the implementation of the renowned interior, List GC proves once again that the Bad Erlach company is rightly one of the top outfitters in the class of high-end luxury yachts.

TIS Yacht owner

Who is alexei fedorychev.

Alexey Mikhailovich Fedorychev ; (August 3, 1955, Krasnogorsk, USSR) – Russian-born businessman, a citizen of Monaco and Hungary. The former owner of FC Dynamo Moscow and FC Rostov. The owner of the company Fedcom .

Despite the lack of Russian citizenship in 2006 by Forbes magazine it was included in the list of the richest businessmen in Russia, where he held the 100th place with the state of $450 million$. He now resides in Monaco.

Fedorychev Net Worth In 2011 his net worth was estimated at US$ 700 million. We estimate his current net worth at US$ 1 billion.

He owns the Ukrainian transport company TIS.He lives with his wife in Monaco. They have 1 child.

Alexei Fedorychev (also written: Fedoricsev) also owns a US$ 50 million Bombardier Global 6000 private jet, with registration 9H-FED. He previously owned a Bombardier Global Express with the same registration.

Update: he has a new private jet. It is a Bombardier Global 6000 with registration 9H-AMF. AMF refers to Aleksey Mikhaylovich Fedorychev . The jet was built in 2012. A Bombardier Global 6000 can accommodate 14 passengers.

The jet was in Bremen, near Lurssen, around the period of the delivery of TIS.

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111m Lürssen superyacht Tis pictured on maiden voyage in French Riviera

Lürssen's 111 metre superyacht Tis  has been photographed on her maiden voyage in the French Riviera alongside fellow Lürssen superyacht, the 156 metre Dilbar .

It comes after the six deck superyacht departed the German yard last month after being delivered to her owner.

Tis ' delivery comes after the yacht began sea trials on  Monday, November 5. She then returned to  Lurssen  to undergo final interior outfitting.

The superyacht first hit the water at the yard's Rendsburg facility in August last year while her technical launch took place in October 2018.

Tis  was styled inside and out by British studio  Winch Design  and features a curved superstructurethat contrasts with the straight lines of her decks.

In a previously released statement, the yard said, “With a long and well balanced sheerline, she is a supremely elegant yacht, despite the considerable size.”

The beam measures 16.85 metres, allowing for voluminous interiors, while the extensive exterior relaxation spaces make Project TIS an ideal yacht for hosting large parties. Key features on board include sweeping  superyacht staircases  at the transom, which set the tone for a sophisticated interior design.

The 111 metre superyacht project was managed by  Moran Yacht & Ship .

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Lurssen has launched the 111m superyacht Tis

One of the largest superyachts of the world

German yard Lurssen has launched the 111m superyacht named Tis.

Responsible for the concept as well as the exterior and interior design is Winch Design who has given project Tis a sleek and contemporary exterior accompanied with a traditional fresh interior style.

Moran Yacht & Ship, who also sold the project, are managing and supervising the project and they brought in their experience and consolidated knowledge.

With her long and well-balanced sheerline, Tis is an elegant yacht, despite her considerable size. With a beam of 16.85m and six decks she boasts extraordinary volumes accommodating all of the Owner’s requirements.

M/Y Tis is up for sea trials in October 2018 and her final delivery is scheduled for this winter.

A private deck is reserved for the Owner, while 22 guests can enjoy 11 staterooms.

Tis will feature two helicopter pads, a 12m swimming pool, spa and a garage large enough for two 13m tenders, two 10m tenders, a submarine and a lot of water toys.

READ MORE: Lurssen Project Shu

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Inside Lürssen’s latest superyacht: on board M/Y TIS

By Gemma Fottles from Superyacht Digest | October Issue 2019

In the notoriously exclusive business of superyachts, Tis marks the largest ever yacht interior that German shipyard Lürssen was able to share with the world. Here we take a rare closer look at the latest 111-metre addition to the global superyacht fleet. The built was showcased at the recent Monaco Yacht Show.

t he craftsmen and women that comprise the team of Lürssen are, undeniably, experts in the creation of some of the most complex superyachts in the world. One of the few luxury yacht builders with the capabilities to pull off such a technical feat at their facilities in Bremen, the Lürssen fleet consists of a staggering 20 superyachts exceeding 100 metres in length – topping that list being no other than the longest yacht in the world, the 180-metre Azzam .

Understandably, the vast majority of these projects have been kept fiercely confidential. Though the exterior design is often hard to disguise as a yacht of such size and prestige cruises around the world, interior details are usually particularly secretive, fully enclosed from the eyes of everyone but the lucky few. With the delivery of their latest yacht, the 111-metre Winch-designed Tis , however, all eyes are welcome.

So what’s the reason behind being able to share the yacht in all her glory? Built in close collaboration with an experienced owner and well-seasoned charter client, Tis  was built with charter in mind. This not only meant designing a yacht together with Winch Design to cater to the needs and expectations of the world’s most discerning charter clients, as one of the most exciting and, indeed, expensive charter yachts on the market, opening up the doors to Tis ‘s exquisite entirety ensures that she bursts onto the charter market like never before – the move of a particularly charter-savvy owner.

“Upon delivery this summer, Tis  became one of the largest yachts in the world available for charter”, comments Michael Bremen , Sales Director of Lürssen. “With this in mind, it is in the interest of the client to introduce the yacht to a discerning audience and to show off her beauty. For the shipyard, it is a great and unique opportunity for which we are very grateful”.

The owner’s influence was not confined to optimal charter operation and marketing, however. The owner was involved in every aspect of the construction of the yacht, with the team describing him as an important influence throughout her entire build. Considering the benefits of working with a knowledgeable and highly involved client, Bremen continues: “It is a big help if the client is an experienced yacht owner or yacht charterer. The client knows exactly his or her own needs but also their families’ and guests’ needs.

The client is then normally more involved in the building process, which also helps in making critical decisions along the way”. Measuring 111-metres with a beam of 16.85 metres and an impressive volume of 4,500 GT, Tis is built to PYC classification and accommodates up to 18 guests onboard. For those 18 special guests, there is something unique awaiting on the inside, where the clear synergy between prestigious shipyard, world-renowned design team and experienced owner and management team comes into play.

As with all 100+ metre projects, the interior design is not the only spectacular thing about Tis and features onboard certainly abound. Across her six decks are two helipads, a 12-metre swimming pool on the main deck, a meticulously designed spa and hammam area, an outdoor cinema for cosy nights at sea, and a Parisian Ladurée-inspired tearoom. Performance-wise, she is powered by twin 3,200 kW engines, serving up a comfortable cruising speed of 12 knots and a top speed of 18 knots. An autonomous range of 7,000 nm provides true ocean-going capabilities.

SUPERYACHT SYNERGY –  Moran Yacht & Ship acted as project managers from inception to delivery, and were another essential component in the successful design, build and delivery of Tis . Boasting years of experience working with the Lürssen team on several previous superyacht projects, Bremen describes the benefits of working in a tried-and-tested team: “Having a team which has worked several times together is very helpful for such complex new builds like Tis . Each team knows the strong and weak points of the other team, is completely aware of the working processes and knows the relevant people very well. It makes things much easier in the coordination of what is an incredibly complex construction process”. As with any complex new build project, there were challenges. “Large voids in the structure of a ship, such as the aft saloon or the main atrium are always a challenge on a yacht, and we are proud that we have been able to achieve this yet again”, continues Bremen. “The request for high ceilings in the owner’s area and its knock-on effect resulted in a more complex ship structure and more difficult coordination. The whole team is excited that she turned out to be such a graceful yacht that will allow her passengers to enjoy yachting to the fullest in total comfort, luxury and quality”. “ Tis  undertook her maiden voyage to Gibraltar upon delivery this summer and departed Lürssen’s facilities in mid-June”, Bremen concludes. “We look forward to her cruising the Seven Seas and turning heads wherever she goes for years to come”.

BEHIND THE DESIGN –  Inside Tis  Winch Design breaks down what exactly will make Tis  stand the test of time as one of the world’s most extraordinary 100+ metre superyachts. Her interiors take their inspiration from iconic residences and geographies around the world. They’re inspired by design details and colour schemes which have fixated and impressed for hundreds of years, and the fact that these details have remained for the most part, unchanged throughout history, means that they have already proved themselves to be timeless.

The charm of Tis however, is that while taking inspiration from these briefs, Winch Design has seamlessly integrated contemporary styling and features, updating these inspirations and ultimately rendering her interiors light and fresh, yet wonderfully opulent. Her exterior is classically elegant, her lime-washed oak and navy colour scheme is head-turning, yet classical: she has an undisputedly timeless silhouette.

SPA – Another beautiful and unique feature onboard is the spa, which is situated on the Bridge Deck. It features a playful citrus theme, taking inspiration from the island of Capri. The Lemon Grove is a dedicated relaxation feature, with a honey onyx vanity and mosaic floor. Throughout the spa, the stone floors have been hand-chipped to give a soft, aged feel. Jasmine notes in the artwork alongside a jasmine scent throughout creates a true sensory experience. Additionally, each day head on board Tis is unique, acting as a little jewellery box on each floor.

GUEST CABINS – Another stand out feature are the eight guest cabins, each representing a different geographic destination or iconic residence around the world. Each has an entirely unique identity, and every single element has been carefully crafted to enjoy an astounding level of coherence within their individual themes, with the most minute of details linking each of the spaces. The eight cabins are themed as follows: Provence, China Seas, Marrakesh, Russian Dacha, Tuscan Olive, Claridges, Deco and Paris.

BEACH CLUB – One exterior highlight is the beach club, which is a transitional space between the exterior and interior, a luxurious and relaxing halfway house. Lime-washed oak panels give the space a bright feel and a huge bar complete with matching bar stools, dining table and sofas make it clear that this is an area to relax in and have fun. Teak flooring helps bridge the inside and outside spaces, but a custom pattern in the teak that bursts towards the exterior like a firecracker removes any hint of the industrial. Through a side door to starboard is a sauna, ice fountain and shower, which leads out onto a foldout swim platform, the perfect place to relax at water level. Throughout, the artwork of Capri and rope patterns and swirls make the spaces a cohesive unit, alongside a sea theme of light blue and warm neutral tones. Two large hinged doors open out onto the aft platform, again with a custom teak pattern to give a touch of flair, amid the elegant sweeping stairs, with unique faux painted mahogany details ensuring Tis stands out stylishly when moored stern-to.

POOL – Lemons in a mosaic pattern at the bottom of the pool link the exterior to the interior theme. This space is primarily for lounging and relaxing, with plenty of integrated sunbeds and built-in seating around the bar. Tis features all the toys you’d expect to find on one of the most well-appointed yachts in the world; helicopter operations can take place from two locations, with the bow strengthened for occasional take off and landings, but when not in use, this deck also doubles as both a dance floor and an outdoor cinema, with removable outdoor furniture.

TEA-ROOM – The upper deck is home to perhaps the most unexpected room on board: a Parisian Ladurée-inspired tearoom, enjoying prime position forward. This unique space is a feminine tribute to this elegant pastime, with traditional tones of pastel greens, pinks and creams. A couple of Louis XVI inspired sofas and armchairs link to the trims on the curtains and tiebacks via scatter cushions, all in the pastel colours traditional of the famous French paTisserie. A skylight allows plenty of light in, while the views across the bow are spectacular.

PALATIAL STAIRCASES – The elegant sweeping Calacatta marble staircase with ornate brushed steel and 23.8-carat Gold handrail creates an impressive first sight for guests and sets the tone for the rest of this palatial yacht.

Rising through five decks, it gives a view from the guest accommodation on the lower deck all the way to the upper deck’s painted ceiling. Suspended above the lobby are the hanging balconies of the upper decks, allowing for the visually stunning impact of a quadruple height ceiling, a very rare feature on a yacht.

A lift shell inspired by Le Bristol in Paris with its own ornate sofa inside completes this space. As you ascend the spiralling staircase to each floor you are greeted by a repeated bespoke designed marble marquetry motif on the floor beneath your feet.

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I got on board the biggest yacht at the Monaco Yacht Show. Take a look inside the 365-foot superyacht, which comes with a 40-foot infinity pool and 2 helipads.

• I attended this year's  Monaco Yacht Show , a glamorous event for yachting industry insiders and wealthy VIPs looking to buy or charter yachts.
• Monaco is a tiny yet lavishly wealthy city-state on the French Riviera, known for its yacht-filled port, luxury hotels, and gambling, where about  one-third of the population are millionaires .
• One evening, I got on board the largest vessel on display at the yacht show, a 365-foot superyacht called Tis that was built as a second home for an unknown Monaco resident.
• The Lürssen-built yacht has six decks that include two helipads, a nearly 40-foot swimming pool, a Hammam spa, and a Parisian-inspired tea room.
• I was blown away by the sheer opulence and size of the yacht, which the designer aptly called a "floating mansion."
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

This year's Monaco Yacht Show brought 31,565 people and $4.3 billion worth of yachts to the tiny city-state on the French Riviera.

Guests included yachting-industry insiders — including  superyacht builders, designers, and brokers — as well as wealthy private clients looking to charter or purchase yachts, as well as journalists like myself.

I spent two days at the yacht show, and one evening I got the chance to go on board the largest yacht on display in Monaco at this year's show: Tis, a 365-foot superyacht built by German shipyard Lürssen that comes with two helipads, a 40-foot swimming pool, eight guest suites, and a Parisian-inspired tea room.

Take a look inside the superyacht that's owned by a mysterious Monaco resident.

I attended this year's Monaco Yacht Show, a glamorous event for yachting industry insiders and wealthy VIPs looking to buy or charter yachts.

The event took place from September 25 to September 28 in the tiny French Riviera city-state.

One evening, I got on board the largest vessel on display at the yacht show, a 365-foot superyacht called Tis.

Tis, which took about three years to construct, was built by German shipyard Lürssen and designed by Winch Design.

The yacht can sleep up to 18 guests and 38 crew.

Launched in 2019, the brand-new superyacht belongs to an unidentified Monaco resident.

During the press visit on board Tis, the yacht's designer, Andrew Winch, said the owner had the superyacht built to be a second home.

"His apartment [in Monaco] is very similar to this boat — but significantly smaller," Winch said.

The owner expects to live on the yacht for nine months of the year, according to Winch. 

Dozens of journalists were invited on board Tis for a special evening press tour of the vessel.

We all had to take off our shoes before setting foot on the yacht's pristine teak deck.

I wasn't allowed to take my own photos on board Tis. 

At one of the outside dining areas, delicate finger foods were set out on a long table decked out with white flowers, and servers wandered through the crowd serving Regi rosé Champagne while sultry lounge music played in the background.

There were shrimp on sticks, tiny brioche sandwiches of deviled eggs and tomato, and raw salmon and basil bites.

After an introductory speech by designer Andrew Winch, we broke up into small groups for guided tours of the vessel.

The main deck salon is full of classic Louis XIV to Louis XVIII style furniture.

In the formal entrance lobby is an elaborate marble staircase with 23.8 carat gold handrails that were inspired by Le Bristol hotel in Paris.

Italian Calacatta Vogli marble was used throughout the yacht.

The main deck's dining room can comfortably seat at least 16 people.

It can also convert into a board room, with hidden plug sockets in the table and a large painting that can disappear to reveal a television screen. 

Just off the main deck is a formal office that can be opened up to create one large conference space.

The yacht has its own "beach club" area, described in press materials as "a transitional space between the exterior and interior."

The beach club décor is inspired by the Italian island of Capri. A side door leads out to a fold-out swimming platform.

Guests can also access the water from the lower deck.

On the bridge deck is a citrus-themed spa, which includes a relaxation room with carved stone lemon trees on the walls. There's also a Hammam, a hair salon, and a massage room.

A side door leads to a sauna overlooking a fold-out sea terrace.

Lounge chairs line the sea terrace.

Near the spa is the fully equipped gym — complete with several live lemon trees.

The gym leads out to the pool area, where there's a nearly 40-foot infinity pool and a hot tub.

Several lounge areas are scattered around the pool area.

The space includes a hanging chair and an outdoor bar with built-in seating.

A soundproof art deco cinema on the lower deck is outfitted with several large armchairs.

On the owners deck, the main salon features a leather-embossed ceiling dome with a glass chandelier of hand-blown leaves of glass.

The owner's suite has a domed skylight and large wraparound windows.

A private balcony with built-in upholstered sofas offers 180-degree views over the bow of the yacht.

The bathroom is decked out in marble and includes a large soaking tub.

The owner's suite also comes with a private hair and beauty salon, massage room, and dressing rooms.

The eight lavish guest suites onboard each have a theme. One of the main deck guest suites was inspired by Claridge's, an iconic art deco luxury hotel in London.

Also on the main deck is a suite is an homage to Paris, with fleur-de-lis motifs and classic "Toile de Jouy" patterns throughout.

Then there's the Tuscan Olive suite, with pale gold and green tones.

On the upper deck is another Paris-inspired room, this one a tea room dedicated to French luxury bakery Ladurée.

It's decorated in the traditional pastel greens, pinks, and purples of the iconic pâtisserie .

Tis comes with not one, but two helicopter landing pads.

One of the helipads can turn into a dance floor or an outdoor cinema when it's not in use.

Tis has seemingly endless lounge spaces — both indoor and outdoor — from the owners deck ...

... to the uninterrupted views from the top deck.

The yacht's tender garage can hold two 38-foot Wajer tenders and as well as two rescue tenders and various water toys.

Winch, the yacht's designer, stressed that Tis was designed to be understated and elegant.

"This is not a  nouveau riche yacht," he said, adding that the 28 carat gold finishes are muted and antique-looking, "so don't consider this a bling yacht."

"Understated" is definitely not a word I'd use to describe Tis. I'm no expert — this is only the second yacht I have ever stepped foot on — but to me, it was wildly over-the-top, with its infinity pool, classic French décor, gold staircases, and formal dining rooms and salons.

But I couldn't agree more with his characterization of Tis as a "floating mansion."

"You can take this boat anywhere in the world as an explorer," Winch said. "She is a castle. She's a floating mansion for life."

The superyacht was unlike anything I've ever seen. While my very first yacht tour aboard a Champagne-colored, Bugatti-designed yacht took about 15 minutes, Tis was so massive that the tour took over an hour, and that was moving quickly without lingering in any rooms.

It can safely be assumed that the mysterious owner of Tis is a billionaire — or at least a multimillionaire.

People outside the yachting industry may not know just how much it costs to own a yacht. Buying one can easily set you back tens or hundreds of millions — and that's not including annual fuel costs, docking fees, maintenance, and crew salaries.

As Business Insider's Hillary Hoffower put it , owning a superyacht is "the absolute pinnacle of indulgence for the 1%."

We don't know exactly how much Tis, a brand-new massive superyacht, would sell for if it were on the market right now. But to put it in perspective, a five-year-old yacht that's 65 feet smaller than Tis is currently on the market for $200 million . 

But what's a few hundred million when you're a billionaire living in Monaco?

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TIS Specifications

Completed Lurssen Yacht TIS

This massive volume yacht is one of our most ambitious projects to date. TIS was commissioned for a long-time charter client of Moran Yacht & Ship, who has over the past seven years, chartered some of the largest and highest quality motor yachts in the world. This experience has led to owner input on nearly every level, from guest accommodations to propulsion package selection, all the way to crew area design.

With an interior and exterior styling by Andrew Winch Design, TIS will feature 2 helicopter pads, a 12 meter swimming pool, a resort inspired spa in the aft of the vessel, and palatial staircases that to date have only been seen in palaces. Her tender garage will accommodate two 13 meter tenders and an abundant selection of other water toys. Lack of space will not be an issue for this family-oriented owner. In addition to a massive private owner’s deck, eight other guests staterooms will accommodate sixteen additional guests in absolute comfort.

We are pleased to announce that TIS has been successfully delivered.

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The Latest Gigayacht from Lürssen Splashed This Week

The 364-foot tis has an elegant, lithe profile—especially for such a huge yacht., geri ward's most recent stories.

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Tis is a very small name for what turns out to be a very, very large yacht. The 364-footer was launched by Lürssen Yachts on Monday, as part of the multiyear build process. The German builder expects to start sea trials in October and eventually deliver the yacht to its owner at an unspecified point over the winter.

The Winch Design is long, lithe, classic, and simple-looking in an elegant way, especially for a gigayacht of its substantial length. Winch did a masterful job of keeping the profile balanced and seemingly low to the water. He did this partly by giving the upper decks plenty of exterior space, fore and aft, so the yacht does not look dense, like many stacked, wedding-cake yacht designs. The navy-blue hull also has an unusually long foredeck compared to most contemporary gigayachts, so the profile once again seems slender, rather than heavy. The stern also ends relatively close to the water, with a soft tumblehome design that is more common on 30-foot motor yachts.

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Lürssen Yachts Tis.  Photo: Klaus Jordan

The decks flow upward in a nice proportional stairstep pattern at the stern, while the curves in front soften the profile. The tasteful cutouts along the shearline fuse the deck and superstructure aesthetically, giving Tis a distinctive profile that nobody will ever mistake for another yacht of its stature.

Lürssen remains mum about the interior or any other significant details of Tis , as the builder often does with its new launches, but it’s clear that the yacht’s 55-foot beam and banks of windows across all decks create abundant, light-filled interior spaces. The exterior spaces are likewise plentiful on the top three decks.

This newest launch from Lürssen will fall in the top 35 of the world’s largest yachts. To gain a sense of perspective, look for people standing on the decks. They appear like small dots, which shows just how large Tis really is.

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• Winch Design

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Experts puzzle over why Bayesian yacht sank. Was it a 'black swan event'?

The Bayesian set off on a leisurely cruise around Italy's southern coast on a sunny day in late July.

The luxurious super yacht − which boasted one of the largest masts in the world and carried a crew of business moguls, including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his family and a chair of Morgan Stanley − set sail from the Amalfi Coast, bound for Sicily.

Less than a month later, the ship had sunk 160 feet under the water , leaving its cook dead and six of its passengers, including at least two Americans, missing and prompting a massive search that has drawn international attention.

Now, experts are trying to piece together why in the early hours Monday the Bayesian was quickly pulled under the waves amid a storm that saw at least one tornado spin up over the water.

A perfect storm led to Bayesian sinking, experts say

The combination of unlikely factors that could have contributed to the ship's fate constituted a "black swan event," Matthew Schanck, chairman of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council, told USA TODAY.

The Bayesian was well-built: A 2008 product of Italian ship maker Perini, it was constructed in accordance with international maritime standards and commercially certified by the U.K.'s Maritime and Coastguard Agency, according to Schanck.

The bout of bad weather that swept the area when the ship went down was also out of the ordinary in the northern Mediterranean, "which isn't renowned for prolonged, significant stormy weather," he said.

"The fact that those two elements have then resulted in the foundering of a super yacht is pretty extraordinary," Schanck said. "These things don't happen every day."

After the ship sank just before 5 a.m. local time, 15 people, including a 1-year-old, were pulled from the water. Some were rescued from a life raft by the crew of a ship docked nearby.

Ricardo Thomas, the ship's cook and a native of Antigua, was found dead, according to authorities.

As of Tuesday, six people were missing, including Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter. Several missing passengers were involved in Lynch's trial on fraud charges, including Jonathan Bloomer, a Morgan Stanley chair who served as his character witness, and one of Lynch's attorneys. Lynch, accused of fraud after he sold his company to electronics giant Hewlett-Packard, was acquitted of all charges weeks ago.

Who is Mike Lynch? UK entrepreneur among those missing after superyacht sinks off Sicily

Tornado formed over unusually hot water

Storms in the area that night may have whipped up a water spout, a tornado over the water , according to local meteorologists.

It was likely triggered by the water's unusual warmth, said Rick Shema, a certified consulting meteorologist who served in the Navy.

"The water spout was an uncommon occurrence," he said. "But again, these things happen, especially in warmer water."

At 83.7 degrees, water in the area was more than 3 degrees hotter than average on the day the Bayesian sank, likely the result of climate change, Shema said.

"Hurricanes can form at 80 degrees. This was almost four degrees higher than that," he said.

The water spout may have spun up when cooler air dropped from mountainous places nearby onto the hot water, he said. "A water spout is a vortex, basically like a tornado, spinning real fast, sucking up water and moisture as the column rises," he said.

Although water spouts only reach around 120 mph, as compared to tornadoes on land, which can reach up to 300 mph, "you don't need 200 mph to sink a ship," he said.

"Even an average tornado, 120 miles an hour, that's a lot of wind," he said, "which would heel the boat over for sure."

Water spouts spring up suddenly, Shema said. Before they strike, winds can be slow, but "once the water spout comes over, bam, it's on," he said.

Before sunrise, the ship's crew may not have seen the water spout coming. "The visibility was probably a big factor," he said.

With the windows of the yacht opened, as they likely were in the hot weather, the water spout could have triggered water that flooded through the portholes, Shema said, causing the ship to sink.

Tragedy strikes: Scramble to find survivors after Bayesian yacht sinks off Sicily coast

Search continues, but shift to recovery phase approaches

Italian authorities said the Bayesian was probably at anchor when the storm struck, meaning it couldn't maneuver and ride the waves, according to Mitchell Stoller, a captain and maritime expert witness. Other ships in the area that turned on their engines rode out the storm, he said.

"When you're at anchor and you see weather, you start your engine and you put the wind on the bow. You don't let it get on the side," he said.

Schanck said another key question concerns the position of the keel, a heavy weight underneath the boat that acts as a counterbalance to keep it upright, when the ship sank. When lifted, "that's going to affect the stability of the vessel, because, obviously, you've now raised the center of gravity of that vessel," he said.

The Bayesian was floating over 160 feet of water at the time, deep enough that the keel would likely be deployed. But the fact that "the vessel heeled over so heavily makes me question that," Schanck said.

The cause of the disaster may not be known until the ship can be examined in more detail, experts say. Prosecutors in a nearby town have already opened an investigation.

Schanck said investigators will have plenty to work with once the operation moves into a recovery phase.

"The vessel is intact and in good condition on the seabed," he said. "There's a lot of eyewitness accounts from other vessels in the area and the shore."

As the search entered its second day on Tuesday, the rescue effort may shift in that direction soon. "I suspect, later on, today or tomorrow, we'll probably see some mention of a recovery operation being stated," Schanck said.

The decision to would depend on whether rescuers find signs of life in the ship and air pockets or survivable spaces, Schanck said. At this point, survivors on the water's surface looks unlikely. "My professional opinion is that the casualties will be located within the vessel," he said.

"There is a risk versus benefit in all maritime search and rescue incidents," he said. "Where we start transitioning to a recovery phase, that line shifts."

Contributing: Reuters

Cybele Mayes-Osterman is a breaking news reporter for USA Today. Reach her on email at [email protected]. Follow her on X @CybeleMO.

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Who are Mike Lynch and the other people missing after a yacht sank in Sicily?

Bill Chappell

Mike Lynch remains missing after a luxury yacht sank off of Sicily's coast. Lynch, who sold his tech firm Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011, had recently been acquitted of fraud charges related to the sale. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images hide caption

Search teams are scouring waters along Italy’s southwestern shore, where a luxury sailing yacht sank early Monday. Six people are known to be missing, including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his daughter, and Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife.

Faced with the possibility that some people might have been trapped inside the ship when it sank in a storm, dive teams (including cave divers from the local fire brigade) have been looking for ways to enter the vessel.

The Palermo Coast Guard told NPR on Tuesday that such an operation is complicated by the depth and position of the hull, which lies on the seabed at a depth of around 50 meters, about a half-mile from the port in Porticello, Sicily.

Lynch, a mathematician and longtime tech entrepreneur, was on a vacation voyage that apparently doubled as a celebration of his recent acquittal on federal fraud charges in the U.S. At least two members of his legal team were reportedly on the boat.

Here’s what we know about Lynch and the tragic situation off Sicily’s coast: 

A rescue boat of the Italian Coast Guard operates in Porticello near Palermo, on Tuesday, a day after the British-flagged luxury yacht Bayesian sank. Specialist divers launched a fresh search for six people, including U.K. tech tycoon Mike Lynch. Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Who is Mike Lynch?

Lynch, 59, made his name as the founder and longtime leader of Autonomy, a search engine and software company that helped companies manage information. Hewlett-Packard bought Autonomy for $11 billion in 2011, but Lynch then faced accusations — and then federal charges — that he had misrepresented his company’s financial health and prospects. Lynch denied the claims, saying HP was blaming him for its own problems.

Lynch was indicted on multiple fraud and conspiracy counts in late 2018, months after Autonomy’s former chief financial officer, Sushovan Hussain, was convicted of fraud (he was later sentenced to five years in prison).

Search resumes for British tech magnate and 5 others after yacht sinks off Sicily

Lynch successfully delayed extradition from the U.K. until May 2023 . Earlier this year, the case finally culminated in a lengthy trial in San Francisco that ended with Lynch’s acquittal of all charges against him in June , after he testified on his own behalf.

Also acquitted was Stephen Chamberlain, Autonomy’s former finance VP. But on Saturday — just two days before Lynch was caught in a boating catastrophe — Chamberlain was killed in a car accident , after he was struck while out for a run.

Lynch earned a Ph.D. in adaptive pattern recognition from Cambridge University. In 2006, he was awarded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) honor for his work in the U.K.’s tech industry. After selling Autonomy, he founded an investment group focused on startups emerging from Cambridge University.

Who else was aboard?

Survivors include Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, along with Charlotte Golunski, who works at Invoke Capital, Lynch’s venture capital firm. Golunski was on the ship with her daughter, Sofia, who had just celebrated her first birthday. In an interview with La Repubblica , Golunski said she held her little girl as she floated in darkness, using all her strength to keep her arms up and prevent Sofia from drowning. Sophia’s father was also onboard and survived.

Ayla Ronald, a lawyer who worked on Lynch’s fraud case, and her partner also escaped the wreck. Other survivors include several crew members, including two women in their early 20s who were part of the ship’s staff.

Missing along with Lynch and Bloomer are Lynch’s daughter, Hannah, 18; Bloomer’s wife, Judy; a lawyer for Lynch named Chris Morvillo; and his wife, Neda, according to local newspaper Giornale di Sicilia .

Bloomer was a partner at Arthur Andersen for some 20 years, until 1994, according to his LinkedIn profile . He then led the financial services company Prudential before taking on a number of chairman roles, including at the legal services firm DWF.

Bloomer is also currently chairman of insurance company the Hiscox Group.

“We are deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic event,” Hiscox CEO Aki Hussain said in a statement sent to NPR. “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.”  

#Palermo , naufragio imbarcazione a Porticello: proseguono da parte dei #vigilidelfuoco le ricerche delle 6 persone segnalate come disperse. Giunti da Cagliari, Sassari e Roma i #sommozzatori speleo [ #19agosto 19:30] pic.twitter.com/7WY30ckxcK — Vigili del Fuoco (@vigilidelfuoco) August 19, 2024

What happened to the yacht?

The gathering took place aboard a massive sailing yacht called Bayesian — a term that, in mathematics and statistics, refers to probability and uncertainty. The yacht’s overall length is listed at 55.9 meters (183 feet).

The Bayesian was off the coast of Porticello when it was swamped by a violent storm before dawn on Monday morning. Numerous eyewitness accounts cited a waterspout — a highly localized spiraling storm that’s essentially a marine tornado. Around that time, the Bayesian was located in the Tyrrhenian Sea, according to the Marine Traffic tracking site.

The ship, which had 22 people aboard, sank. In the aftermath, 15 people were rescued, but one died and six were unaccounted for.  

What about the rescue effort?

Helicopters and marine craft have been searching for any sign of the passengers, hoping to find more survivors. Sea and cave divers have also been part of the effort.

Italy’s fire brigade, Vigili del Fuoco, says it is working on a plan for divers to enter the sunken vessel. An initial attempt on Monday was cut short after divers were able to gain only limited access , citing furniture that blocked a passageway.

When asked about the possibility of finding any other survivors of the calamity, Comandante Vincenzo Zagarola of the Italian Coast Guard told radio station RTL 102.5 on Tuesday that given how much time has elapsed, it’s difficult to imagine a good outcome for the missing passengers. But, he said, the search will continue.

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Ex-charterer takes delivery of 111m Lurssen superyacht TIS

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By Katia Damborsky   13 June 2019

The 111m/364ft megayacht TIS  has been delivered to her owner, leaving Lurssen's facilities yesterday afternoon to make her maiden voyage to the Mediterranean.

After launching last year and completing sea trials in the North Sea, TIS  been delivered to her owner and is making her way to the Mediterranean in time for the summer season. The journey is expected to take five days. 

The ex-charterer was able to give significant input into the creation of his new build, thanks to seven years experience chartering some of the finest superyachts on in the international fleet.

It is reported that he was able to make contributions to a myriad of design elements, and had specific ideas about the types of special features, amenities and layout which would best suit his mammoth megayacht.

The owner’s influence over the design of his superyacht highlights the importance of undertaking private yacht charters before making the jump to ownership. It is believed that over 60 per cent of people who commission new superyachts are previous charter clients.

Spread across six decks, the exterior and interior design of the motor yacht are the work of Winch Design. Designed with family in mind, the superyacht boasts plenty of stand-out features including a 12-metre swimming pool on the upper deck aft, a resort-inspired spa and palatial central staircase.

It is believed that over 60 per cent of people who commission new superyachts are previous charter clients.

What’s more, she will feature twin helipads for arriving and departing in style and a tender garage with the capacity to house two 13m tenders, two 10m tenders, a submarine and an array of other cutting-edge toys. There is plenty of accommodation for up to 22 guests, which includes an enormous private owner’s deck.

The Lurssen-built superyacht currently ranks number 33 in the World’s Top 100 Superyachts, giving Lurssen a total of 30 yachts on the leaderboard, including the world's longest: the 181m/593ft superyacht AZZAM .

As of yet, it is not known whether M/Y TIS will join the charter fleet; we would like to hope so, considering her owner is evidently an avid charterer.

If you would like to discover more about chartering a Lurssen superyacht , please get in touch with your preferred charter broker .

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Who’s Missing From Sunken Yacht? Tech Mogul Mike Lynch and 5 Others.

Mr. Lynch, the former chief executive of the software firm Autonomy, who was acquitted on fraud charges in June, was with friends and family when the yacht went down in a severe storm.

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By Michael J. de la Merced

Michael de la Merced reported on Mike Lynch’s career and legal battles over the course of 13 years across two continents.

A cruise on the Mediterranean Sea aboard a superyacht was supposed to be a celebratory event for the British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch , who was acquitted in June of fraud charges tied to the sale of his company, Autonomy, to the tech giant Hewlett-Packard.

Instead, it turned into a disaster after the yacht, a 180-foot boat called the Bayesian, sank off the coast of Sicily in a violent storm. Of the 22 passengers aboard, 15 were rescued, one body was recovered and six were still missing. Search operations at the site of the sunken yacht were continuing on Tuesday.

Here’s what we know about the passengers.

Mike Lynch and his family

Mr. Lynch, 59, is a British software entrepreneur who had once been described as his country’s Bill Gates. He founded the software firm Autonomy, which analyzed clients’ unorganized data, and turned it into one of the most prominent British technology companies of its time. He became a widely known corporate leader, who advised David Cameron, the British prime minister at the time, and joined the board of the BBC.

In 2011, Mr. Lynch sold Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion, which was far above its market value, earning him hundreds of millions. But HP investors almost immediately soured on the transaction, and the American tech giant quickly fired its chief executive — and then Mr. Lynch.

HP later accused Mr. Lynch of misleading it about the state of Autonomy’s business, setting off a decade-long legal ordeal for the British executive, who denied the accusations. U.S. prosecutors charged him and other executives with fraud, and Autonomy’s chief financial officer was convicted in 2018.

Despite appeals to the British government, Mr. Lynch was extradited to the United States last year and was confined to a townhouse in San Francisco ahead of his criminal trial, which began in March. Facing the possibility of decades in prison if convicted, Mr. Lynch and another colleague were instead acquitted of all charges.

Mr. Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, 57, accompanied him on the yacht, and she was rescued on Monday when it sank. She was a consistent presence at his trial in the United States. Records show that she controlled Revtom, the company listed as the owner of the Bayesian.

Hannah Lynch, Mr. Lynch and Ms. Bacares’s 18-year-old daughter, was also on the yacht and was among those who were still missing.

The other guests

Among those unaccounted for is Jonathan Bloomer, 70, chair of Morgan Stanley’s international arm and the chairman of Hiscox, an insurance provider that trades on the London Stock Exchange. His wife, Judy Bloomer, 71, is also listed as missing.

“Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular the Bloomer family, as we all wait for further news from this terrible situation,” Morgan Stanley said in a statement.

Christopher J. Morvillo, 59, a New York-based partner at the international law firm Clifford Chance, is also among those missing. A former federal prosecutor who comes from a family of prominent lawyers, Mr. Morvillo represented Mr. Lynch during his criminal trial in San Francisco. His wife, Neda, 57, was with him on the yacht and is also among those confirmed as missing.

“We are in shock and deeply saddened by this tragic incident,” a representative of Clifford Chance said in a statement.

Survivors include Charlotte Golunski, a partner at Mr. Lynch’s venture firm, Invoke Capital; Ms. Golunski’s husband, James Emslie; and their 1-year-old daughter Sophie. Also rescued were Ayla Ronald, a lawyer at Clifford Chance, and her partner, Matthew Fletcher.

The yacht had a crew of 10. The body of the chef, Recaldo Thomas, was recovered from the water, the Sicilian Civil Protection Department said.

Elisabetta Povoledo contributed reporting, and Kitty Bennett and Susan Campbell Beachy contributed research.

Michael J. de la Merced has covered global business and finance news for The Times since 2006. More about Michael J. de la Merced

UK's Mike Lynch missing after yacht sinks off Sicily, source says

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Internet services were cut off and schools were closed for a second straight day in a town near India's financial capital Mumbai on Wednesday, as protests over the alleged sexual abuse of two, four-year old girls intensified, media said.

Who was onboard tech mogul Mike Lynch's Bayesian yacht?

Topic: Disasters, Accidents and Emergency Incidents

Six people are missing, including a man dubbed the British Bill Gates, after a luxury yacht sank off the Sicilian coast.

British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch — freshly acquitted from a decade-long trial — had invited his work colleagues aboard a trip through the Mediterranean coast when a freak storm saw the yacht sink within moments.

Fifteen people escaped from the sinking vessel. The search for the missing continues.

Here's what we know so far: 

What happened?

The Italian coastguard said the yacht — the Bayesian — was anchored off the shore of port city Porticello, near the Sicilian capital Palermo, when it was hit by bad weather sometime after 4am on Monday, local time. 

Eyewitnesses said it vanished quickly beneath the waves shortly before dawn.

Managers of the sailing vessel Bayesian, Camper & Nicholsons, confirmed to the ABC that the Bayesian encountered severe weather and subsequently sank. 

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

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

Sicily's civil protection agency head, Salvo Cocina, said a waterspout — a tornado over the water — could have struck the yacht.

"They were in the wrong place at the wrong time," Mr Cocina added. 

Storms and heavy rainfall had swept down Italy in recent days after weeks of scorching heat, lifting the temperature of the Mediterranean Sea to record levels and raising the risk of extreme weather conditions, experts told Reuters.

"The sea surface temperature around Sicily was around 30 degrees Celsius, which is almost 3 degrees more than normal. This creates an enormous source of energy that contributes to these storms," meteorologist Luca Mercalli said.

Rescuers recover the body of one of the people aboard the Bayesian.  ( AP: Lucio Ganci )

Captain Karsten Borner of the Sir Robert Baden Powell vessel told journalists he noticed the Bayesian nearby during the storm, but after it calmed he saw a red flare and realised the ship had simply disappeared.

Mr Borner said he and a crew member boarded their tender and found a lifeboat with 15 people, some of them injured, who they then took aboard and alerted the coast guard.

Search crews, including helicopters and divers, are continuing to search the wreckage, lying at a depth of 49 metres.

Specialist divers reached the ship on Monday but access was limited due to objects in the way, the fire brigade said.

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch is deploying a team of four inspectors to Italy to conduct a preliminary assessment.

The Foreign Commonwealth and Development office said it was "providing consular support to a number of British nationals and their families".

Sicilian prosecutors have also opened an investigation into the event. 

Who is missing?

Lawyer Chris Morvillo (left), entrepreneur Mike Lynch, and Morgan Stanley chairman Jonathan Bloomer are among the missing. 

There were 12 passengers and 10 crew members aboard the yacht. 

Mr Cocina said the crew and passengers hailed from a variety of countries, including Britain, the United States, Antigua, France, Germany, Ireland, Myanmar, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Spain.

Of the 22, one man is confirmed dead and another six people are still missing. 

They are believed to be inside the hull, fire rescue spokesperson Luca Cari said.

Fabio Cefalù, a fisherman who said he responded to a flare from the vessel but found it sunk, said he stayed at the site for three hours without finding anyone.

"I think they are inside, all the missing people," he said.

Rescue teams recovered the body of the yacht's onboard chef on Monday, identified as Antiguan citizen Ricardo Thomas.

The still missing people include: 

• Mr Lynch's 18-year-old daughter, Hannah 
• Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of global financial services company Morgan Stanley International
• Chris Morvillo , a lawyer at the British multinational law firm Clifford Chance. He worked on Mr Lynch's lawsuit against Hewlett-Packard
• The identities of the remaining two missing are still unconfirmed

Who was rescued? 

Fifteen people escaped from the sinking ship. 

Eight have been hospitalised and others were taken to a nearby hotel.

Charlotte Golunski was among those rescued, recalling the harrowing moments she held her child Sofia above the waves.  ( Supplied: Facebook  )

Among those rescued were:

• Mr Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, who was the owner of the yacht
• Charlotte Golunski and her one-year-old daughter, Sofia. Ms Golunski is a partner at Mr Lynch's firm, Invoke Capital. She says she momentarily lost hold of Sofia in the water but managed to hold her up above the waves until the lifeboat was inflated
• Ms Golunski's husband James Emslie
• New Zealand captain of the yacht James Catfield. He told Italian newspaper La Repubblica the crew didn't see the storm coming
• A lone Dutch citizen was identified by the Dutch foreign ministry as being rescued, but was not identified

Who is Mike Lynch?

Mr Lynch, once hailed as Britain’s king of technology, was recently freed from a Silicon Valley lawsuit that tarnished his legacy. 

The 59-year-old Cambridge-educated mathematician created Autonomy , a search engine that could pore through emails and other internal business documents to help companies find vital information more quickly. 

He received the OBE for his innovation in 2006. 

He then sold the software to Hewlett-Packard (HP) for $US11 billion ($16 billion) in 2011, with Mr Lynch personally netting $US800 million. 

HP valued Autonomy at $US46 billion ($68 billion) in the months leading up to the deal.

Mike Lynch in 2019 leaving the High Court in London.  ( Reuters: Henry Nicholls/File Photo )

But the deal quickly turned sour after he was accused of forging the software's financial records to make the sale.

As part of a decades-long legal battle against HP, Mr Lynch was extradited to the UK on criminal fraud charges. 

He steadfastly denied any wrongdoing, asserting that he was being made a scapegoat for HP's own bungling. 

He was eventually cleared of all charges in June this year. 

Although he avoided a possible prison sentence, Lynch still faced a bill from a civil case in London that HP mostly won during 2022. Damages haven't been determined in that case, but HP is seeking $US4 billion. 

Following the San Francisco trial, Mr Lynch said he would return to the UK and do what he loved most: "[being with] my family and innovating in my field."

The holiday appeared to be something of a celebration after Mr Lynch's acquittal, with guests including some of the people who had stood by Lynch throughout the ordeal.

This picture shows the rescue operations off the Sicilian coast.  ( AP: Italian Coast Guard  )

In a separate act of tragedy, Mr Lynch's co-defendant in the trial, Stephen Chamberlain, died on Monday, after a road accident left him critically injured.

Mr Chamberlain — Autonomy's former vice-president of finance alongside Mr Lynch — was hit by a car in Cambridgeshire on Saturday morning and had been placed on life support. 

What is the Bayesian?

The luxury yacht is 56m long sailboat, with a 75m mast labelled as the tallest aluminium mast in the world.

It was previously named Salute when it flew under a Dutch flag.

The yacht, built in 2008 by the Italian firm Perini Navi, can accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites and a crew of 10, according to online specialist yacht sites. It was last refitted in 2020.

Online charter sites listed it for rent for up to 195,000 euros (about $AU 321,000) a week. 

This picture taken on Sunday shows the Bayesian (left) and the Duch sailboat Sir Robert Baden Powell anchored off the coast line.   ( AP: Fabio La Bianca/Baia Santa Nicolicchia )

The ship also won a string of awards for its design. 

Ms Golunski said the yacht had travelled through the Aeolian Islands, Milazzo and Cefalù before sinking. 

It is likely the yacht's name would resonate with Mr Lynch because his PhD thesis and the software that made his fortune was based on Bayesian theory.

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• Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/what-we-know-about-the-luxury-yacht-that-sunk-off-the-coast-of-sicily

What we know about the luxury yacht that sunk off the coast of Sicily

PORTICELLO, Sicily (AP) — Specialist cave divers working in 12-minute underwater shifts were searching Tuesday for six missing passengers and crew, including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, believed to be in the submerged wreck of a luxury yacht that was slammed by a powerful storm and swiftly sank off Sicily.

The sleek yacht, named the Bayesian, was carrying a crew of 10 people and 12 passengers when it suddenly sank near the Mediterranean island that is part of Italy at about 4 a.m. on Monday. One body has been recovered and 15 people survived.

Fire rescue officials have said the six believed to remain in the sailboat’s hull will be considered missing until they are located in the wreckage.

Here’s what we know so far about the sinking and those who were on board.

What happened?

Italian civil protection officials believe a sudden and fierce storm that battered the coast of Sicily in the early hours of Monday whipped up a waterspout in the exact spot where the 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged Bayesian was moored.

Karsten Borner, the captain of another yacht moored nearby, said he saw the Bayesian during the storm but when the wild weather passed it was gone and he saw only a red flare lighting the night sky, ANSA and the Giornale di Sicilia newspaper reported.

Borner and one of his crew boarded their tender and found a lifeboat carrying 15 people, some of them injured. They took them aboard their yacht and alerted the coast guard.

Rescue authorities said the wreck was resting at a depth of 50 meters (163 feet) about a half mile offshore of the picturesque fishing village of Porticello.

Who was on board?

Among the missing is 59-year-old tech tycoon Mike Lynch, sometimes described as the British Bill Gates. Lynch was acquitted in June of all charges in a U.S. fraud trial linked to the $11 billion sale of his software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011.

Lynch still faced a potentially huge bill stemming from a civil case in London that HP mostly won during 2022. Damages haven’t been determined in that case, but HP is seeking $4 billion. Lynch made more than $800 million from the Autonomy sale.

A Cambridge-educated mathematician, Lynch made his name running Autonomy, which made a search engine that could pore through emails and other internal business documents to help companies find vital information more quickly.

Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter Hannah was reportedly among the missing. His wife, Angela Bacares, and 14 other people survived.

Among others still missing Tuesday, according to the civil protection agency, were one of Lynch’s U.S. lawyers, Christopher Morvillo of Clifford Chance, and Morvillo’s wife, Neda. Morvillo was regarded as an elite defense lawyer and was also a federal prosecutor in New York after 9/11.

Also missing was Jonathan Bloomer, the non-executive chairman of Morgan Stanley International, and his wife, Judy. He is the former head of the Autonomy audit committee and testified for the defense at Lynch’s trial.

Bloomer was also chair of the Hiscox Group, an insurer that does business on the Lloyd’s of London market.

“We are deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic event,” Hiscox CEO Aki Hussain said in a statement. “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.”

Among the survivors was Charlotte Golunski, who said she momentarily lost hold of her 1-year-old daughter Sofia in the water, but then managed to grab her and 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.

The Dutch foreign ministry said a Dutch man survived. The ministry, citing privacy, did not release his identity.

One body was recovered on Monday, identified as the on-board chef.

What is the Bayesian?

The Bayesian was a luxury yacht built in 2008 by the Italian firm Perini Nav. It was known for its single 75-meter (246-feet) aluminum mast — one of the world’s tallest. Online charter sites listed it for rent for up to 195,000 euros (about $215,000) a week.

Its registered owner is listed as Revtom Ltd., based on the Isle of Man, according to online maritime database Equasis. Lynch’s wife is listed as Revtom’s sole owner, according to corporate registration documents from the Isle of Man.

The yacht’s name is an apparent reference to “Bayesian inference,” one of the two main approaches to statistical machine learning and the one that was used by Autonomy.

What is a waterspout?

Waterspouts are tornadoes that form over water and can happen when a storm moves across warm water. According to the U.S. National Ocean Service, there are two types of waterspouts — fair-weather and tornadic.

Tornadic waterspouts “have the same characteristics as a land tornado. They are associated with severe thunderstorms, and are often accompanied by high winds and seas, large hail, and frequent dangerous lightning,” the service says on its website.

While scientists haven’t attributed the specific event to climate change, average monthly surface temperatures have been at record highs for months. Hotter air can hold more moisture, making heavier storms more likely.

Sicily has been baking under intense heat this summer, and the United Nations’ panel of climate change experts notes the Mediterranean is particularly vulnerable to climate change, with warming rates roughly 20% higher than the global average.

What happens next?

As the search for the missing continues, authorities already have begun trying to piece together exactly what happened.

Prosecutors from the Sicilian town of Termini Imerese have opened an investigation, as is normal in such events even when no suspects are identified. To date, they have not commented publicly.

The British Marine Accident Investigation Branch said four of its inspectors were being deployed to Palermo.

Corder reported from The Hague, Netherlands.

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