Multimillion-Dollar Superyachts Gutted by Fire

A fire in the harbor of Marmaris, Turkey earlier this week gutted two large superyachts and caused multiple nearby vessels to depart the marina for safety.

The 240-foot The One and the 170-foot Barbie were said to be worth roughly $30 million and $20 million respectively, for a combined value high enough to buy a newbuild Capesize bulker in today's market.

Reports say that the fire broke out on the iconic, Jon Bannenberg-designed The One and spread to Barbie overnight. Firefighters battled the blaze for four hours; efforts included simultaneously pumping firefighting water from the vessels' hulls to maintain their stability.

The U.K.'s Daily Mail suggests that the 2006-built Barbie was owned by Unal Aysal, former president of the Galatasaray S.K. football club.

The One started out as Carinthia VI, and her original design from 1972 – controversial at the time – is credited by many as a major influence on the generations of superyachts to follow. She was refitted in 1993 and was reportedly owned by an Italian real estate magnate at the time of the fire.

Social media commentary suggested that the fire started in an electrical installation on The One, and that crew attempted to combat the blaze without success.

Dramatic photos of the vessels courtesy Antibes Yacht Crew are available here.

The fire was the possibly most significant involving a superyacht since the 2013 burning and sinking of the 120-foot Seafaris off Cape Tribulation, north of Cairns, Australia. Eight passengers and eight crew all escaped safely from the Seafaris incident, but the sinking did result in oil pollution off the coast.