Ultra-Luxury Sailing Yacht Lost Overboard During Freighter Transit

The award-winning superyacht My Song partially sank last weekend after falling off the deck of a freighter during transport, according to yacht logistics company Peters & May. 

The yacht went over the side at about 0400 hours local time on Sunday during a transit to Genoa, Italy. Peters & May asked the master of the freighter, the 12,500 dwt Brattingsborg, to attempt a salvage while professional salvors were contracted. The Brattingsborg stood by until other assets were on scene, then returned to her commercial voyage. Salvage attempts were still ongoing as of Tuesday; photos leaked from the scene showed the My Song partially submerged. 

No other yachts on the Brattingsborg were affected by the incident, and Peters & May CEO David Holley took the unusual step of issuing a public statement about the circumstances of the casualty. The firm is usually circumspect about its operations and clients, but Holley said that he felt compelled to address ongoing speculation about the cause of the incident. 

"Our reputation is second to none and we will not have it tarnished by unqualified individuals passing judgement without facts in hand," he said. "The primary assessment is that the yacht’s cradle (owned and provided by the yacht, warrantied by the yacht for sea transport and assembled by the yacht’s crew) collapsed during the voyage from Palma to Genoa and subsequently resulted in the loss of My Song overboard. I will add that this is the initial assessment and is subject to confirmation in due course." 

Peters & May requested that the statement be made available in full, and it may be found in its entirety here. 

The carbon-fiber-hulled My Song is an advanced 130-foot sailing yacht built for a combination of cruising and racing, and she is owned by Italian fashion magnate Pier Luigi Loro Piana. She is fitted with accommodations for eight, a retractable stern thruster, a 150-foot mast and a set of carbon fiber sails for racing - enough canvas to propel her to a top speed of 30 knots. Last year, My Song set a speed record for the RORC Transatlantic Race, finishing the 3,000-nm trip in about 10.25 days. She was on her way to compete in a regatta sponsored by Mr. Loro Piana at the time of the casualty.