Salvage Complexities Delay Raising of Lost Superyacht Bayesian
The raising of the lost superyacht Bayesian, which went down off Sicily last year with the loss of seven lives, has been temporarily postponed to wait for better weather and approval of a final salvage plan. The hull is considered a piece of evidence in an ongoing criminal investigation, and the local prosecutor has placed unusual physical preservation restrictions on the salvage process, adding to the technical complexities of raising a vessel from deep water.
Bayesian (ex name Salute) was a 180-foot aluminum-hulled sailing yacht built in 2008. The vessel was known for her single aluminum mast, at one point the tallest of its kind in the world.
The giant sailing yacht went down in a sudden and extreme windstorm at about 0500 on August 19, 2024. Local residents reported seeing a waterspout in the harbor, then a flare set off by Bayesian's crew. 15 passengers and crew were rescued minutes after the sinking; one deceased crewmember was pulled from the water, and six deceased passengers were recovered from belowdecks cabins, including owner Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah. The vessel came to rest in 160 feet of water, accessible by divers but only for limited intervals.
The shipbuilder denies any possibility of technical faults with the yacht's design or construction, and has insisted that it was an "unsinkable" vessel. Instead, the firm's owner accused the crew of "incredible mistakes" leading to the yacht's loss, and later sued the New York Times for its reporting on certain elements of the vessel's design.
Local prosecutors in Sicily are also looking into the possibility of crew error, and are pursuing the matter using their authority to levy criminal charges (rather than through civil or administrative proceedings). Crewmembers Tim Eaton and Matthew Griffith are under investigation, which could result in possible charges of manslaughter and negligent shipwreck. Griffith was on watch the night of the casualty, and Eaton was the vessel's engineer. The yacht's master, New Zealand citizen James Cutfield, 51, is also under investigation.
Bayesian's wreckage is considered evidence in this criminal inquiry, and the prosecutor has asked the salvage team - led by the vessel's P&I insurer - to adhere to unusual requirements. The record-setting aluminum mast, which extends 230 feet above deck level and weighs an estimated 20-plus tonnes, must be kept intact during the salvage operation. According to Giornale di Sicilia, the office also insists that the salvors cannot pump out the vessel's fuel tanks before raising the wreck, a standard precaution to reduce the risk of a spill.
The salvage plan is not yet finalized, but its basic outline calls for parbuckling the vessel, bringing it fully upright. At this point in the evolution, if the Bayesian's rigging is kept fully intact, the tip of the gigantic mast would protrude out of the water by about 70 feet with the hull still resting on the bottom 160 feet below. The vessel would then be raised using a floating crane for hoisting and airbags for floatation.
Once the final plan is agreed, the operation will likely begin in springtime. The original plan called for a January-February timetable, but the winter weather off Sicily is considered unfavorable for a delicate salvage operation. The delay may push back the inquest into the cause of death for the seven victims, which was scheduled for April.