Misfortunate Yacht Adventures
#13.
The sinking of the Sunseeker Manhattan 50
The Sunseeker Manhattan 50 is a yacht that sails the waters of Ibiza and Mallorca in
Spain.
On Friday, September 18, 2015, the yacht happened to sink off the coast of Ibiza when it hit
a submerged reef.
Although the underwater rock formation was listed on the charts, it didn't have a buoy
marking it, and so the Sunseeker Manhattan 50 sailed directly into it.
As it went down, the two charter customers on board at the time got off on a dinghy.
Lucky for them, they got away without any injuries.
Luckily, the yacht was fully insured.
Salvage firm Nautica Castavi was called to the scene between the Balearic Islands of
Ibiza and Formentera.
One of the salvage divers recorded footage of the dive for insurance purposes.
In the end, the Sunseeker Manhattan 50 was successfully refloated on September 20, with
no diesel spillage or oil contamination recorded.
#12.
M/Y Aloha sinks off the Greek island of Mykonos
As hinted at in the name, it was built for a private client by the Italian shipbuilders,
Custom line.
It had five cabins that could accommodate as many as ten guests.
A brand-new model of the same kind of superyacht would cost close to 11 million dollars.
However, the M/Y aloha was five years old and, as such, had a value that had fallen
to 6 million dollars
On August 24, 2015, the superyacht sank off the coast of Mykonos, Greece, which is a popular
tourists island.
What happened was that it ran aground of a reef between two popular tourist resorts.
Unfortunately, the yacht itself made a beeline for the ocean floor, erasing any chance of
being salvaged.
Port officials launched an investigation into the incident, although their findings have
yet to be disclosed.
#11.
Fire Destroys the Reine d Azur
On August 11, 2021, around 4:30 am, the 95-foot M/Y Reine d'Azur, which was anchored off the
west coast of Port-Cros, burst into flames.
The Mediterranean Regional Operational Surveillance and Rescue Center was alerted soon after the
fire started.
And, they promptly started to coordinate rescue efforts.
There were seven guests and three crew members aboard the Reine d'Azur.
Luckily, they were all evacuated to safety, and no injuries were reported.
The fire caused the yacht to drift away from the west coast of Port-Cros, towards Ile du
Levant.
The fire was eventually controlled by 10:30 am, and it was finally extinguished by 1:00
pm.
However, two days later, on August 13, the yacht started to sink around 7:00 am.
The remaining hull was retrieved and taken to a sandy, sheltered area for its safety.
Signs of diesel contamination were also confirmed from perforation studies, prompting control
measures against the spread of the contamination.
The cause of the fire was not known at the time.
#10.
Malizia Runs Aground in Stromboli
Built by the Italian shipbuilder Perini Navi, the 82-foot S/Y Malizia ran aground in Stromboli,
Italy, on August 11, 2021.
The yacht was on charter after departing from Trapani and was planning to cruise the Aeolian
Islands.
When the incident happened, there were five guests and three crew members aboard the vessel.
However, they were all rescued without any casualties recorded.
What happened was that the controls and the navigation of the ship were compromised.
In addition to this, the propeller shaft broke, and water penetrated through the hull inlet.
The ship has since been recovered, with repairs planned.
#9.
Sailing yacht Phocea sinks after fire
Previously known as the Enigma, the 250-foot superyacht Phocea sunk off the coast of Malaysia
after catching fire.
Malaysian coast guard reported that it sunk around on February 19, 2021.
The Phocea, which was the ninth-largest sailing vessel in the world, was filmed on fire under
strong wind conditions after getting discovered by a local patrol vessel.
Though efforts were made to control the fire, the hull damage was too extensive, causing
the Phocea to sink.
The seven crewmen of the Phocea were rescued without complications.
Investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the fire.
#8.
Superyacht Go collides with Sint Maarten dock
On February 25, 2021, the 235-foot turquoise superyacht Go collided with the Sint Maarten
dock in the Caribbean.
The cause of the crash is reported to be a computer malfunction.
The Go, owned by a billionaire, is estimated to cost about 90.5 million dollars.
It is owned by the 79-year-old Capri Sun juice tycoon Hans Peter Wild.
On collision with the Sint Maarten dock, the Go tore through it as well as a concrete wall
just beyond.
The entire incident was caught on video.
Since then, the Sint Maarten Yacht Club's dock has been closed until further notice
while the extent of the damage is assessed.
#7.
Pamela IV Catches Fire in Sanremo
On February 27, 2020, a violent fire broke out at the Di Mola shipyard in the Port of
Sanremo in Italy.
The police, coastguard, an ambulance, and a number of firefighters attended the scene,
struggling to contain the situation.
Drone footage revealed that the 50-year-old 100-foot-long ship, Pamela IV, was on fire.
No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire was unknown.
The fire was so crazy that it was captured on multiple cameras from different points
of view.
Videos have been posted all over the internet as an investigation goes on.
#6.
Svea Collides with Topaz During the Superyacht Challenge Antigua
On March 20, 2020, during a superyacht sailing event, two yachts, the Svea and the Topaz
collided with each other.
The event happened off the coast of Antigua, an island in the Caribbean.
The 143-foot Svea was caught riding over the stern of the 140-foot Topaz, resulting in
the injury of three crew members.
According to investigations, the Svea yacht was responsible for the collisions for failing
to keep clear as the port tack boat.
It was also impossible for the Topaz to avoid the collision.
Following the dramatic collision, both yachts retired from the race.
#5.
Cargo Ship Carrying Superyachts Lists in Palma
On June 8, 2020, a large cargo ship carrying five superyachts listed in the port of Palma
de Mallorca in Spain.
Listing is a nautical term to describe when a vessel takes on water and tilts to one side.
A ship can list either leftward, to port, or rightward, to starboard.
In extreme cases, listing can lead the entire vessel to capsize.
Although, thankfully, that isn't what happened here.
The entire incident was caused by an electrical fault on the semi-submersible vessel Super
Servant 4.
Two tugboats were called to assist the vessel before the electrical fault was solved and
the listing was reduced.
The five superyachts onboard only sustained minor damage.
#4.
Fire Breaks Out On Board Superyacht Lady MM
On August 26, 2020, around 6 am, a distress signal was sounded out from the 157-Foot superyacht
Lady MM to Olbia Coast Guard.
The Italian coast guard officials responded quickly, dispatching two SAR patrol boats
to assist alongside a coast guard helicopter.
A severe fire had broken out on the superyacht.
All 17 people on board the lady MM, including nine crew and eight
guests, evacuated the yacht, and all successfully reached the coast via a tender.
#3.
Superyacht My Song Falls From transport Ship
On May 26, 2019, off the coast of Palma, Italy, a 131-foot superyacht known as My Song fell
off a transportation vessel known as Brattinsborg and into the sea.
My Song's cradle had collapsed, causing it to detach from the transport ship and sink.
The vessel had been on the way to a superyacht competition at the time, which it had competed
in and won the year before.
Although efforts to salvage the ship from the sea proved successful, by then, it was
too late.
The damage had been extensive, causing the owner of My Song to put out a statement declaring
that it was too far gone.
#2.
Storm destroys hundreds of yachts in Rapallo
On October 30, 2018, a storm ravaged the Italian town of Rapallo, destroying hundreds of yachts
in the process.
Heavy rain, high winds, and waves up to 30 feet high battered the coastline overnight,
causing many yachts to break away from their berths and causing millions of dollars in
damage.
There were about 400 yachts docked on the coastline at the time of the storm.
Out of this figure, about half the yachts were destroyed.
Images of the dock were released after the storm, showing a number of yachts half-sunk
in the sea.
#1.
Death of Jacob Nichol
Hailing from Cornwall, UK, Jacob Nichol died during the summer of 2017 while cleaning a
superyacht that belonged to Russian billionaire Alexander Mamut, although he was not on board
at the time.
He was 24 years old at the time.
The superyacht had been docked in a Majorcan port in Spain.
Jacob Nichol was working as the yacht's third assistant engineer.
on the day of his death, Jacob had been tasked with cleaning the ship.
He had been hanging in the harness while performing that task when he fell and fractured his skull.
The fall did not kill him instantly.
Instead, he remained in a coma for ten days before passing.
Would you rather work at sea for 5 years and not be able to see your family or pay $10
daily to never set foot on a ship in your life?