This week, authorities shared some striking video of a 130-foot yacht sinking into the sea off the Italian coast. People aboard had to be rescued before the luxury craft disappeared into the water, and footage and news stories about the incident painted a dramatic picture. But as it turns out, yacht disasters are more common than you might think. Read on to find out what happened here and why you should probably check your insurance coverage if you've recently invested in a superyacht.
In footage taken by the Italian Coast Guard, the large ship is seen listing heavily to its side, then slowly sinking, stern-first, into the Ionian Sea, nine miles off the coast of Italy. The ship was sailing from Gallipoli to Milazzo, Sicily, on Saturday when it began to take on water. The 15-year-old craft contained six staterooms and four cabins for the crew. The Coast Guard rescued nine people—four passengers and five crew members—who were aboard the yacht, which was named MY Saga. The ship was valued at $7.8 million, Bloomberg reported. "In recent days, the Guardia Costiera of Crotone coordinated the rescue operations of passengers and crew of a 40m yacht, which sank 9 miles offshore of Catanzaro Marina," the Coast Guard's tweet read. "An administrative investigation has been launched to identify the causes." Keep reading to see the video.
According to Italy's National Associated Press Agency (ANSA), the ship reported a problem after setting sail from Gallipoli. Boats from the Italian coast guard in Crotone and the European Border and Coast Guard raced to the site. A towing company attempted to rescue the ship via tugboat, but bad weather—and the yacht's tilted position—complicated matters. Ultimately, the rescue was abandoned as "impractical," and the ship sank into the Gulf of Squillace.
It's not every day that a superyacht is lost at sea, but it has been an unusually dicey year for these luxury crafts. According to Super Yacht Times, in 2022, eight yachts have caught fire, three sank, two were attacked, and a 50-meter sailing yacht was hit by a rescue vessel. A celebrity's video of a yacht sinking earlier this year attracted almost 2 million views. Read on to find out whose.
In May, Cardi B posted video of a vacant yacht sinking near a hotel where she was vacationing. "I can't believe I'm watching a yacht sink," she captioned her tweet, which has gotten more than 1.9 million views. In the footage, the rapper shrieked and asked why there wasn't a "big boat that could save it," before bidding the ship "bye-bye" as it vanished beneath the waves.
Just this month, a brand-new superyacht was destroyed in a fire off the coast of Spain. On Aug. 11, the 143-foot superyacht Aria SF burst into flames, and the Spanish Coast Guard rescued seven crew and nine passengers. The craft was owned by Paolo Scuderi, a tourism ambassador for Monaco, who had first sailed the ship in July.
Nei giorni scorsi, la #GuardiaCostiera di #Crotone ha coordinato operazioni di salvataggio di passeggeri ed equipaggio di uno yacht di 40m, affondato a 9 miglia al largo di #CatanzaroMarina.
Avviata inchiesta amministrativa per individuarne le cause. #SAR #AlServizioDegliAltri pic.twitter.com/kezuiivqsM— Guardia Costiera (@guardiacostiera) August 22, 2022
