Superyacht boss asks why Bayesian crew were not in ‘state of alert’ for storm
The boss of a firm which makes and sells vessels like Mike Lynch’s sunken superyacht has questioned why its crew were not in a “state of alert” when a storm hit.
Giovanni Costantino, CEO of The Italian Sea Group, which owns the company that makes the Perini vessels, told Sky News they “are absolutely safe”, suggesting human error was behind the boat going down.
He said the “event” that capsized the British-flagged luxury yacht Bayesian off the coast of Porticello, Sicily, on Monday “could have been managed with an average amount of attention”.
Follow latest: Five bodies identified
“There are a whole series of operations that highlight a chain of negative events that were negatively managed on board,” he said.
“The first is why the ship and the crew were not in a state of alert, given the storm from the weather charts that everyone could read and in particular had to be read by the ship’s bridge guard, the event was absolutely readable and expected.”
He said the yacht’s crew should have been in a state of “alert management”, meaning everyone on board had to be in the main lounge, which is the assembly point, rather than their cabins.
No one should have been on deck, while the captain, James Cutfield, should have been inside with the engines to manage the ship, he said.
“The ship, both the hull and the quarterdeck, all the openings, were supposed to be closed,” he added.
Pic: Perini Navi/The Italian Sea Group
No official cause has been given for why the boat sank as powerful winds battered the area overnight and reports of waterspouts, which are like tornados that form over water.
Some experts have speculated the vessel may have taken on water from a freak wave through open hatches or doors or capsized as gusts hit the huge mast.
Prosecutors investigating the sinking are continuing to question the survivors, with the captain among those to be interviewed.
Mr Costantino asked: “Why was the ship in that situation? The storm was readable… We must ask ourselves why none of the fishermen in the port of Porticello went out at sea that night? Why did no one go out to sea?
“Everyone knew about the storm. And then, if a fisherman knew, why the commander of a ship of such importance, with guests of such level and importance, with 12 guests on board… Why wasn’t he in an alert situation?”
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The vessel sank in as little as 60 seconds with 22 people on board, 12 passengers and a crew of 10, according to the Italian coastguard.
Six bodies have been found, including British tech tycoon Mr Lynch, while his 18-year-old daughter Hannah is still missing.
Mr Costantino has insisted there are no flaws with the design and construction of the yacht and that the Perini vessels “are the safest in the most absolute sense”, with their structure and keel making them what he called “unsinkable bodies”.
He said news of the sinking “put me in a state of sadness on one side and of disbelief on the other”.
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Four British inspectors are also in Porticello and have begun a preliminary assessment of events.
It is understood they will look at all relevant aspects of the sinking, including the design, stability, and operation of the vessel. They will also examine the effects of the weather conditions experienced.
A spokesperson for the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said: “The MAIB is investigating the foundering of the UK-registered large yacht Bayesian off the northern coast of Sicily on 19 August 2024.
“It would not be appropriate for the MAIB to comment further while the investigation is ongoing.”
Sky News has also contacted Italian investigators, Italy’s coastguard and captain James Cutfield for comment.
A 15-year-old boy has died after “getting into difficulty” in a lake in southeast London, police say.
Officers and paramedics were called shortly after 3pm on Friday to Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham.
The Metropolitan Police said a boy “was recovered from the lake” at around 10.42pm the same day.
“He was taken to hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead. His death is being treated as unexpected but not believed to be suspicious,” according to the force.
The boy’s family has been told and are being supported by specialist officers.
The force originally said the child was 16 years old, but has since confirmed his age as 15.
In the earlier statement, officers said emergency services carried out a search and the park was evacuated.
Emergency teams were called to Beckenham Place Park on Friday afternoon
Beckenham Place Park, which borders the London borough of Bromley, covers around 240 acres, according to the park’s website.
The lake is described as 285 metres long, reaching depths of up to 3.5 metres.
It is designed as a swimming lake for open-water swimming and paddle boarding.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said on Friday: “We were called at 3.02pm this afternoon to reports of a person in the water.
“We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and members of our hazardous area response team.”
Emergency teams have not explained how the boy entered the water, or whether he was accompanied by others.
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