'Bayesian' Superyacht to be Raised from Ocean Floor this Weekend

Scott Way
18 hours ago
3 min read

A massive salvage operation to recover the "Bayesian" will begin off Sicily this weekend.

A complex salvage operation will unfold this weekend off the coast of Sicily as crews prepare to lift the 56-metre (183-foot) Bayesian superyacht from the ocean floor.

The boat made international headlines last year when it it sank during a violent storm in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Sicily, near the port of Porticello. The tragedy claimed seven lives including British tech billionaire Mike Lynch and his teenage daughter Hannah. There were 15 survivors.

A flurry of theories in the wake of the tragedy suggested the Bayesian was sunk by a waterspout or cyclone, but was also susceptible to capsizing due to its oversized mast. Winds as strong as 144 km/h (90 mph) were recorded on the day of the sinking. The boat's manufacturer, Perini Navi, and it's parent company, The Italian Sea Group, sued The New York Times for defamation over an article suggesting the Bayesian was improperly designed. The allegations have not been proven in court.

The boatbuilders, Italian prosecutors, British marine investigators, and the ship's survivors have all made different claims about how the boat sunk and why. The boat’s captain and two crew members are currently under investigation from Italian authorities.

Now salvage teams are mobilizing near Porticello, a small fishing town, and will attempt to raise the superyacht on Saturday or Sunday before transporting it to Termini Imerese -- a nearby port city serving as the hub for the ongoing Italian investigation. The single mast on the Bayesian, measuring 72 meters (237 feet), was previously cut using a remote-controlled diamond wire cutting system. With the mast removed, the ship turned closer to an upright position after previously resting on its starboard side, allowing divers to more easily secure the hull to be lifted. The salvage operation is expected to cost upwards of £20 million ($26 million USD).

Authorities in both the UK and Italy have underscored the importance of retrieving the vessel intact in order to gain insight into the cause of the sinking.

“After a run of bad luck, there was a little bit of fortune when the mast was removed as the weight shifted and allowed the messenger lines to be thread underneath,” a source involved in the operation told the Daily Mail.

“If it wasn’t for that we would still be looking at lifting her at the same time of the month but now it’s a good week ahead of what was initially thought to be the lifting date.”

The recovery effort has been hampered by further tragedy and a steady stream of challenges. Work was delayed in in May after the death of Dutch diver Rob Huijben during preparations for the lift. As a result, crews have switched to using remote-controlled equipment for most underwater tasks. The Bayesian is sitting in 50 meters (160 feet) of water, with her stern embedded in clay on the seabed, making the cabling process difficult and dangerous.

Beginning this week, divers and technicians are set to install hoses and plugs into fuel tank vents that are now accessible from the starboard side. The vessel will then be tilted upright and lifted using the HEBO LIFT 10, a 5,695-gross-tonne heavy-lift crane vessel regarded as one of the most powerful in Europe. The yacht will then be hoisted using eight steel straps — four of which have already been positioned under the bow.

Once recovered, the Bayesian will be examined by investigators to determine how the storm overwhelmed one of the most advanced sailing yachts of its kind. Other theories have suggested that hatches and doors were left open on the night of the storming, which sped up the sinking once water entered the hull, but the allegations have not been confirmed or proven as a contributing factor.

The Bayesian’s insurer, British Marine, has commissioned London-based marine consultancy group TMC Marine to raise the yacht. It is believed about 70 experts will be involved with the lifting operation.

You can watch a live stream of the Bayesian salvage operation courtesy of The Yacht Report using the link below: