The superyacht that wrecked off the coast of Sicily this month, killing British technology tycoon Mike Lynch and six other people, could only have sunk due to human error, The Guardian reports.
The Bayesian is believed to have been hit by a squall – gusty winds during a storm – causing the vessel to capsize and sink within minutes. Among the victims were Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah. Fifteen people survived, including Lynch’s wife, whose company owned the Bayesian vessel. Giovanni Costantino, chief executive of the Italian Sea Group, which owns the Bayesian’s manufacturer, Perini Navi, said:
The first thought when I read the news of the sinking was that there was a problem related to the management of the boat or the fact that the hull may have hit a rock. But when the passengers declared they had not heard a loud noise onboard, which would have meant that the yacht had struck a reef, I realised the yacht had taken on water due to a hatch that was left open. Otherwise the Bayesian cannot sink.
Italian prosecutors have declared three crew members under investigation for manslaughter and shipwreck, including the yacht’s captain, James Cutfield, 51, from New Zealand. The Italian investigation does not imply guilt and no formal charges will follow.
The yacht was built by Perini in 2008 and named Salute. Lynch purchased her in 2014 and renamed her Bayesian, in honour of the 18th century mathematician Thomas Bayes, whose work on probability theory formed the basis of Lynch’s professional thinking.
Perini Navi was founded in 1983 and filed for bankruptcy in February 2021. In December that year, Italy’s Sea Group acquired the brand and several Perini properties for €80m (£67m). Costantino’s company is not responsible for vessels built by Perini Navi prior to its acquisition, including Bayesian.
Following the incident, Costantino studied Bayesian’s sea routes that night, reviewed a weather bulletin predicting an approaching storm and examined CCTV footage capturing the sinking vessel’s final moments. He said:
The strong wind arrived at 3.50 a,m. Up until that moment, the Bayesian was still anchored. From 3.50 to 4.03, the ship moved as it was dragged by the wind, tilting towards the side where there is a lateral hatch that leads to the garage [where jetskis, inflatables and other water sports kit is stored]. In the garage, there is another door leading to the engine room. If that door was open, it means that water has also entered the engine room, causing the inevitable sinking.
The ship’s engineer Tim Parker Eaton, who was in charge of the engine room, and sailor Matthew Griffith are also under investigation.
Result of human error
Italian prosecutors have suggested that the sinking may have been the result of human error, but officials have also noted that it would be problematic to conduct a thorough investigation without recovering the wreck.
Costantino said vessels like the Bayesian should be able to float even if one compartment is flooded. he said:
I can tell you with certainty that the ship took on water in these 13 minutes. It took on water not only flooding the garage but also the engine room.
In recent days, experts, sailors and captains have speculated about possible flaws in the management of the incident or the ship that may have led to the sinking. However, they emphasise that these are only speculations and the families of the victims will have to wait until the investigation is complete to understand what happened.
