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Lynch Yacht Sinking Off Sicily Proves as Baffling as It Is Tragic

As bodies were recovered, the authorities and experts wondered how a $40 million, stable and secure vessel could have sunk so quickly.

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By Emma Bubola and Michael J. de la Merced

Emma Bubola reported from Porticello, Italy, and Michael J. de la Merced from London.

Two months after being cleared in a bruising legal battle over fraud charges, the British tech mogul Mike Lynch celebrated his freedom with a cruise. He invited his family, friends and part of his legal team on board his luxury sailing yacht, a majestic 180-foot vessel named Bayesian after the mathematical theorem around which he had built his empire.

On Sunday night, after a tour of the Gulf of Naples, including Capri, and volcanic islands in the Eolian archipelago, the boat anchored half a mile off the Sicilian coast in Porticello, Italy. It chose a stretch of water favored by the Phoenicians thousands of years ago for its protection from the mistral wind and, in more recent times, by the yachts of tech billionaires. The boat was lit “like a Christmas tree,” local residents said, standing out against the full moon.

But about 4 a.m., calamity unfolded. A violent and fast storm hit the area with some of the strongest winds locals said they had ever felt. Fabio Cefalù, a fisherman, said he saw a flare pierce the darkness shortly after 4.

Minutes later, the yacht was underwater. Only dozens of cushions from the boat’s deck and a gigantic radar from its mast floated on the surface of the sea, fishermen said.

In all, 22 people were on board, 15 of whom were rescued. Six bodies — five passengers and the ship’s cook — had been recovered by Thursday afternoon, including that of Mr. Lynch, an Italian government official said, adding that the search was continuing for his daughter.

It was a tragic and mystifying turn of events for Mr. Lynch, 59, who had spent years seeking to clear his name and was finally inaugurating a new chapter in his life. Experts wondered how a $40 million yacht, so robust and stable could have been sunk by a storm near a port within minutes.

“It drives me insane,” said Giovanni Costantino, the chief executive of the Italian Sea Group, which in 2022 bought the company, Perini, that made the Bayesian. “Following all the proper procedures, that boat is unsinkable.”

The aura of misfortune only deepened when it emerged that Stephen Chamberlain, 52, a former vice president of finance for Mr. Lynch’s former company and a co-defendant in the fraud case, was killed two days earlier, when he was hit by a car while jogging near his house in England.

Since June, the two men had been in a jubilant mood. A jury in San Francisco had acquitted both on fraud charges that could have sent them to prison for two decades. There were hugs and tears, and they and their legal teams went for a celebratory dinner party at a restaurant in the city, said Gary S. Lincenberg, a lawyer for Mr. Chamberlain.

The sea excursion was meant as a thank-you by Mr. Lynch to those who had helped him in his legal travails. Among the guests was Christopher J. Morvillo, 59, a scion of a prominent New York family of lawyers who had represented Mr. Lynch for 12 years. He and his wife, Neda, 57, were among the missing.

So, too, was Jonathan Bloomer, 70, a veteran British insurance executive who chaired Morgan Stanley International and the insurer Hiscox.

The body of the ship’s cook, Recaldo Thomas, was recovered. All the other crew members survived. Among them was Leo Eppel, 19, of South Africa, who was on his first yacht voyage working as a deck steward, said a friend, who asked not to be identified.

Since the sinking, the recovery effort and investigation have turned the tiny port town of Porticello, a quiet enclave where older men sit bare-chested on balconies, into what feels like the set of a movie.

Helicopters have flown overhead. Ambulances have sped by with the sirens blaring. The Coast Guard has patrolled the waters off shore, within sight of a cordoned-off dock that had been turned into an emergency headquarters.

On Wednesday afternoon, a church bell tolled after the first body bag was loaded into an ambulance, a crowd watching in silence.

The survivors were sheltering in a sprawling resort near Porticello, with a view of the shipwreck spot, and had so far declined to comment.

Attilio Di Diodato, director of the Italian Air Force’s Center for Aerospace Meteorology and Climatology, said that the yacht had most likely been hit by a fierce “down burst” — when air generated within a thunderstorm descends rapidly — or by a waterspout , similar to a tornado over water.

He added that his agency had put out rough-sea warnings the previous evening, alerting sailors about storms and strong winds. Locals said the winds “felt like an earthquake.”

Mr. Costantino, the boat executive, said the yacht had been specifically designed for having a tall mast — the second-tallest aluminum mast in the world. He said the Bayesian was an extremely safe and secure boat that could list even to 75 degrees without capsizing.

But he said that if some of the hatches on the side and in the stern, or some of the deck doors, had been open, the boat could have taken on water and sunk. Standard procedure in such storms, he said, is to switch on the engine, lift the anchor and turn the boat into the wind, lowering the keel for extra stability, closing doors and gathering the guests in the main hall inside the deck.

12 guests occupied the yacht’s six cabins. There were also 10 crew members.

Open hatches, doors and cabin windows could have let in water during a storm, according to the manufacturer.

Open hatches, doors and

cabin windows could

have let in water

during a storm,

according to the

manufacturer.

Source: Superyacht Times, YachtCharterFleet, MarineTraffic

By Veronica Penney

The New York Times attempted to reach the captain, James Cutfield, who had survived, for comment through social media, his brother and the management company of the yacht (which did not hire the crew), but did not make contact.

So far none of the surviving crew members have made a public statement about what happened that night.

Fabio Genco, the director of Palermo’s emergency services, who treated some of the survivors, said that the victims had recounted feeling as if the boat was being lifted, then suddenly dropped, with objects from the cabins falling on them.

The Italian Coast Guard said it had deployed a remotely operated vehicle that can prowl underwater for up to seven hours at a depth of more than 980 feet and record videos and images that they hoped would help them reconstruct the dynamics of the sinking. Such devices were used during the search and rescue operations of the Titan vessel that is believed to have imploded last summer near the wreckage of the Titanic.

After rescuers broke inside the yacht, they struggled to navigate the ropes and many pieces of furniture cluttering the vessel, said Luca Cari, a spokesman for Italy’s national firefighter corps.

Finally, as of Thursday morning, they had managed to retrieve all but one of the missing bodies, and hopes of finding the missing person alive were thin. “Can a human being be underwater for two days?” Mr. Cari asked.

What was certain was that Mr. Lynch’s death was yet another cruel twist of fate for a man who had spent years seeking to clear his name.

He earned a fortune in technology and was nicknamed Britain’s Bill Gates. But for more than a decade, he had been treated as anything but a respected tech leader.

He was accused by Hewlett-Packard, the American technological pioneer that had bought his software company, Autonomy, for $11 billion, of misleading it about his company’s worth. (Hewlett-Packard wrote down the value of the transaction by about $8.8 billion, and critics called it one of the worst deals of all time .) He had been increasingly shunned by the British establishment that he sought to break into after growing up working-class outside London.

He was extradited to San Francisco to face criminal charges, and confined to house arrest and 24-hour surveillance on his dime. In a townhouse in the Pacific Heights neighborhood — with security people he jokingly told associates were his “roommates” — he spent his mornings talking with researchers whom he funded personally on new applications for artificial intelligence. Afterward, he devoted hours to discussing legal strategy with his team.

Despite his persistent claims of innocence, even those close to Mr. Lynch had believed his odds of victory were slim. Autonomy’s chief financial officer, Sushovan Hussain, was convicted in 2018 of similar fraud charges and spent five years in prison.

During Mr. Lynch’s house arrest, his brother and mother died. His wife, Angela Bacares, frequently flew over from England, and she became a constant presence in the San Francisco courtroom during the trial.

After he was finally acquitted, Mr. Lynch had his eye on the future. “I am looking forward to returning to the U.K. and getting back to what I love most: my family and innovating in my field,” he said.

Elisabetta Povoledo contributed reporting from Pallanza, Italy.

Emma Bubola is a Times reporter based in Rome. More about Emma Bubola

Michael J. de la Merced has covered global business and finance news for The Times since 2006. More about Michael J. de la Merced

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What might have caused Sicily yacht to sink

Specialist divers continue to search for the remaining people who were on board a luxury superyacht which capsized off the coast of Sicily on Monday morning - but questions have been asked about why the vessel sank.

According to vessel tracking app Vesselfinder, the boat left the Sicilian port of Milazzo on 14 August and was last tracked east of Palermo on Sunday evening, with a navigation status of "at anchor".

It is believed the ship was struck by a tornado over the water - otherwise known as a waterspout - causing Bayesian to capsize.

Waterspouts - more common in Italy than you think

Witnesses have described seeing a waterspout form during the storm before the sinking of the Bayesian.

Most are familiar with what tornadoes look like - they are rotating columns of destructive winds, protruding from the base of clouds down to the ground.

According to BBC Weather, waterspouts are just that too, but are over water rather than land.

Instead of dust and debris swirling around the core of strong winds, it is water mist whipped up from the surface.

Like tornadoes, most are only short-lived, narrow columns and are not easily picked out on weather radars, so many will go unreported.

However, they are not as rare as you may think.

According to the International Centre for Waterspout Research there were 18 confirmed waterspouts off the coast of Italy on 19 August alone.

In the northern hemisphere, waterspouts are most common in late summer and through the autumn, when sea temperatures are at their highest, fuelling the storm clouds.

However, with sea temperatures rising due to climate change there is a concern that they could become more common.

In the last week, the Mediterranean has registered its highest sea surface temperature on record, which has helped to energise this recent storm outbreak.

• 'For two seconds I lost my baby in the sea' - yacht survivor
• How sinking of luxury yacht off Sicily unfolded
• Who are the missing and rescued?
• Divers battle 10-minute dive window and debris in yacht search

Another factor for investigators to consider is the role of the boat's keel in the stormy weather.

A keel is a weighted, fin-like part of the boat that protrudes from its base and helps keep the boat stable.

When the wind pushes the boat onto its side, the weight of the keel counteracts the lean and pushes the boat back level.

On a large yacht like the Bayesian, keels are often designed to be retracted so that the vessel can dock in areas that are not as deep, like a harbour.

When the keel is raised, it makes the boat much less stable.

In this case, the wreck of the Bayesian was found at a depth of 50m (164ft), which suggests there was no reason that the keel needed to be retracted.

Did Bayesian's mast snap?

The Bayesian was built by Italian shipbuilder Perini in 2008 and was last refitted in 2020.

According to Perini's website Bayesian has a 75m (246ft) mast which it claims is the tallest aluminium mast in the world.

Karsten Borner, the captain of another yacht anchored nearby at the time of the storm, said there was a "very strong hurricane gust" and he had to battle to keep his vessel steady.

He saw the Bayesian's mast "bend and then snap", according to Italy's Corriere della Sera daily newspaper.

But, providing an update on the rescue mission, Marco Tilotta, from the Palermo fire service divers' unit, told AFP the ship was lying on its side in one piece.

Matthew Schanck, chair of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council, explained it is difficult to say whether the mast broke.

"I think, and this is pure guess work, but the evidence that we are getting from the divers is the vessel is basically intact, lying on its side reportedly," he told the BBC.

"If the mast was broken, that would be a significant thing that would be reported."

Mr Schanck added he believed what happened to Bayesian was "a freak event".

"Vessels aren't designed to be out sailing in that weather - 65 to 85mph that's the top of what a vessel would be out in and that's with its sails down," he said.

"They aren't designed to sail through tornadoes or water spouts."

Separately, Sam Jefferson who is the editor of Sailing Today magazine, added: “The manner in which the yacht was built - how many watertight bulkheads it had et cetera - is vital to understanding what happened.

“Superyachts are air conditioned so most, if not all, the windows and doors are closed at night to keep the boat cool."

Record-breaking Mediterranean temperatures

Since mid-June the sea surrounding Sicily – the western Mediterranean Basin – has been experiencing a severe heatwave.

The European Union’s climate change service, Copernicus, has been reporting sea surface temperatures in the region have repeatedly breached 30°C (86F) - four degrees higher than the 20-year average for this time of the year.

Spanish researchers at the Institut de Ciencies del Mar in Barcelona confirmed last Thursday the maximum sea surface temperature record had been broken in the Mediterranean Sea.

In both 2023 and 2024, the record was broken for the highest average temperature recorded around the world on one day .

Scientists put the rapidly rising temperatures down to climate change – oceans have taken the brunt of rising temperatures absorbing around 90% of the excess heat.

Following last year’s record ocean temperatures, Prof Mike Meredith from the British Antarctic Survey told the BBC: "The fact that all this heat is going into the ocean, and in fact, it's warming in some respects even more rapidly than we thought it would, is a cause for great concern.”

Sailing yachts like Mike Lynch's are 'unsinkable bodies', CEO of boat manufacturing firm says

Bayesian superyacht which sank off Italy is an "unsinkable" vessel, Giovanni Costantino, CEO of The Italian Sea Group, said.

By Ashna Hurynag, news correspondent and Eleonora Chiarella, producer

Thursday 22 August 2024 15:27, UK

Vessels like Mike Lynch's stricken superyacht are "unsinkable", according to the chief executive of the firm which makes and sells them.

Giovanni Costantino, CEO of The Italian Sea Group, told Sky News there are no flaws with the design and construction of the Bayesian superyacht which capsized in a storm off the coast of Porticello, Sicily, on Monday.

Five bodies were found by divers on Wednesday - taking the number of confirmed dead to six.

The Italian Sea Group also owns the firm that built British tech tycoon Mr Lynch's Bayesian, and Mr Costantino said the vessels "are the safest in the most absolute sense".

"Being the manufacturer of Perini [boats], I know very well how the boats have always been designed and built," he said.

"And as Perini is a sailing ship... sailing ships are renowned to be the safest ever."

He said their structure and keel made them "unsinkable bodies".

Read more on this story: Why search of superyacht wreck has been so difficult Hero mum 'slept with baby on deck when storm sank yacht'

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Mr Costantino said news of the sinking "put me in a state of sadness on one side and of disbelief on the other".

"This incident sounds like an unbelievable story, both technically and as a fact," he said.

It is understood Italian prosecutors investigating the incident are continuing to hold interviews with the survivors.

On Tuesday they questioned the captain for more than two hours to help reconstruct what happened and provide useful technical details.

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 incident, including the design, stability, and operation of the vessel. They will also examine the effects of the weather conditions experienced.

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Twenty-two people were on board the vessel, 15 of whom were rescued - including Briton Charlotte Golunski and her one-year-old daughter Sofia.

Divers will resume efforts on Thursday morning to bring ashore a body they found earlier. One more person remains missing.

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• Superyacht sinking

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Below Deck yacht names revealed - and how much it costs to rent the celebrity superyachts

By Editorial Team |   Last Updated 10 October 2023

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Since 2013, Below Deck has been captivating TV audiences across the globe by offering a voyeuristic peek into life on board multi-million dollar luxury charter yachts . Taking readers behind the scenes, YachtCharterFleet identifies the yachts featured on the show, as well as those which have appeared on the celebrated spin-off series Below Deck: Mediterranean , Below Deck: Sailing , Below Deck: Down Under and the latest iteration, Below Deck: Adventure .

Bravo’s hit reality TV series Below Deck chronicles the lives of crew members who work and reside aboard a luxury yacht during the charter season.

Each season features a different crew configuration, and the episodes show how the crew members interact and deal with personal issues alongside their working lives. The seasons are filmed over six weeks, with every episode featuring a new group of charter guests.

Getting even closer to these Below Deck superstars, we take a look at each of the stand-out features of every yacht that has appeared on the show.

Below Deck (US)

Many crew members are recurring on the show;  the longest-standing is Captain Lee Rosbach, who been on the show since 2013. A fan favourite, he has been at the helm of every yacht on Below Deck and seen a number of different crew formations.

The latest Below Deck season 10 is rumoured to be his final swan song, although his legacy on the show is such that whoever replaces him will have very big shoes to fill.

Among the crew members, Chief Stewardess Kate Chastain was an integral member of the team from season two to season seven. Alongside her, Chef Ben Robinson was a permanent fixture of the crew from season one to season four, before stepping out for season five.

Throughout the course of the show, the yachts have played an important role. 

Hiring a Below Deck yacht will cost from €140,000 per week - and that price doesn't include expenses such as fuel. While some of the yachts were given an alias over the course of filming, their real names can now be revealed below; as well as the exact cost to rent them. 

The largest yacht in the show's history, the 10th and 11th seasons of Below Deck  are set around the Caribbean islands of St Lucia  and Grenada onboard the luxurious 60m (197ft) superyacht ST DAVID . Delivered in 2008 by Italian shipyard Benetti, the yacht has an impressive sleek, supercar-inspired profile that instantly turns heads. 

Onboard highlights include her well-appointed sundeck with sunloungers and sunpads where guests can kick back and relax, a spa pool and her al fresco cinema screen set up for unforgettable movie nights.

One of the yacht's most distinctive features is her sophisticated spiral staircase that leads through all three decks and is lit by a skylight in the spa pool of the sun deck. The yacht is very versatile for a variety of charter party configurations, with room for 12 guests across six elegantly appointed cabins. 

STARSHIP (aka MY SEANNA)

Making an appearance on seasons 9, 8 and 6 of Below Deck , the majestic motor yacht STARSHIP (known on the show as MY SEANNA) is a yacht charter favorite.

The yacht has traveled far and wide for the show cruising to the jaw-droppingly beautiful St Kitts and Nevis in season 9, the sun-kissed Caribbean in season 8 and the  South Pacific  islands of  Tahiti in season 6.

Known for being among one of the most opulent yachts on the charter market due to her ornate interiors and glossy fittings that have been brushed in 22-carat gold, it is safe to say that this yacht is one of the most opulently styled and extensively equipped yachts on the water. Refitted in 2021, the Delta Marine yacht can accommodate 12 guests across 6 cabins and is extremely versatile for a variety of yacht charter party configurations. 

VALOR (aka BG)

Appearing three times on the hit show, the 47m (153ft) charter yacht BG (known on the show as VALOR) featured in seasons 7, 5 and 4 of Below Deck , taking charter guests to a variety of sun-kissed and beautiful locations. The yacht's real name is BG, and she was built in 1990 by the world's most revered shipbuilder Feadship . Since then, she has undergone many interiors refreshes to keep her in tip-top condition. 

The yacht traveled around Thailand in Season 7  where the crew and viewers were treated to a truly memorable South East Asian experience. From the iconic Phi Phi Islands to the beautiful beaches of Ko Yao Yai, there were plenty of fascinating landmarks to see on the way. Season 5 took viewers to the tranquil cruising grounds of  Saint Martin whilst season 4 saw M/Y BG in the glistening waters of the  Virgin Islands .

Accomodating 12 guests across 6 cabins, she is also capable of carrying up to 10 crew onboard to ensure a relaxed luxury yacht charter experience.

EROS (aka STAY SALTY)

Season 3 of Below Deck was announced after a hugely successful second-season finale, which was the highest-rated episode of the series. The new season saw the crew head to the Bahamas onboard  superyacht STAY SALTY  known on the show as EROS. 

She is equipped with an array of luxurious amenities including an eight-person sundeck Jacuzzi, barbecue and yacht-wide sound system. She also boasts timeless interior styling with intricate wood panelling and a neutral colour palette which helps create an inviting atmosphere for those on board.

The yacht was sold in November 2013 - just before filming for season 3 began - for an asking price of $17.9 million.

OHANA (aka STAR DIAMOND)

Premiering in August 2014, season 2 of Below Deck returned with 13 episodes documenting life on board the slightly smaller superyacht STAR DIAMOND in the British Virgin Islands . Among many other features, the yacht is equipped with a large sundeck, outdoor bar and luxury accommodation for 10 guests.

After filming the series, M/Y STAR DIAMOND was sold for an asking price of $10.9 million and is now on the charter market with a charter rate of $160,000/week. Extensively refit in 2022, the work on the superyacht has included a complete interior refresh, the yacht now features light, modern styling - an engine rebuild and a cabin conversion.

HONOR (aka BARENTS )

The first season of Below Deck premiered on 1 July 2013 after being announced in April 2012. Chartering around the Caribbean , the starring superyacht was named HONOR for the show but chartered under the name CUOR DI LEONE which translates to ‘Lion Heart’ in Italian. She now goes by the name BARENTS . 

Built by Italian shipyard Benetti in 1999 and refit in 2021, the famous vessel has undergone a complete makeover, bringing her up to modern standards. She can accommodate up to 12 charter guests and features luxury amenities for guests to enjoy including state-of-the-art TVs and a sundeck Jacuzzi.

Following the show, superyacht BARENTS was sold for around $15 million and her new owner commissioned a major refit. A great deal of money was spent on updating her interior with a classic-modern style of design as well as on brand-new exterior furniture and entertainment systems.

Below Deck: Mediterranean

Following on from the success of Below Deck , the spin-off  Below Deck: Mediterranean premiered in May 2016. While the original series takes place during the winter charter season when the Caribbean is at its peak, Below Deck: Mediterranean is filmed during the summer charter season.

Season one of Below Deck: Mediterranean saw Captain Mark Howard at the helm, but the baton was passed to Captain Sandy Yawn from two onwards. Chief Stewardess Hannah Ferrier was another permanent fixture on the show from season one to five, before leaving the show in season six.

As its name suggests, the show is based in the Mediterranean , the world’s most popular yachting hub from May to October. Despite the change in location, the same format and accompanying on-water antics from the crew and guests alike can be expected. Below, all the names of the superyachts which have appeared on the show, and the cost to rent them.

Season 8 of Below Deck: Mediterranean was aired in September 2023 and brought back yet more antics that included some tense franchise firsts. Set in the Ligurian Riviera, the hit Bravo series returns to Italy for the first time since season 3. The series followed the crew from mid-August until mid-September of 2022 onboard the 180-feet superyacht MUSTIQUE .

Holding up to 12 guests across 6 classically decorated cabins, this yacht is the epitome of elegance with its glossy mahogany paneling and cream upholstery. She is replete with water toys, including kayaks, a seabob, waterskis, and Zapata Flyboards, and has expansive deck areas– offering plenty of scope for both crew and guest antics which make Below Deck: Mediterranean so entertaining.

Season 7 of Below Deck: Mediterranean returned to the screens in July 2022 and brought back more drama and wealthy clientele, creating endless entertainment for viewers at home. Set in Malta , a destination never seen before on the show, the series followed the crew over an eight-week charter season onboard the 49m (160ft) superyacht HOME .

Accommodating up to 12 guests across 6 beautifully decorated staterooms, this yacht is described as a home away from home, the perfect platform for guests to soak up the sunshine, kick back and relax. From her convivial sundeck setup replete with a Jacuzzi and glowing cocktail bar to her panoramic sky lounge and state-of-the-art water toys, this yacht certainly had the wow factor that was required for Below Deck: Mediterranean .

LADY MICHELLE (renamed NEXT CHAPTER)

Season 6 of Below Deck: Mediterranean premiered in June 2021 and saw a new vessel,  motor yacht LADY MICHELLE , since re-named NEXT CHAPTER, take center stage. It also saw the return of Captain Sandy and Bosun Malia, plus a brand new crew. 

A floating paradise that turns heads on the water, this heavenly Benetti vessel comfortably accommodates 12 guests across 6 sumptuous staterooms, with additional capacity for up to 12 crew members. She also boasts an open-air cinema, a split-level owner's suite and an impressive array of water toys.

This season takes the crew to one of the most idyllic cruising grounds in the East Mediterranean : Croatia . Abounding with serene golden beaches, crystalline waters and gorgeous coves to explore, it's one of the most popular yacht charter destinations.

THE WELLINGTON (aka THE WELLESLEY)

Season 5 of Below Deck: Mediterranean premiered in the summer of 2020. The show was shot on board the motor yacht THE WELLESLEY , and the superyacht was given the alias THE WELLINGTON over the course of filming. 

The yacht has an elegant 1920's theme, with a chic club lounge complete with a bespoke humidor. She features plenty of marble accents and ample alfresco deck areas, as well as a jacuzzi with innovative spill pool features.

The yachties set course for Spain for this season, cruising around the azure waters of the Balearic Islands . The homeport was Port Adriano on the island of Mallorca .

Featuring in both Season 4 and Season 2 of Below Deck: Mediterranean ,  superyacht SIROCCO  is a yacht charter sensation. An elegant and sophisticated Heesen -built motor yacht, she features plenty of alfresco sunning areas and an 8-person jacuzzi pool; the perfect spot for the charter guests to unwind after a long day exploring.

Season 4 took the crew to one of the most iconic destinations in the Mediterranean ; the South of France . Between the luxury yachting hub of Monaco to the beautiful beaches in St Tropez , this season promises lashings of glitz and glamour. During Season 2 of Below Deck: Mediterranean , M/Y SIROCCO cruised the picturesque waters of  Croatia .

TALISMAN MAITON

Premiering in 2018, season 3 of  Below Deck: Mediterranean saw familiar and new faces head to the sublime cruising grounds of Italy. This time, the crew treated their discerning guests to a world of luxury on board the 54m/178ft motor yacht TALISMAN MAITON .

Built in 2006 and refit to an exacting standard in 2016, the yacht boasts a range of exciting features that make her particularly appropriate for the waters of the Amalfi Coast . Indeed, her entertainment options range from a stunning selection of water toys to a sundeck Jacuzzi and a refreshingly modern interior.

IONIAN PRINCESS

Premiering on 3 May 2016, the very first season of Below Deck: Mediterranean , a spin-off of the increasingly popular franchise, took to viewers' screens. This time the ‘yachties’ took care of their guests onboard the motor yacht IONIAN PRINCESS  in the Mediterranean  destination of Greece . 

The starring yacht IONIAN PRINCESS was delivered from Christensen in 2005 and was later refit in 2016 and again in 2021. Truly opulent, she bears interiors that are sleekly finished with a range of warmly toned woods and plenty of comfortable furnishings. She also boasts one of the largest sundecks for a yacht of her size.

Below Deck: Mediterranean Season 1 yacht IONIAN PRINCESS is not currently available for private yacht charter vacations.

Below Deck: Sailing Yacht

This is the first time the Below Deck franchise branched away from gleaming motor yachts, with the various weather issues that sailing yachts have to contend with adding even more drama and excitement.

The design of luxury sailing yachts  also creates far more confined crew areas than we are used to seeing on the original Below Deck . In general, sailing yachts tend to feature smaller galleys, compact stew stations and cramped crew quarters which are in closer proximity to the guests’ living areas, putting crew under increased pressure to deliver their signature silver service.

In addition, deck crew are placed in a far more demanding role, with sailing yachts requiring increased accuracy and precision to safely maneuver and plenty of deck duties taking place in the midst of guest areas.

PARSIFAL III

An iconic and suitable yacht for the much-loved series Below Deck: Sailing , the 54m (177ft) sailing yacht PARSIFAL III has blessed our screens for all four series of the hit maritime show.

Season 1 saw the sailing yacht cruising around the beautiful islands of Greece , an  East Mediterranean destination that is peppered with an incredible variety of islands. Season 2 was set around the glistening waters of Croatia and in  Season 3 of Below Deck Sailing , M/Y PARSIFAL III came back to where she traditionally charters in the beautiful Balearic island of Menorca . For the latest Below Deck: Sailing Yacht season she ventured around the glittering coastline of Sardinia .

The yacht can comfortably charter up to 12 guests across 5 luxurious cabins with a layout comprising a master suite, two double cabins and two twin cabins.

Below Deck: Down Under

Venturing to the mesmerizing Whitsunday islands in Australia , the much-beloved maritime show released another spin-off of the hit show in April 2022, Below Deck: Down Under . Recorded on Queensland's shores, viewers can see for themselves the impeccable Australian islands and all their beauty as the superyachts, their crew and charter guests travel to some of the most sought-after destinations in the world.  

NORTHERN SUN

Below Deck: Down Under  returns to our screens for its second outing, this time on board the 51m (167ft) explorer yacht NORTHERN SUN , with the coastal paradise of Cairns in Australia’s northern Queensland providing the glittering backdrop.

Headed up once more by the handsome Captain Jason Chambers, he is joined by returning chief stewardess, Aesha Scott, along with a brand new crew, including Chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph, Bosun Luke Jones and stews Laura Bileskaine and Margot Sisson.

Promising another round of crew antics and high drama, the bulk of the action takes place on board the classic explorer yacht, primed for adventure and boasting a wealth of luxurious amenities and an eye-catching exterior, charter guests will be in for a treat.

KERI LEE III (AKA THALASSA)

The perfect yacht for season 1 of Below Deck: Down Under , the 55m (181ft) yacht KERI LEE is the prime candidate for anyone looking for a taste of the superyacht lifestyle. Described as being like Downton Abbey on a boat, the yacht is home to an expansive beauty salon, massage room, gym, jacuzzi and movie theater, so there is definitely enough to keep all charter guests entertained.

In the first season of Below Deck: Down Under , this yacht traveled to some pretty spectacular destinations from the Great Barrier Reef , including the Whitsunday's , Hook Island, Block Reef and Henning Island, giving charter guests the opportunity to witness the outstanding beauty and clear waters of the Pacific .

Below Deck: Adventure

Airing its inaugral season at the end of 2022, Below Deck: Adventure brings more drama than ever before as the show takes viewers beyond the deck and off the yacht as thrill-seeking charter guests embark on a range of extreme and unforgettable experiences around the Norwegian Fjords. Some of the activities include paragliding, exploring unique caves and taking extreme helicopter rides, Below Deck: Adventure provides endless entertainment as well as giving viewers a glimpse of the astonishingly beautiful landscapes in and around  Norway . 

In  Below Deck: Adventure season 1, Capt. Kerry Titheradge leads the crew with Jessica Condy as Chef and Faye Clarke as Chief Stew.

As seen in season 1 of Below Deck Adventure , the 49m (164ft) motor yacht MERCURY is a high-quality and highly reliable Dutch-built luxury charter yacht. Delivered by Amels in 2001, the yacht is to the highest standard and pedigree and boasts a wealth of convivial spaces, perfect for relaxing, unwinding and socializing onboard. 

Home to an impressive array of amenities, standout highlights include an expansive Jacuzzi, a large swim platform for easy access to the water and a gym. An advanced stabilization system on board reduces the side-to-side roll of the yacht and promises guests exceptional comfort levels at anchor or when underway.

Interested in a Below Deck yacht rental?

For more details on chartering any of the above yachts, speak to your preferred charter broker . They can provide you with personalized information and advice concerning your vacation, creating an itinerary that perfectly caters to your individual needs.

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BELOW DECK YACHTS FOR CHARTER

60m Benetti 2008 / 2019

56m Delta Marine 2001 / 2021

56m Oceanco 1993 / 2016

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50m Amels 2001 / 2006

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47m Feadship 1990 / 2022

47m Heesen 2006 / 2013

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Hydrogen cars flopped, but fuel cells are finding new life in trucks and boats

Mining trucks, cement mixers, and terminal tractors all seem like the perfect use of hydrogen fuel cells. but they run into the same challenges around price and fueling..

By Andrew J. Hawkins , transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs, public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in The New York Daily News and City & State.

Share this story

Twenty years ago, it seemed like hydrogen fuel cell vehicles would have a bright future. 

The cars were cool — luxury sedans with sleek interiors and futuristic-looking touchscreens. They were environmentally friendly, with water vapor as their only byproduct. Regulators were on board, promising big investments for the fueling infrastructure. A bet on the most abundant element in the universe in the fight against air pollution, and eventually climate change, seemed like a sure thing. 

But despite tens of thousands of vehicles sold and billions of dollars spent on fueling, that bet has yet to pay off. California remains the only state in the country with any sort of hydrogen fueling infrastructure, with fewer than 50 stations currently in operation. Vehicle sales have essentially collapsed: only 322 fuel cell vehicles were sold in the first half of 2024, 82 percent lower than a year ago. 

The fueling infrastructure also seems on the brink of collapse. Stations are shutting down, and the ones that are still in operation are routinely offline due to tech problems and fuel shortages. The price of hydrogen continues to climb, as production problems and supply shortages roil the market. 

Tesla CEO Elon Musk called hydrogen fuel cell vehicles “mind-bogglingly stupid”

Critics have panned hydrogen as an inefficient and illogical way to decarbonize transportation. After all, battery-electric vehicles already exist. Tesla CEO Elon Musk called hydrogen fuel cell vehicles “mind-bogglingly stupid.”

But hydrogen still has the potential to be a game changer in the fight against climate change, if we can find a better solution. Despite their early failures, major companies are still pouring billions of dollars into the technology. Governments are drawing up infrastructure plans and passing tax credits in the hopes that they can provide a helping hand. 

If hydrogen fuel cells are to hang on, it’s time to think bigger. 

The boat bobbing in the waters near Wall Street doesn’t look like the other vessels that typically populate New York’s congested waterways. For one, it isn’t belching diesel smoke like all the shipping containers, oil tankers, and garbage barges. Actually, it isn’t emitting any pollution at all. 

The ship, named the Energy Observer, is a sleek, 100-foot-long former French racing catamaran retrofitted with solar panels, slowing sipping sunlight to send to the four lithium-ion batteries sitting below deck. The panels cover almost the entire surface of the boat, so you either have to wear special cloth booties to come on board — or just go barefoot.

On an overcast day last April, it had just completed a seven-year voyage around the world, visiting numerous countries to preach the gospel of renewable energy. Energy Observer is basically a floating laboratory, where its six-person crew can conduct experiments on sustainable energy in order to prove how it can be used to power all types of vessels. 

The boat produces all the energy it needs to sail, and it does that through three different methods. The first is solar, through the aforementioned panels. The second is wind power, which is generated through these massive twin masts that look like two airfoils standing straight up. The crew calls these “Ocean Wings,” and they make about 30 percent of the boat’s propulsion power and can move the boat up to 12 knots without impacting its electricity consumption. 

The third is hydrogen, which works like this: Seawater is filtered through the hulls to be desalinated and purified before an electrolyzer splits H20 into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is then converted into electricity courtesy of a Toyota fuel cell, a similar version of the technology that is used in the automaker’s hydrogen-powered sedans, which emit water vapor instead of carbon pollution. 

The hydrogen is then converted into electricity courtesy of a Toyota fuel cell

“That’s really the purpose of the ship,” said George Conty, the ship’s affably Swiss boatswain, “producing hydrogen from a mix of renewable energies.”

The Energy Observer isn’t very fast, maxing out at around 11 knots, which is much slower than a typical catamaran. Its racing days are long gone, which makes sense because speed isn’t the ship’s ultimate mission. It’s a demonstration project to prove that hydrogen from renewable sources can be a viable alternative to diesel and other polluting fuels used in maritime. 

Shipping accounts for about 3 percent of greenhouse gasses, similar to flying. Transportation on the whole represents over a quarter of all planet-warming emissions. Decarbonizing the sector will be a monumental challenge, and lithium-ion batteries can’t do it alone.

Energy Observer’s team isn’t just banking on a 100-foot-long catamaran to prove its point. A successor, a massive cargo ship called the Energy Observer 2, is still just in the planning phases. And if the companies backing the project can raise enough money to fund its creation — and that’s a big if — it has the potential to demonstrate that liquid hydrogen deserves to be discussed alongside other less carbon-intensive alternatives like biofuels, ammonia, and natural gas.

The Energy Observer 2 will be able to transport 1,100 20-foot-long shipping containers over a distance of 1,800 nautical miles

Once built, the Energy Observer 2 will be able to transport 1,100 20-foot-long shipping containers over a distance of 1,800 nautical miles — not enough for a trans-Atlantic crossing, but enough for intercontinental trips. Like its predecessor, the cargo ship will also run on hydrogen fuel cells provided by car companies like Toyota — just a lot more of them. Over 100 fuel cells, using over 40 tons of liquid hydrogen, generating approximately 4.8 megawatts of power. 

“No project in the world has this power,” Victorien Erussard, the ship’s captain, told me. But his venture is already running into familiar problems around cost and refueling infrastructure. It’s not going to be an easy transition. It will require more investors, more supporters, and more true believers in hydrogen to make this work. 

“Many, many, many more boats,” Erussard said. 

Truck stuff

But also trucks — which General Motors knows a thing or two about. Especially the leviathan-sized ones that are big enough to handle the heaviest loads. 

GM was one of the first automakers to stick a hydrogen fuel cell into a vehicle. The company’s 1966 Electrovan, a converted GMC Handi-Bus with hydrogen-oxygen power, could reportedly do 70mph and travel 150 miles.

Today, the company’s fuel cell-powered vehicles look a little different. GM’s Hydrotec division is investing in heavy-duty trucks — think mining equipment, cement mixers, and terminal tractors — as well as a few medium-duty ones. The idea is to use hydrogen to decarbonize heavy industries, which is ill-suited for battery-electric vehicles that are slow to charge. 

Even hydrogen’s profound fueling shortcomings could be easily fixed. Heavy-duty trucks typically operate in confined spaces, like construction sites, warehouses, ports, and quarries. Under those circumstances, fueling stations can be centrally located to service a whole fleet of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. No need for a hydrogen fueling station on every residential street corner.

GM was one of the first automakers to stick a hydrogen fuel cell into a vehicle

It’s still “early days,” Hydrotec’s executive director, Charlie Freese, tells me. GM is still testing its technology to see what works and what won’t. In addition to the trucks, there’s also the fuel cells themselves, bundled together into a cube-shaped package, befittingly called Power Cubes. These cubes, developed alongside Honda, can be used to power several different vehicles. They can even be used for stationary power generators for outdoor events, replacing all those dirty diesel generators used today. 

Other automakers, like Toyota, rushed too quickly into the passenger vehicle market before the fueling infrastructure was in place, Freese said. The Toyota Mirai, the first mainstream fuel cell vehicle that was first introduced in 2014, may have been a ground-breaking vehicle at the time, but now it’s an albatross for many of the owners. 

“It was clear that that wouldn’t be a very rewarding experience,” Freese said. “The technology really lends itself best to the heaviest vehicles, the ones that carry heavy payloads, travel the longest distances, and need very fast refueling.”

GM has not released a fuel cell vehicle for the consumer market, but its joint venture with Honda just started mass-producing fuel cells at its Michigan plant earlier this year. And a medium-duty truck, based on the Chevy Silverado 5500, is on the way. GM thinks it could be the ideal work truck for farmers.  

“It’s not going to be perfect right at the immediate outset,” Freese admitted. Most hydrogen in the US is what’s called “gray hydrogen,” meaning it is produced through a process called steam methane reforming, which emits greenhouse gases. The hope is to eventually switch to “green hydrogen,” made by renewable energy sources like solar and wind. But we’re not there yet. 

“If I’m using a hydrogen fuel cell, I’m greening my fleet, even if it’s gray hydrogen,” Freese said. “And over time, the gray hydrogen can be replaced with green hydrogen. But that takes more of a build-out of the infrastructure… they got to grow together.”

Fueling failures

Jacob Brouwer was one of those early adopters of hydrogen. He drove a Toyota Mirai for over seven years, attracted to its smooth acceleration, boastful range, and luxury interior. The $15,000 prepaid fueling card from Toyota didn’t hurt, either. 

But these days, he drives a Tesla. It doesn’t reflect well on hydrogen when the director of UC Irvine’s Clean Energy Institute has decided that a car made by Elon Musk is preferable to one that runs on fuel cells. He blames California’s energy regulators for fumbling the rollout, failing to get to the promised 200 stations and leaving the project incomplete. 

“We just didn’t fulfill the plan,” Brouwer says. “I feel very bad for the Mirai owners.”

“I feel very bad for the Mirai owners.”

But despite his firsthand experience with the shortcomings, he’s less pessimistic than most when it comes to the future of hydrogen. In addition to boats and heavy trucks, he sees numerous applications as being perfect for fuel cell technology, including tractors, buses, freight, trains, light-duty hybrid vehicles, and even aviation. 

Indeed, there have been some compelling experiments in fuel cell-powered flight. Joby Aviation is developing a hydrogen-powered version of its vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for longer trips between cities. And American Airlines recently agreed to buy 100 hydrogen-electric engines from ZeroAvia, a fuel cell aviation startup, to power its regional jets.

Aviation is especially difficult to decarbonize; aircraft need to be just light enough to achieve flight, and heavy lithium-ion batteries would screw up that ratio. Hydrogen is practically feathery in comparison. 

There are uses for hydrogen even beyond transportation, Brouwer said. Cement and steel comprise about 12 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Hydrogen is better suited to decarbonize cement and steel production than batteries. Data centers housing servers powering the AI boom — you could run those with hydrogen, too. The list goes on. 

But for an element as abundant as hydrogen, it can be maddeningly hard to find. 

“Electricity is available everywhere, but hydrogen isn’t”

For all of these applications to become a reality, to become more than just glorified experiments like the Energy Observer or GM’s Power Cubes, they need the fueling infrastructure to rise up, too. Battery-electric vehicles never quite had it this bad. Sure, the public charging experience for EVs leaves a lot to be desired. But electricity has a big head start. 

“Electricity goes to every business,” Brouwer said. “Electricity is available everywhere, but hydrogen isn’t.”

He thinks it can get there. The Biden administration is all in on hydrogen, approving tax credits to support the production of green hydrogen and doling out $7 billion for regional production hubs across the US. Things still look grim for the average Toyota Mirai owner, but the clouds seem to be clearing for everything that’s not a light-duty vehicle. 

“We are at the beginning of the beginning,” Brouwer said. It’s a strange way to think about a technology that is decades, if not centuries, old. But it’s finally looking as if hydrogen is ready to pull its own weight.

No one’s ready for this

Microsoft is rebranding copilot in the most microsoft way possible, nothing is requiring employees to be in the office five days a week, google’s ai ‘reimagine’ tool helped us add wrecks, disasters, and corpses to our photos, chick-fil-a is reportedly launching a streaming service for some reason.

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Body of British tech magnate Mike Lynch recovered from sunken superyacht as search enters final stages

PORTICELLO, Italy — The body of British tech magnate Mike Lynch was recovered from the wreck of a superyacht that sank off Sicily , a source familiar with the matter told CNBC on Thursday.

The source said rescuers were still searching for Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, the l ast p er son missing from the luxury boat , which went down in what authorities said was a freak storm early Monday.

A massive search effort was launched, and four bodies were recovered from the 180-foot Bayesian on Wednesday after an operation hampered by the depth to which the wreck had sunk and the debris that blocked divers’ path through its narrow passages.

Salvatore Cocina, head of Sicily’s civil protection agency, confirmed to NBC News on Thursday morning that a fifth body had been recovered. And hours later, CNBC reported that the body of Lynch, regularly described in U.K. media as “Britain’s Bill Gates,” was among them.

The U.K.'s Royal Academy of Engineering said Thursday morning that it was “deeply saddened to learn of the death of Mike Lynch,” who is one of its fellows. “Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time,” the academy said in a statement on X .

The others missing were Lynch's associates, who had successfully defended him in a blockbuster U.S. fraud trial earlier this summer: Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International and the British insurance firm Hiscox, and his wife, Judy; and a well-known New York City defense attorney, Christopher Morvillo, and his wife, Neda.

The body of Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian Antiguan national who was the ship’s cook, was recovered shortly after the accident Monday. 

Fifteen of the 22 people onboard survived.

Waves gently crashed against the rocks of Porticello, a port near the Italian island’s main city, Palermo, with the sea calm as rescuers brought ashore green body bags Wednesday — a stark contrast to just three days ago, when officials believe the yacht was hit by a tornado over the water, known as a waterspout.

The vessel was anchored about a half-mile offshore when it sank, leaving divers to search its hull on the seabed 164 feet underwater.

The dock has swarmed for days with journalists, photographers and curious onlookers taking photos with their smartphones as rescue teams traveled to and from the site of the wreck.

Claudio Lavanga reported from Porticello and Yuliya Talmazan from London.

Claudio Lavanga is Rome-based foreign correspondent for NBC News.

Yuliya Talmazan is a reporter for NBC News Digital, based in London.

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Why Are Orcas Attacking Boats? Experts Weigh In

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For the past few years, orcas attacking boats have been making headlines, most recently off the coasts of Spain in the Atlantic Ocean. These incidents, involving a group of orcas known as the Iberian orcas, have been occurring since 2020.

Once seen as gentle giants — partly because of "Free Willy" and SeaWorld — these striking black-and-white mammals are now the center of a curious debate.

Is this a maliciously motivated attack on humans, or are they simply playing around with us?Let's explore this strange behavior and find out whether experts think it's an anomaly or the new standard for orca interactions.

The Lowdown on Killer Whales

Recent attacks on boats, experts debate: playful curiosity or trauma response.

An orca, also known as a killer whale ( Orcinus orca ), is a large marine mammal from the dolphin family recognizable by its black-and-white coloring. Orcas can grow up to 32 feet (9.8 meters) in length and weigh up to 11 tons (10 metric tonnes).

These highly social apex predators are known for their complex social structures and sophisticated behaviors. Orcas live in family groups called pods , usually led by the oldest female, with multiple generations included. These pods can consist of a few individuals to several dozen; multiple pods form clans, which in turn make up a community.

Orcas use echolocation and unique vocalizations for navigation, hunting and communication. Each pod has distinct calls that help maintain group cohesion and coordinate activities. They engage in cooperative hunting, herding fish or hunting seals together, with their diet varying based on region and pod specialization.

Playful behavior, such as breaching and tail-slapping, helps strengthen social bonds among orcas, while social grooming reinforces these connections.

Could this inherent playfulness be the reason for the recent string of boat attacks? More on that in a bit.

In May 2024, an unknown number of orcas attacked a 49-foot-long (15-meter-long) sailing yacht named Alboran Cognac in the Strait of Gibraltar, a narrow waterway between southern Spain and North Africa that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.

Reuters reported that the incident occurred around 9 a.m. local time when the orcas repeatedly rammed the boat's hull and rudder, causing significant damage. The yacht's crew (just two people) radioed for aid and managed to be rescued by a passing oil tanker, but the yacht ultimately sank due to the damage it sustained​.

These attacks are part of a series of interactions reported since 2020 , primarily involving a subpopulation of Iberian orcas — around 40 killer whales living off the coasts of Spain, Portugal, Morocco and Gibraltar.

Most attacks occur between May and August each year in and around the Strait of Gibraltar . However, earlier this year, some of these highly social apex predators were spotted circling a boat in northern Spain, suggesting they have spread out much further and are engaging in this behavior earlier than usual.

As a result, Spanish authorities have warned recreational boaters to avoid sailing too far from the coast and to not stop their vessels if approached by orcas, according to a statement from Spain's maritime rescue service.

Sailors are now considering adding extra armor to their vessels — or at least investing in some orca deterrents — if only such a thing existed.

So, if you're planning a trip through these waters, watch for these mischievous marine mammals. And maybe, just maybe, consider bringing along a decoy yacht to distract them.

The behavior driving these so-called attacks is still being studied, and many theories have emerged. As we hinted earlier, some researchers suggest that the orcas might engage in these interactions out of curiosity or playfulness.

These creatures are known for their intelligence and complex social behaviors, and these attacks may be a form of play or social learning. Similar to how other animals engage in play to develop skills or for entertainment, orcas might be doing the same with boats.

Another theory is that these behaviors are part of a learned fad within the orca population. This idea is supported by observations of other cultural phenomena among orcas, such as carrying dead salmon on their heads, which were short-lived trends.

Essentially, the attacks might have started as an isolated incident and then spread through social learning within the pod​.

Some experts believe that the attacks could be a response to a traumatic event experienced by one or more orcas. For example, a collision with a vessel could have caused injuries or distress, leading the orcas to associate boats with danger and respond aggressively.

An orca named White Gladis is often mentioned in this context, as she may have had a negative encounter with a boat. Her apparent distress and subsequent aggressive behavior toward ships might have been observed and adopted by other orcas in her pod. This learned behavior could then spread through social learning, leading to the increased frequency of these attacks seen since 2020.

Conservation Concerns and Public Opinion

Conservationists are worried that these attacks might lead to negative perceptions of orcas and potentially harmful responses from the public.

“I hope that they stop doing it as quickly as they started because it’s actually imposing a risk on themselves,” Hanne Strager, a marine biologist and author of “The Killer Whale Journals,” told the New York Times . She noted that this behavior adds strain to an endangered species, as the negative publicity might result in detrimental actions against the orcas.

Another perspective is that these attacks are a response to environmental pressures such as a decrease in prey availability, increased boat traffic or interactions with fisheries. These stressors could be causing the orcas to exhibit unusual behaviors as they adapt to changing conditions in their habitat​.

Social Media and Public Opinion

Social media has played a significant role in shaping public opinion about these incidents. Many users have joked about "orca rebellions" and formed "Team Orca," sympathizing with the killer whales and viewing the attacks as a form of playful resistance.

However, there are also concerns that these humorous takes could minimize the serious implications of the behavior and the potential risks to both humans and orcas.

Monika Wieland Shields, cofounder and director of the Orca Behavior Institute, wrote an op-ed in response to the outpouring of love for the orca uprising. "We recognize that we have done enough to the world to deserve orcas attacking us in response. Laughing at the memes is fine, but my hope is that people will also reflect on this one a bit further."

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.

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2024 Nitro Boats NSANE Tournament features $25,000 cash first prize, plus giveaway of fully rigged Nitro Z21XL bass boat

AUBURN, Ala. (August 21, 2024) – The Logan Parks Fishing Foundation is thrilled to announce the 2024 Nitro Boats NSANE Tournament, presented by Abu Garcia.

This tournament is open to 150 teams, each consisting of one high school and one college angler, and is scheduled for Oct. 6 on Lake Martin in Auburn, Ala.

Building on the electrifying success of last year’s CHAOS event, this year’s NSANE Tournament — short for “National Student Angler Network Events” — will feature the same groundbreaking format that captivated participants and fans in ways never seen before.

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Win a Fully Rigged Nitro Z21XL Bass Boat and Mercury 250 Package

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NSANE Format Teams will consist of one college angler (boater) and one high school angler (non-boater), competing in a catch, weigh, photo, submit and release format. Every bass weighing 1 pound or more counts toward their total weight.

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Fishing Boats and Cargo Ships: How Colombian Cocaine Travels the World

Official statistics on busts of drug shipments originating in Colombia — the world’s largest cocaine producer by far — are scattershot and hard to find. A leak of prosecutor’s office documents helped reporters fill in some gaps.

Banner: James O’Brien/OCCRP

• Drawing on leaked documents and official data, reporters identified 1,764 separate busts of cocaine originating from Colombia between 2016 and April 2022.
• About three quarters of these took place on small vessels, such as fishing boats or lobster trawlers.
• Out of the total, 431 cases took place on large ships, encompassing roughly 264.8 metric tons of cocaine, almost double the weight of the Statue of Liberty.
• Outside of Colombia, Belgium and Spain were the most common sites of seizures.
• Of seizures involving large ships, containers and vessels owned by the leading shipping firms Maersk and CMA CGM were the most frequently targeted by traffickers.

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Reported by

Early one summer morning, two small boats sidled up to the Cap San Tainaro, a container ship off the coast of the northern Colombian port city of Barranquilla. A dozen men raised ladders and scaled onto the vessel, and then, using ropes and pulleys, began to hoist up bags with hundreds of plastic packages, each of which contained a kilogram of cocaine.

A military helicopter patrolling the area spotted the men and hailed the ship. After four hours, they finally made contact and guided the vessel back to the dock, where authorities boarded it, found the drugs — over one metric ton in total — and arrested those suspected of involvement

Few details of the bust, which took place on August 2, 2018, were included in the statistics reported by Colombia’s authorities. Instead, reporters uncovered the minute-by-minute account of the operation in a massive leak of documents from the country’s prosecutor’s office, known as the NarcoFiles .

In Colombia, the world’s largest cocaine producer, statistics on drug busts are scattershot and hard to find. At least four different agencies keep records of seizures, but they are not easily accessible to the public and often do not overlap.

When data is published, it typically includes little beyond the date, location, and amount of drugs seized. And Colombian authorities do not keep data on busts of Colombian shipments that take place abroad, making it difficult to understand the full picture of how drugs are smuggled out of the country.

These limitations make it harder for reporters and civil society to analyze trafficking trends. Drawing on the NarcoFiles, OCCRP’s partner, Cuestión Pública, has spent over a year building a database that aims to change that.

By combing through the leaked files, reporters identified 158 busts of drug shipments that originated in Colombia. They then created a more comprehensive database by contacting Colombia’s defense ministry, prosecutor’s office, navy, and police, and filing freedom of information requests to gain access to their records. The data was also supplemented by reports from Belgium’s Customs Federal Service.

In total, reporters identified 1,764 separate busts which took place between 2016 and April 2022, the most recent time for which data was available. About three quarters of these took place on small vessels, such as fishing boats or lobster trawlers.

Bernardo Gómez Del Campo, an expert on Latin American organized crime, told Cuestión Pública that traffickers often prefer to divide shipments among smaller boats to mitigate risk. “To the extent that you distribute and atomize the risk, that is to say by dividing your goods into different blocks, you make it so that your losses in the event of a seizure would be less than if you had everything in a single vessel,” he said.

Reporters then focused on a subset of 431 cases which took place on large ships, a frequent target for traffickers looking to move significant quantities of drugs overseas. These busts encompassed roughly 264.8 metric tons of cocaine, almost double the weight of the Statue of Liberty.

Out of these incidents, the company that owned the vessel or containers could be identified in 374 cases, of which more than three-quarters involved major shipping companies such as Maersk, CMA CGM, and Hapag-Lloyd.

Twenty-two of the busts in the leaked documents did not appear in any official database. In dozens of other cases, the leaked documents supplemented official reporting, allowing reporters to uncover information such as where the seizures took place, as well as the export company, customs agent, importer, and shipping firms involved.

For instance, in one May 2016 operation unreported by Colombian agencies, reporters found that 2.3 metric tons of cocaine left the Colombian port of Santa Marta in four containers owned by the Danish shipping company Maersk before being intercepted in Romania.

In another case, the leak allowed reporters to identify the shipping company and exporter for a March 2022 haul busted in Southampton, in the U.K. The case had been reported by British media but did not show up in any official Colombian databases, even though it had been investigated by prosecutors.

The data still has holes. For instance, in about 13 percent of cases involving large vessels, there was no information about the shipping or container company. In 17 of those cases — four percent — reporters could not see where the drugs were seized. And, of course, the data does not provide insight into the hundreds of tons of cocaine successfully trafficked each year.

Still, the new information allowed reporters to piece together a richer portrait of how Colombian cocaine is smuggled onto commercial container ships than was previously possible. They found:

In cases where the site of the bust could be identified, the majority of seizures involving large ships took place in Colombia, with 259 busts of nearly 99 tons of cocaine.

Outside Colombia, Belgium and Spain were the most common points of interception. Over 26 tons of cocaine were seized in 26 cases in Belgium, and 32 tons in 25 busts in Spain.

Colombia’s northern port in Santa Marta was the top origin point for seizures involving large vessels, accounting for 94 busted shipments. Buenaventura, on the Pacific coast, was the port of origin for 48 busts.

Santa Marta’s popularity with traffickers may owe partly to the fact that it is a small port on a major route for banana exports to Europe. One leaked report from the Colombian prosecutor’s office identified bananas as the most popular type of good targeted by cocaine traffickers, followed by coal.

Banana shipments are appealing to traffickers partly because they are perishable, meaning they need to move through ports more quickly. They are also often grown in areas where cartels — such as the Gulf Clan, which has a strong presence near Santa Marta — are active.

Boarding Big Ships

While small boats still appear to be the top choice for smugglers, cocaine traffickers' use of large container vessels is on the rise, according to the U.N. drug agency’s latest report. And the methods of contamination are becoming increasingly sophisticated, the report notes, creating a major headache for commercial shipping companies.

Last year, the Financial Times reported that an executive at the Danish shipping giant Maersk warned drug gangs were infiltrating entire supply chains, while the international firm MSC saw eight crew members sentenced in the U.S. for conspiracy to smuggle cocaine after one of their ships attempted to sail nearly 20 tons of cocaine through the city of Philadelphia in 2019.

The NarcoFiles data reveals fresh details about how companies such as these are breached — as well as which lines are most frequently targeted.

Reporters found that containers and vessels operated by Maersk, which dominates the Colombian market, were involved in the highest number of drug busts in the dataset, accounting for more than a third of the 374 cases where the shipping or container company could be identified. The infiltration of Maersk vessels was on average in proportion with the company’s share of container traffic in Colombian ports, according to a platform that records the quantity of containers each company manages.

When reached for comment, Maersk attributed the seizures to boosted cooperation among governments in Latin America, Europe, and the U.S.

“Their increased efforts, supported and assisted by the shipping and terminal industries, are likely reflected in the seizure amounts of narcotics contraband,” the company said in a statement, adding that it would continue to assist authorities to combat smuggling.

The second highest share of seizures in the data involved the French group CMA CGM, another of the world’s largest container shipping companies. Between 2016 and 2021, the French company managed an average of 11% of Colombia’s container maritime traffic, and accounted for 19% of the seizures that took place on large ships.

In a statement to reporters, the company described the fight against illicit trafficking as a “top priority,” but declined to comment on the specifics, citing the safety of its staff and operations.

“CMA CGM closely collaborates with law enforcement, customs, and judicial authorities in all the countries affected by this type of trafficking, thereby helping to combat it,” the statement said.

In terms of the volume of narcotics, Maersk shipments were the site of 72.9 metric tons of cocaine seized on large ships, while CMA CGM shipments accounted for about 48.6 metric tons.

Henrik Vigh, an anthropology professor and expert on organized crime and drug trafficking at the University of Copenhagen, said that larger firms such as these might be appealing to traffickers because they offer a door-to-door service.

“Major shipping companies like Maersk are particularly attractive because they don't just sail with container ships, but offer to handle the entire logistical chain both on land and at sea,” he said. “The fewer times the goods have to change hands, the less is the risk of being checked and discovered.”

Documents found in the NarcoFiles indicated that some traffickers may develop preferences for certain shippers’ services as well.

In 2023, Colombian prosecutors linked several cocaine shipments totaling more than six tons to a criminal structure that operated in the Colombian ports of Buenaventura and Cartagena. According to intercepted phone calls, emails and other evidence gathered by an ongoing Colombian investigation, the organization relied on CMA CGM ships on at least two occasions in 2019 and 2020 with the help of bribed police officers in the ports.

One of the shipments, which was seized in June 2020 in the port of Cartagena, was packed with 2,500 kilograms of cocaine destined for the French port of Le Havre. In an email exchange with the exporter, the importer’s legal representative stated that his client preferred the CMA CGM shipping line.

“[In] principle, my buyer client only accepts CMA as a shipping company because of the conditions of their equipment and for their internal reasons,” read the email, which was cited in a judicial report supplied to Colombian prosecutors.

“I cannot contradict them for the very fact that they are a client that is always right, as the saying goes,” the email continued. “So please we need these shipments to be made through CMA.”

While the importer claimed to be supplying a supermarket chain, the report from Colombian investigators alleged his firm was a shell company formed solely to facilitate the cocaine trafficking.

The company’s legal representative was initially arrested in Spain on drug trafficking charges, but his case was later suspended due to lack of evidence. Colombian prosecutors did not confirm whether he was still under investigation in Colombia.

CMA CGM did not respond to queries about the case.

Messages showing a preference for certain piers, including those where Maersk operates, were also found in the NarcoFiles.

One informant, whose account was recorded by the Colombian prosecutor’s office, said the traffickers he knew of were looking to send their Antwerp-bound shipments “exactly to piers 188 and 234, where containers with bananas from Maersk Line arrive.”

Pier 188, where nearly 1.6 metric tons of cocaine was seized in 2019 alone from two Maersk vessels and one ship operated by Dole, was also referenced in a separate case found in the leaked files. In that investigation, wiretaps carried out in 2021 caught a suspected drug trafficker saying that “everything that goes through Antwerp has to go through MMAU [SP] warehouse 188.” MMAU is a code used by the Bureau of International Containers to identify Maersk-owned containers.

Vigh, the organized crime expert, said the preferences could reflect the benefits of working through fast-paced piers that handle perishable goods.

"In these piers, it is complicated for the authorities to stop the entire flow of containers for several weeks if they suspect smuggling, because then the food rots, and you risk putting a plug in the entire transport chain of containers,” he said.

Major shipping companies have recently pledged to do better to secure their shipments against traffickers. In 2023, MSC, Maersk, CMA CGM, Hapag Lloyd and Seatrade directors signed a “declaration on the fight against cross-border organized drug crime” with the Belgian and Dutch governments. It includes commitments to exchange information and institute better background checks on staff.

But combating the market forces behind the shipping industry will be a challenge, according to experts.

"If you step in and restrict this free movement of goods, you risk very quickly creating supply chain problems,” said Vigh. “If, for example, you start checking ships and containers more intensely or overregulating the ports, you risk slowing down global trade very quickly. That's why many countries are panicked about touching this."

Katja Lindskov Jacobsen, an associate professor and expert in maritime security at the University of Copenhagen, added that keeping up with the criminals is another obstacle.

"Even if the control is stepped up and more containers are checked, it will not necessarily be enough to completely eliminate the problem,” she said. “The criminals are often very good at adapting and finding creative countermeasures.”

Begoña P. Ramírez (InfoLibre), Paul Vugts (Het Parool), Lars Bové (De Tijd), Angus Peacock (OCCRP), and Pavla Holcova (Investigace.cz) contributed reporting.

Data from the Colombian Navy was also contributed by Vorágine, while the K-Lab of Fundación Karisma provided additional support, and Peace Brigades International assisted with security concerns.

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