Mike Lynch’s superyacht to be raised in $30 million operation following tragic sinking

A major salvage operation is set to commence on April 30, weather permitting, to raise the 56-metre British-flagged superyacht Bayesian from the seabed off Sicily. 

Investigators are hoping that recovering the yacht will provide crucial clues about its sinking last year, as well as recover two super-encrypted hard drives that were aboard the vessel, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

The operation, which is expected to cost around $30 million, is being led by Hebo Maritiemservice and Smit International, with support from expert teams.

On 19 August 2024, the luxury yacht, with its towering 75-metre mast, was anchored near Porticello in the province of Palermo when it was struck by a violent storm shortly before dawn. The incident tragically claimed the lives of seven people, including British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah.

Lynch, who had recently been cleared of fraud charges in the US over the 2011 acquisition of his company Autonomy by Hewlett-Packard, had been celebrating his acquittal with his family. His wife, Angela Baraces, whose company owned the yacht, survived the disaster.

The victims included Lynch’s lawyer Chris Morvillo, his wife Neda, and Morgan Stanley International’s chair Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy, alongside the yacht’s chef, Recaldo Thomas. The 15 survivors of the incident, including Baraces, will likely play a central role in the ongoing investigation.

Italian authorities are keen to understand whether human error or other factors were to blame for the sinking. Once the yacht is raised, a forensic examination will determine whether an open hatch or improperly raised keel contributed to the incident. The wreck lies 50 metres beneath the surface of the Bay of Porticello, which is under surveillance by Italian authorities.

Sicilian port officials have imposed a 650-metre exclusion zone around the wreck, prohibiting activities such as navigation, anchoring, diving, swimming, and fishing until the operation is completed. Salvage experts have warned that the operation will be highly complex.

The recovery team will utilise the 55-metre barge Hebo Lift 2, which is equipped with a heavy-lift crane, specialist diving equipment, and an underwater vehicle. A larger floating crane, the Hebo Lift 10, one of the largest of its kind in Europe, will be used to hoist the yacht from the seabed.

To facilitate the recovery, the yacht’s 75-metre mast, which weighs over 24 tonnes, will be removed. Once raised, the Bayesian will be towed to Termini Imerese, where prosecutors have opened an inquiry into suspected manslaughter. Captain James Cutfield, a New Zealander, along with two British crew members, Tim Parker Eaton and Matthew Griffiths, are under investigation, although this does not imply guilt, and formal charges may not follow.

The investigation into the yacht’s sudden sinking has puzzled experts, who are baffled as to how the vessel went down within 60 seconds of being struck. Some suggest the crew may have underestimated the severity of the storm, despite weather warnings.

Recovery operations began almost immediately after the incident, with divers from the fire brigade working tirelessly. The first body recovered was that of the yacht’s chef, Recaldo Thomas, on the afternoon of the sinking. Two days later, the bodies of Jonathan Bloomer and Chris Morvillo were recovered, followed by those of their wives. The following day, the bodies of Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah were found, marking the end of the recovery effort. All victims underwent post-mortem examinations. Lucio Di Mauro, a forensic doctor and technical consultant for the Morvillo family, confirmed that all the victims died from “so-called mechanical asphyxia by drowning.”

“It is important to clarify that, in forensic medicine, the determination of death by drowning is particularly complex, as there is no single pathognomonic lesion that alone allows for an incontrovertible diagnosis,” Di Mauro said. “Nevertheless, the data collected are consistent with this pathophysiological mechanism.”

In September, Italian authorities raised concerns about the security of the wreck, as it was reported that two super-encrypted hard drives aboard the yacht’s watertight safes could be of interest to foreign governments. There were fears that sensitive material on the hard drives could fall into the wrong hands, prompting additional security measures around the wreck site.

By Aghakazim Guliyev