mega yacht builders

Top 10 luxury yacht builders 2024

The design and build of a luxury yacht is a truly personal experience. Whether customising a design to be built, or striving to create a completely new concept altogether, superyacht owners will seek to work with a yacht builder that truly understands their vision, and can translate their dream design into a real vessel.

As Royal Huisman proudly states, “If you can dream it, we can build it!”

Those buying a new superyacht will therefore have many questions to ask themselves before settling on a suitable yacht builder and shipyard facility to carry out the project. Thankfully for these prospective owners, there are a number of luxury superyacht builders that have the ability to turn the biggest mega yacht dreams into reality.

Yachting Pages introduces the world’s top luxury yacht builders and their shipyard facilities , identifying some of the best superyachts along the way.

The best luxury superyacht builders in the world

1. lürssen, germany.

Based in Germany, Lürssen is one of the world's leading shipyards for large luxury yacht building, with a focus on excellence in custom-built superyachts. A family-owned shipyard for four generations, it claims the accolade of building the world’s first motor yacht back in 1886.

Responsible for building more than 13,000 vessels since 1875, Lürssen currently has eight shipyard facilities in Northern Germany, each specialising in a specific size of yacht ranging from 60 to 220 metres (197 to 722 feet) in length. Together these facilities offer 1,125,000 metres squared of space for new builds, as well as refit, repair and maintenance services.

Lürssen builds some of the largest luxury yachts in the world, including the iconic Azzam, the world’s current largest superyacht at 180 metres (590 feet) LOA.

2. Fincantieri Yachts, Italy

Fincantieri Yachts specialises in full-custom luxury pleasure yachts over 70 metres (230 feet) with no upper limit to the size or volume that it can produce. The renowned builder currently has a range of concepts and projects, including 70-metre (230-foot) superyacht Blanche.

Having manufactured in excess of 7,000 vessels in its 230-year history, including the 140-metre (459-foot) Ocean Victory, Fincantieri has a network of 18 shipyards across four continents, two design centres and a research centre, making it one of the largest Western shipyards in the world.

3. Benetti, Italy

Founded in 1873 and headquartered in Viareggio, Benetti is the world’s largest builder of superyachts by number built, with a production capacity of 100 units per year.

Most famous for building Sir Philip Green’s 90-metre (295-foot) Lionheart in 2016, 2019 was its breakthrough year with its first 100-metre+ (328-foot+) deliveries of Lana, Luminosity and IJE. This gave Benetti 2 nd , 3 rd and 4 th spots on the Top 10 Largest Superyachts Delivered in 2019 . As of 2024, Luminosity is for sale at €135,000,000 (c. $147,000,000).

4. Feadship, Netherlands

The home of full-custom superyachts, Feadship is one of the few shipyards worldwide that works to create completely custom yachts. It has worked with superyacht owners since the 19 th century to create one-off luxury motor yachts that are truly unique.

Feadship currently has four shipyard facilities in the Netherlands, with expansion underway at its Amsterdam facility in Western Harbour to offer the ability to build motor yachts as long as 160 metres (525 feet). To date, there are over 250 Feadship yachts in navigation, including 99-metre (324-foot) Madame Gu, 99.95-metre (327-foot) Moonrise, 101-metre (333-foot) Symphony, and 110-metre (361-foot) Anna.

5.  Amels, Netherlands

Located in Vlissingen, Amels operates the largest superyacht boatyard in the Netherlands, and is known to be one of the best superyacht builders in the world.

Amels has been operating for over 100 years and offers both Full Custom and Limited Editions, ranging from 55 to 83 metres (180 to 272 feet) LOA. Built on a proven platform and delivered in half the time expected of standard construction superyachts, all 40+ Limited Editions projects have so far been delivered on or ahead of contract, with 74-metre (242-foot) Amels 242 among the most recent to emerge from the yard. With several new projects currently under construction, Amels is likely to be among the top superyacht shipyards for many years to come.

6. Heesen Yachts, Netherlands

Heesen Yachts is known as one of the world’s luxury yacht builders, specialising in custom superyachts in the 30- to 65-metre (98- to 213-foot) range, but with the additional capability of building vessels of 80 metres (262 feet) and above.

With a focus on quality and innovation, Heesen has created many custom yachts with no two yachts the same. Founded in 1978, it was the first Dutch shipyard to employ aluminium for yacht hulls. In its 42 years, it has delivered more than 170 yachts, with aluminium, steel, displacement, semi-displacement and revolutionary fast displacement yachts making up its fleet. Its most famous vessels include the 65-metre (213-foot) Galatica Star, 70-metre (230-foot) Galatica Super Nova and 55-metre (180-foot) Serenity.

7. Nobiskrug, Germany

Having recently celebrated its 115 th anniversary, Nobiskrug began shipbuilding long before the term ‘superyacht’ was even coined. Drawing on its extensive experience in seagoing vessels, the shipyard turned to yacht building in 2000 with the completion of its inaugural superyacht project, the 92-metre (302-foot) Tatoosh. It has since delivered an impressive portfolio of innovative custom-built superyachts, pledging to work on a single project for a single client to build superyachts ready for the 22 nd century. A big statement of intent.

With two facilities in Northern Germany, the boatyard can currently build vessels ranging from 60 to 426 metres (197 to 1398 feet) in length. Over 1000 in-house employees work across the two sites, where they have developed and built numerous award-winning superyachts, including one of the industry’s most talked about vessels, 142-metre (466-foot) Sailing Yacht A.

2023 saw the launch of 70-metre (230-foot) Amoa. Her key numbers include a beam of 12.4 metres, a draft of 3.6 metres, and a volume of 1,900GT.

8. Oceanco, Netherlands

Oceanco specialises in building sophisticated custom yachts ranging from 80 to 140 metres (262 to 459 feet) in length. Offering a highly personal service to clients, Oceanco is positioned with state-of-the-art yacht building facilities in the Netherlands, and a design, sales and marketing office in Monaco.

The builder celebrated its first launch in 1992, and more than 30 years later its portfolio now includes well-known superyachts such as the 95-metre (311-foot) Indian Empress, 82-metre (269-foot) Alfa Nero, 88.5-metre (290-foot) Nirvana and 91.5-metre (300-foot) Equanimity.

9. Perini Navi, Italy

The Perini Navi Group is made up of four independent companies that operate in five specific markets: sailing yachts up to 60 metres (197 feet), large sailing yachts more than 60 metres, racing sailing yachts, fast cruising sailing yachts and Picchiotti motor yachts.

To date, the group has launched 58 sailing yachts and four motor yachts. Its track record for innovative sailing yachts has seen it set the standard for excellence in the sector, launching more yachts over 50 metres (164 feet) than any other builder. It's responsible for the iconic 88-metre (288-foot) three-masted schooner Maltese Falcon, which currently holds the title of the sixth largest sailing yacht in the world, and other award-winning sailing yachts, such as the 73-metre (239-foot) Nautilus, 70-metre (229-foot) Badis I and 64-metre (210-foot) Spirit Of The C’s.

10. Royal Huisman, Netherlands

Established in 1884, Royal Huisman is the only shipyard with two entries in the top 10 largest sailing yachts ever built. The 2020 launch of 81-metre (266-foot) Sea Eagle II was its tenth sailing yacht over 50 metres (164 feet) and its biggest yacht since 90-metre (295-foot) Athena in 2004, which was then the largest sailing yacht in the world. Despite being renowned for its luxury performance sailing yachts, Royal Huisman’s largest delivery in 2024 is expected to be the 65-metre (213-foot) Project 408, which will have a gross tonnage of 451GT.

Discover how to choose your luxury yacht builder   in our helpful guide or you can  search for superyacht shipyards  in our leading superyacht services directory.

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You are invited to discover more about Delta, the craftsmen who create and build Delta yachts, the shipyard and the beautiful city it calls home. Each individual Delta yacht is a masterpiece of innovation and creative design. At Delta, the true measure of innovation is not necessarily in how dramatically it is displayed, but how subtly, effectively — even invisibly — it can be integrated.

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The Best Luxury Yacht Builders in the World

With build times of around four years, it pays to know which shipbuilder is best for your dream superyacht.

By Kim Ayling

The superyacht industry has refound its mojo. Following the turbulence of the pandemic, yacht builders have resumed business as usual. Following recent growth in the UHNW population, order books remain full. New superyachts are rolling off the production line at an impressive rate of knots. If you’re considering a new superyacht now, you’ll be waiting over three years to take delivery of a ground-up build. Go with one of the leading yacht builders in the world, though, and it’ll be worth the wait.

This list of luxury yacht builders not only looks at what they have done in the past but also celebrates the stellar efforts they are making to reduce the environmental impact of their products. From lighter materials and onboard energy solutions to hybrid motors and marine conservation funding, these luxury yacht builders are not only leading the superyacht industry’s future but also protecting the oceans.

[See also: The Best Tenders to Pair with Your Superyacht]

Recognized as a world leader in building pure custom yachts, Feadship has been in pursuit of building the perfect ship since its inception in 1949 – although the brand can trace its roots back another 100 years. With each new ship that Feadship builds, its team employs the most cutting-edge methods and materials available, which when paired with its unpromising attitude toward fulfilling its clients’ desires, promises to deliver some of the most technically advanced yachts in the world – including Project 817 , which has now been delivered as Viva.

Viva remains a groundbreaking yacht build, with Feadship revealing ambitious aims to keep her environmental impact as low as possible. The 308-ft eco-friendly yacht features an advanced hybrid propulsion system that allows the yacht to travel at 12 knots on diesel-electric power. The ship’s hull has been designed with efficiency as a priority to reduce the energy needed to travel through the water.

The Dutch company has locations throughout The Netherlands, with its headquarters and design and engineering center found in the northern city of Haarlem.

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feadship.nl

Dutch yacht building outfit Oceanco was initially founded in 1987 – but it was only in 2002 (when Oceanco found itself in the hands of new owners) that the switch was made to focusing on 260-foot plus superyachts, drawing on old-world Dutch craftsmanship to build the yachts of the future. The award-winning company prides itself on its design-led builds, and in addition to employing its own forward-thinking design team, works with industry-leader designers such as Andrew Winch, Terence Disdale and Sam Sorgiovanni.

Environmental awareness is core to each Oceanco project, with the aim of not only meeting but surpassing environmental legislation with each build. Even its largest yacht to date – the 394-foot Redentore, which is still under construction – is impressively efficient thanks to her hybrid propulsions system, which keeps fuel consumption to a minimum. Other noteworthy Oceanco’s builds are the striking three-masted Black Pearl , which is powered by a combination of wind power and electric propulsion motors, and one of its latest concepts, Esquel  – an advanced expedition vessel.

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Most notably, Oceanco delivered the world’s largest sailing yacht, Koru , to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The colossal 417-ft vessel cost a rumored $500m to build and was delivered in 2023. It has since been spotted in Italy, Florida and the South of France. Perhaps more impressive than the yacht itself is the support vessel (built by Damen Yachting), a 250-ft superyacht-in-its-own-right capable of carrying a wealth of billionaire toys including submersibles, helicopters and cars.

oceancoyacht.com

[See also: Twenty for 20: Innovative Yachts of the 21st Century]

Dutch luxury shipbuilder Heesen has received worldwide recognition for its engineering and design prowess since launching in 1978. Heesen proudly pioneers the use of aluminum, which is widely regarded as the premium yacht-building material thanks to its lightness owing to better efficiency. As well as full custom builds, Heesen offers a platform concept that features semi-custom yachts already under construction in order to dramatically cut down delivery waits, without compromising on quality.

One of Heesen’s most notable yachts is Alive, which was the first to feature the revolutionary Hull Vane technology (underwater foil) for greater efficiency and speed, resulting in up to 30% less fuel consumption than a regular yacht. Other celebrated Heesen’s builds are Home and Electra , delivered in 2017 and 2020 respectively, both of which were in the award-winning 5000 FHDF aluminum hybrid class and came as a result of Heesen’s strive to limit the environmental impact of yachting.

heesenyachts.com

Part of the Azimut-Benetti Group, Benetti Yachts can trace its shipbuilding heritage all the way back to 1873 when the Fratelli Benetti shipyard was founded in the Tuscan city of Viareggio – the center of classic Italian shipbuilding. While much has changed in Benetti’s near 150-year lifetime, its focus on building state-of-the-art yachts to impeccably high standards has not, cementing its status as one of the best luxury yacht builders in the world.

As concerns on the environmental impact of private yachts have grown over time, Benetti has adapted its methods accordingly, utilizing hybrid technology to ensure its ships are at the forefront of sustainability. For example, when the Luminosity was first delivered in 2019 she was hailed as one of the greenest superyachts on the sea. The 352-foot yacht features advanced diesel-electric hybrid power, with her powerful battery providing up to 12 silent and emission-free hours at anchor.

Of course, sustainability doesn’t come at the cost of style: the Luminosity features a stunningly designed interior courtesy of Zaniz Jakubowski, with full-length windows drawing the outside in, and tasteful nods to contemporary artists creating a true home away from home.

benettiyachts.it

[See also: Superyacht Builders Heesen on Impacts of Covid-19 Pandemic]

Europe rules the roost when it comes to the top yacht builders in the world – the fifth in our list hails from Germany, with eight yards dotted throughout the country including main sites in Bremen, Hamburg and Rensburg. As with most yacht building companies, Lürssen is family run having been first founded in 1870 by Friedrick Lürssen. Since then the company has developed an esteemed reputation as one of the best in the world, breaking many records along the way, including the longest yacht in the world with Azza in 2015, which measures 592 feet, and Flying Fox which is the largest superyacht available for charter.

Lürssen’s latest superyacht is the sizeable 465.5-foot Nord (previously called Project Opus). Nord transcends the typical design of a superyacht thanks to the work of Italian design studio Nuvolari-Lenard, which was responsible for the yacht’s striking interior and exterior.

As is becoming standard for leading yacht builders, Lürssen is acutely aware of the negative environmental impact of both building and owning yachts. It is taking appropriate action to help mitigate this damage, including providing significant funding to marine life charities and conservation projects and implementing pioneering technologies such as onboard compact silencers and hybrid motor concepts.

lurssen.com

Royal Huisman

With a history that dates back to 1884, Dutch shipyard Royal Huisman proudly stakes a claim as one of the oldest yacht builders in the world. While the company was originally founded to build modest wooden fishing boats, its operations have deftly grown with the times, and Royal Huisman is now responsible for some of the finest and most luxurious yachts cruising the ocean today.

Although best known for its stunning sailing yachts ( Sea Eagle II, Ethereal  and  Aquarius  are particular knock-outs) Royal Huisman has also successfully branched out into the world of motor yachts. Its most recent build is the 192-ft Phi,  which was delivered in 2021. This super-slick aluminum yacht has space for up to 12 guests and since her maiden voyage, has been seen cruising on the Thames through London’s financial district. An apt setting for a yacht of this caliber.

royalhuisman.com

Damen Yachting

Damen Yachting, which falls under the umbrella of the wider Damen Shipyards Group, is another Dutch yacht builder dominating the world stage. Operating as Damen’s building division, Damen Yachting was only formed in its existing state in 2019 and is now responsible for the building of the famous Amels yachts, as well as the SeaXplorer expedition ships and yacht support vessels. Since moving its Amels building operations to Vlissingen in 2003, Damen Shipyards proudly boasts the largest superyacht facility in the Netherlands.

As a company of this magnitude, Damen Yachting naturally has some impressive builds under its belt, including the newest in the Limited Editions semi-custom range: the Amels 60 . Currently under construction with an estimated delivery of 2022, the 197-foot Amels 60  uses a fuel-efficient hybrid propulsions system to slash emissions, cut noise pollution and minimize fuel and maintenance costs.

damenyachting.com

Italian-born Sanlorenzo is continuously regarded as being among the best in class when it comes to yacht builders and has been the recipient of numerous awards in its near-65 year lifetime. Despite Sanlorenzo’s longevity and established status, it remains a truly boutique luxury yacht builder at heart. To ensure the attention to detail and high quality for which it is famous for, as well as securing exclusivity for its clients, Sanlorenzo is committed to working with a limited number of customers each year.

In true Italian style, the superyachts that leave Sanlorenzo’s main La Spezia shipyard transcend trends; instead, they exude classic style and authentic craftsmanship. Combined, this guarantees a truly timeless finish – of which the current flagship Attila is a perfect example. Sanlorenzo specializes in fiberglass, steel and aluminum, ensuring that each owner can select a material to befit their needs.

sanlorenzoyacht.com

Despite dating back over a hundred years, German luxury yacht builder Nobiskrug always has one eye on the future with a steadfast commitment to innovation. Nobiskrug offers fully custom yacht builds, working directly with owners to fulfill their unique vision, as well as working on ship refits. The company operates out of world-class yacht-building facilities in the city of Rendsburg, which include a climate-controlled superyacht hall.

The need to strive for innovation extends to Nobiskrug’s environmental commitments, where it applies advanced technologies in order to limit the impact of its builds. For example, Artefact – which was first delivered in 2020 – was one of the first superyachts to be built in line with the IMO Tier III regulations (which focus on reducing emissions). Artefact uses onboard solar panels and a battery storage system to allow for a limited period of engineless operation, as well as adopting a waste-water recycling system.

nobiskrug.com

[See also: Discovering the World’s Most Exciting Superyacht Concepts]

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The Top 10 Best Yacht Builders In The World

Here is our list of the best yacht builders on earth. Deciding which shipyard will build your luxury yacht is a complex and deeply personal choice, depending on many factors including the level of customization you want, your budget, the location of the shipyard, and the ‘feel’ you get for the yard’s vision and people.

Our list of the best yacht builders is naturally subjective and will not feature every well-known brand. Our short selection includes a range of shipyards, from manufacturers of the some of the most iconic custom-built superyachts to hugely popular production yacht builders.

Here are the best yacht builders on earth, sorted by region.

Usa – best yacht builders.

Westport is one of the dominant players in the American yacht-building market, with a hugely popular range of tri-deck and raised pilothouse motoryachts built from composite materials. Their models range from from the 112′ to 164′ (34m to 50m) series, allowing the yacht owner to customize the interior layout without the high cost and long timescale of fully-custom construction. As the largest American yacht building company in operation, Westport has a proud history of high quality yacht manufacturing dating back to 1964, with over 100 superyachts and over 170 fishing vessels launched from their Pacific Northwest Shipyard. Westport yachts are extremely popular in the US brokerage and charter market and have a reputation for holding their value well. View current Westport yachts for sale .

Christensen Yachts prides itself on the construction of American-built custom and semi-custom superyachts from fiberglass, including well known yachts M/Y CASINO ROYALE, M/Y SILVER LINING and award-winning M/Y ODESSA. Founded by superyacht owners, Christensen has a loyal following of yacht owners, many of whom are repeat customers. Currently producing yachts at its Vancouver, WA yard between 100’ to 165’ (35m to 50m) in length, Christensen was bought out in 2015 and is in the process of building America’s largest superyacht facility in Tennessee, which will construct vessels up to 70m. View current Christensen yachts for sale .

Northern Europe – Best Yacht Builders

German superyacht builder Lurssen is the builder of the largest superyacht in existence, the 590’ (180m) M/Y AZZAM, which was completed in an astonishingly quick three years. Known for superb build quality and large projects across its superyacht, naval vessel, as well as its’ yacht refit and management divisions, Lurssen is a family-run shipyard with a prestigious yacht building heritage spanning back to 1875, when it constructed the first ever motoryacht. Lurssen is the builder of 5 of the top 10 largest yachts in the world. View current Lurssen yachts for sale.

Feadship, Netherlands: For some yacht owners, the only name worth knowing is Feadship. This prestigious brand is synonymous with Dutch superyacht quality, and has a legion of steadfast and loyal fans. Dating back to 1849, Feadship creates fully custom yachts from a ‘blank slate’ beginning, priding themselves on creating supremely unique, innovative yachts that stand the test of time. There are 450 bespoke yachts currently afloat in the Feadship fleet, including M/Y HASNA, a 239’ (73m) with a revolutionary layout. Read more on Dutch yacht builders . View current Feadship yachts for sale .

Amels’ vast and high-tech superyacht facility is the largest in the Netherlands, producing iconic, high-value yachts up to 330’ (100m), including their 2017 flagship yacht, 272’ (83m) M/Y HERE COMES THE SUN. Amels offer a fully custom yacht building service, as well as their exceedingly popular Limited Edition Series, whereby the yacht owner retains control over interior and exterior design but the yacht is built on a proven platform, thereby slashing the build time. Amels also builds support yachts through their parent company, DAMEN, a heavyweight in global shipbuilding. View current Amels yachts for sale .

Dutch yacht builder Heesen is known for its aluminum and steel superyachts and innovative use of technology, as seen in the revolutionary fast displacement hull form first seen in the multi-award winning M/Y GALACTICA STAR, and the hybrid propulsion utilized in the 2017 launch of M/Y HOME. With a fleet of over 170 yachts launched since inception in 1978, Heesen is known for pushing the boundaries of what is possible in superyacht design and engineering. Heesen builds motoryachts between 100’ to 265’ (30m to 80m) in length at its Oss shipyard. View current Heesen yachts for sale .

Now owned by Lurssen, Blohm + Voss is a yachting powerhouse in its own right, constructing magnificent large superyachts including the iconic MOTOR YACHT A and 531’ (162m) M/Y ECLIPSE, currently the third-largest yacht in the world. The vast Blohm +Voss facility in Hamburg, Germany creates striking custom motoryachts and sailing yachts. View current Blohm +Voss yachts for sale.

Mediterranean – Best Yacht Builders

Benetti is a powerhouse of luxury yacht building, with a very healthy order list and a boat- building pedigree stretching back to 1873. Since 1960, Benetti has been constructing superyachts in Italy, including iconic yachts MY KINGDOM in 1980, then the largest yacht in the world at 280’ (85m), right through to recent launches such as the award-winning M/Y 11.11. Benetti is part of the Azimut-Benetti Group, the largest producer of luxury yachts in the world, building semi-custom and fully custom yachts between 100′ and 330′ (30m and 100m) long. Known for their Italian style and long history of yacht construction, Benetti has a loyal following of yacht owners who return to the yard each time they upgrade. View current Benetti yachts for sale .

The creators of one of the most well-known yachts on the planet, S/Y MALTESE FALCON, Perini Navi enjoys a superb reputation as a sailing superyacht builder, and also entered the large motoryacht market in 2007 under its Pichiotti brand. Perini Navi yachts are known for their superyacht luxuries and interior volume, as well as the technically brilliant sailing systems that allow these large yachts to be operated by a small crew. Perini Navi dominates the sailing superyacht market with its range from 130’ to 200’(40m to 60m), constructed at their three shipyards in Viareggio, La Spezia in Italy and also in Istanbul. View current Perini Navi yachts for sale .

UK – Best Yacht Builders

Sunseeker is one of the most instantly recognizable names in the yachting world, building performance luxury yachts known for their speed and sleek looks. Once better known for their smaller sport yachts, Sunseeker is now a major player in the superyacht market, with customizable yacht models from 75′ to 155′, as well as constructing the Predator range with a top speed of 45 knots. Built and engineered in Dorset, UK, Sunseeker is Britain’s most famous luxury yacht builder, creating the hand-finished yachts regularly featured on James Bond films. View current Sunseeker yachts for sale .

Worth Avenue Yachts has extensive experience with each of these yacht brands. To find out more about the relative advantages of these shipyards or the other high-quality shipyards that we recommend, please contact us for an expert discussion.

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76M san bao

94.7m red star, 88.5m illusion plus, 92m ninetytwo, 108.8m tomorrow, 115m estatement, unlimited technology.

Pride Mega Yachts are world-class, competitive mega yacht builders, located in China’s Yantai Peninsula in the Bohai Gulf. Pride Mega Yachts designs and builds its yachts with an experienced, international team of world-class consultants and designers according to European standards. The use of tested, state-of-the art technologies allows for an unwavering focus on innovation and sustainability.

UNLIMITED PERFECTION

With more than 25 years of experience working in the superyacht industry, luxury shipbuilders Pride Mega Yachts have numerous high-quality international projects to their name. China is traditionally not associated with the global yachting industry but that is changing fast. Both country and Pride Mega Yachts have an obsession with perfectionism and a strong drive to significantly contribute to the qualitative aspects of the world economy.

UNLIMITED PROFESSIONALISM

The unrivalled level of professionalism is reflected in the high levels of naval expertise in the fields of engineering, construction, methodology, research and development, design and production. The desire to consistently delivers the very best drives in the constant search for excellence that is required for the creation of superior-quality superyachts. Extraordinary and meticulous craftsmanship forms the indispensable basis for the realisation of the largest, finest, unlimited high-end super yachts.

UNLIMITED IN SERVICE PROVISION

Flexible and client driven, Pride Mega Yachts is constantly seeking the best product and the best solution for the client. From the design process to the construction phase and after completion, Pride Mega Yachts knows that the customer’s experience with the shipyard is as important as the end product. It is therefore always fully focused on realising client wishes, while maintaining the highest levels of quality and safety on board.

UNLIMITED CHOICE

Luxury yacht builders, Pride Mega Yachts knows how keen owners are to feel proud every time they step onto their yacht to enjoy maritime life with friends and family. In order to realise this aspiration as rapidly as possible, Pride Mega Yachts builds its yachts on the basis of a fully tested and engineered standard platform, with several superyachts in various stages of completion at all times. Owners can decide at which stage they want to step in, depending on their wishes regarding time, budget and specifications.

UNLIMITED CUSTOMISATION

From superyachts being under construction based on pre-designed lay-out and outfit to fully customised yachts, Pride Mega Yachts can accommodate all a future owner may require at any stage in the yacht building process. There is no limit to available possibilities in terms of nautical architecture, interior design or technical equipment. All yachts are developed with world-class consultants and designers, paying meticulous attention to Pride Mega Yachts exacting standards. The result is a yacht that meets European standards, while maintaining competitive prices.

UNLIMITED INNOVATION

At Pride Mega Yachts, our team of specialist yacht builders use innovative designs and the finest materials to manufacture our range of custom built yachts. We recognise the importance of customisation when purchasing your own private mega yacht. Therefore, our goal at Pride Mega Yachts is to realise clients’ dreams, transforming complex ideas into a reality, whilst ensuring an outstanding client-driven customer service. Our accomplished team of experts ensures the highest quality experience throughout the entire process and gives you the opportunity to customise any aspect of the project at any stage.

UNLIMITED FLEXIBILITY

Combining the latest state-of-the-art technology and our team of world-class consultants, designers and engineers, Pride Mega Yachts provides an unparalleled fully comprehensive service that gives owners the flexibility to personalise every aspect of their yacht, from the technical specifications, to the interior design and special features. We are committed to providing you with a complete service, resulting in a personalised unique superyacht at the most competitive price.

UNLIMITED DEDICATION

We pride ourselves on our high-quality, client-orientated services. As part of our custom yacht sales strategy, we give owners illimitable customisation options. From the outset, choose the preferred layout, the technical specifications and then personalise the interior design and furnishing. Owners collaborate with our experienced consultants to create the perfect yacht suited to their requirements and expectations. Buyers can also optimise the special features aboard their custom built yachts and influence the project according their budget and time.

88.5M illusion Plus

WE BUILD SMART YACHTS FOR SMART OWNERS

At Dynamiq, we believe in a smarter way to build yachts. We believe in intelligent buyers and next-generation yachts that are efficient, easy to order and effortless to customize. We believe in the latest technologies, logical innovations and unique collaborations. We believe in the winning, value for money formula of yachts that are engineered in the Netherlands, designed in Monaco and crafted in Turkey. So don’t think too hard. Live smart. Be Dynamiq.

YOUR SPECIAL PLAYGROUND FOR YACHT BUILDS FROM 35 to 65 METERS

The shipyard.

The construction of Dynamiq yachts is carried out in the Antalya Free Zone, Turkey, which is a government-protected area that benefits from a special tax regime lowering costs and hosts a cluster of high profile shipyards from both Turkey and the Netherlands. Dynamiq occupies the most modern and newest facility in the Free Zone, with 10,000 m 2 covered space and access to a 2,000 ton syncrolift for safe and easy launching. The sheds are well fitted out for building the full range of Dynamiq superyachts up to 65 meters in length. Various powertrain options are available including hybrid or diesel-electric technology.

The works are organized with international subcontractors from Germany, Austria and Italy, who team up with the best local craftsmen to achieve a level of quality in line with North European standards. Dynamiq has in-house interior, teak and stainless steel production to ensure that the end product finish is absolutely perfect and minimize the risks of delays. The shipyard working environment is carefully managed and strict quality control standards are maintained by both the Dynamiq team and external surveyors from Europe. Dynamiq organized dedicated modern office spaces to welcome owner's representatives and crew members. 

Designed in MONACO. ENGINEERED IN THE NETHERLANDS. CRAFTED IN TURKEY.

The Dynamiq range is a product of leading European technology and craftsmanship. This unique international approach has created an innovative superyacht of the highest quality born from a collaboration of the world’s top superyacht design and construction experts.

GRAN TOURISMO TRANSATLANTIC

• LOA 35.5 metres
• Max speed 23 knots
• Starting at 17,250,000 €

• LOA 41 metres
• Max speed 21 knots
• Starting at 21,000,000 €

• LOA 50 metres
• Max speed 16/21 knots
• Starting at 29,500,000€

• LOA 52 metres
• Max speed 19 / 23 knots
• Starting at 31,500,000 €

• LOA 40 metres
• Max speed 14 knots
• Starting at 24,000,000 €

• LOA 45.5 metres
• Starting at 28,750,000 €

G 500 Hybrid

• LOA 50 metres
• Max speed 16 knots
• Starting at 30,900,000 €

• LOA 55.7 metres
• Starting at 32,500,000 €

WHY DYNAMIQ?

Forward thinking design, innovative naval architecture, highest engineering standards, top-quality steel & aluminium construction, ocean-going range, smart pricing.

Dynamiq's unique exteriors look impressive and fresh and express the sporty, chic soul of our yachts. They not only look great, but also perform at the top of their class and lend owners a sense of exclusivity and pride.

Dynamiq’s high efficiency is based on innovative technologies in modern naval architecture: fast displacement hull lines, the Hull Vane under the stern, and Sleipner curved fin stabilizers. Completely drawn by leading naval architects in the Netherlands, all Dynamiq yachts feature a round-bilge shape for remarkably low resistance and low fuel consumption, while providing seaworthiness and comfort with long waterline length and low centre of gravity.

Each Dynamiq yacht is by definition safe, comfortable and environmentally friendly in accordance with the strictest RINA and BV Commercial Class standards, prestigious Comfort and Green Star Plus notations, Large Yacht Code 4 (LY4) compliancy and manning standards. This not only makes our vessels ultra-safe and almost silent, but also means they can be chartered to offset the cost of ownership.

Only certified marine-grade steel, aluminium and Sealium are used for Dynamiq hulls and superstructures. In comparison with composite hulls, they are much quieter, easier to repair and have higher trade-in value due to the fact that they have a very long service life.

Dynamiq yachts are designed with an ocean-going capability in mind, which means owners have the opportunity to enjoy multiple seasons during the year (say Mediterranean and Caribbean) and visit remote locations with no re-fueling infrastructure. Equipped with high-capacity marine fridges and freezers, cold garbage stores, separate laundry facilities, plenty of storage space, generous fresh water tanks and powerful water-makers, Dynamiq yachts provide autonomy at sea in complete comfort.

Combining Dutch engineering with production facilities in the one of the biggest Turkish shipbuilding hubs of Antalya Free Zone means Dynamiq can offer North European standards and quality craftsmanship at significantly reduced prices. Being pioneers in the superyacht industry, Dynamiq also has an Online Configurator where clients can customize their yachts in a few clicks and see in real time how the price and delivery times vary.

SALES REPRESENTATIVES

• INTERNATIONAL

• Maria Dobroserdova
• Dynamiq Sales Director
• M: +33 617 07 93 26 [email protected]
• Language: English, French, Russian Location: Monaco
• Türkiye

• CANDAŞ BALCI
• BLC Yachts Brand ambassador
• M: +90 543 373 92 07 [email protected]
• Language: Turkish & English Location: Türkiye

• Emi Okamoto
• Japan Yacht Management Brand ambassador
• M: +81 (0) 80 6791 1048 [email protected]
• Language: Japanese & English Location: Japan
• Germany, Austria and Switzerland

• Lukas Stratmann
• Ocean Independence Brand ambassador
• M: +49 151 1211 2887 [email protected]
• Language: German & English Location: Germany

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Construction of a perfect vessel is a special, incomparable pleasure. ARCON YACHTS gives you a unique opportunity for individual and practically unlimited choice of shipyard, size, design, layout, style, and all the materials. We build each boat in accordance with individual requirements and desires of the customer, taking into full consideration the smallest details and features.

However, at the same time this is a very time-consuming and important process that requires careful and professional monitoring. At this stage, the main objective of the managing company is to find and optimize the complex chain of contractors (shipyards, designers, engineers, audio/video distributors, narrowly focused technical specialists), to minimize risks and expenses of the client, create absolutely new and unique vessel. Set of tasks claims certain algorithm and special schemes of interaction at all stages of construction. The most important criterion of high quality and successful work becomes all Owner’s wishes in conjunction with technical safety requirements and international standards.

ARCON YACHTS undertakes the following tasks:

• Preparation of construction plan with the shipyard;
• Liasons with subcontractors;
• Coordination of design works;
• Execution of customer requirements throughout the working process;
• Monitoring of compliance with all the rules and regulations of technical plan and GA;
• Financial Management;
• Providing reviews and reports;
• The certification, examination for compliance with the class and safety standards;
• Recommendations for vessel registration and ownership structures;
• Representing the interests of the owner;
• The owner has the opportunity to observe the construction progress and milestones;
• Performance testing, commissioning and delivery of the yacht ;
• Warranty support .

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Yacht Sank in Sicily Due to ‘Endless Chain of Errors,' Ship Maker's Owner Speculates: ‘Everything Was Predictable’

"A series of activities should have been done to avoid finding oneself in that situation," argues Giovanni Costantino, who owns the firm that built the vessel in 2008

• Giovanni Costantino — who is the CEO of The Italian Sea Group, the company that now owns Perini Navi, which built the  Bayesian  in 2008 — blames an "endless chain of errors" for the luxury yacht’s sinking on Monday, Aug. 19
• "Everything was predictable. I have the weather charts in front of me here," Constantino told Italian newspaper  Corriere della Sera  of the storm the boat was caught in
• "An unsinkable ship but from the crew an endless chain of errors," the CEO claimed to the outlet

The sinking of the luxury Bayesian  yacht off the coast of Sicily this week  resulted from an "endless chain of errors" by the crew, the ship maker's CEO is speculating.

"This episode sounds like an unbelievable story, both technically and as a fact," Giovanni Costantino — who leads The Italian Sea Group, the company that now owns Perini Navi, which built the  Bayesian  in 2008 — said,  according to CNN .

While speaking to  Italian newspaper  Corriere della Sera , Costantino said he believes those on board should not have been in their cabins, as he claims they were, when the Bayesian sank in the early hours of Monday, Aug. 19. 

Many details of why the yacht went into the water so quickly remain unclear and it's not yet known what the passengers and crew were doing before tragedy struck.

The 183-foot British vessel sank around 5 a.m. local time on Monday after a "violent storm" while near Porticello, the Italian coast guard said in a statement that was previously obtained by PEOPLE.

"Everything that has been done reveals a very long sum of errors. The people should not have been in the cabins, the boat should not have been at anchor. And then why didn't the crew know about the incoming disturbance?" Costantino said in his interview, translated from Italian.

Related: Italian Authorities Currently Don’t Have Anyone ‘Under Investigation’ over Luxury Yacht Sinking

"The passengers reported an absurd thing, namely that the storm came unexpected, suddenly. It's not true. Everything was predictable. I have the weather charts in front of me here. Nothing came suddenly ... Ask yourself, why was no fisherman from Porticello out that night? A fisherman reads the weather conditions and a ship doesn't? The disturbance was fully readable in all the weather charts. One could not not know," he argued.

"An unsinkable ship but from the crew an endless chain of errors," the CEO asserted.

The coast guard has said 22 people were aboard the  Bayesian  when it sank — 12 passengers and 10 crew — and that 15 of those were subsequently rescued.

The body of the yacht's chef, Recaldo Thomas, was recovered nearby. 

Costantino's comments came as it was reported that five bodies had been found in the search for the missing six people as of Wednesday, Aug. 21, a source close to the rescue operations confirmed to PEOPLE. Authorities have said that their work is ongoing. 

An Italian government official, Massimo Mariani, reportedly named one of the dead as British tech tycoon Mike Lynch . The other bodies have not yet been publicly identified by authorities. 

Lynch was celebrating with family and friends on the yacht following his acquittal in a fraud trial in June, PEOPLE previously reported.

Related: 'We Are in Shock,' Prominent N.Y.C. Attorney's Firm Says After He and His Wife Go Missing in Yacht Sinking

Costantino offered his view of how the tragedy could have been avoided: "To begin with, in a weather alert situation it was inappropriate to have, as I read, a party. Not that evening. The hull and deck needed to be secured by closing all doors and hatches, after putting the guests at the ship's meeting point as per emergency procedure. Then start the engines and pull up the anchor or release it automatically, put the bow to the wind and lower the keel.

"The next morning they would have departed with zero damage." 

When discussing whether the crew were at fault, Costantino reiterated to the Italian outlet that he believes "errors were made."

"A series of activities should have been done to avoid finding oneself in that situation," he said. "I as the ship's captain would have moved, but even if for some reason I had to stay there, I would have managed those weather conditions which then, let's face it, weren't so crazy."

Never miss a story — sign up for  PEOPLE's free daily newsletter  to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.  

Costantino contended that there would have been "a zero risk if the correct maneuvers had been made and if situations that compromised the ship's stability had not occurred," adding to the newspaper that reports that the boat went down in seconds is "nonsense." He believes the yacht would have "went down" after water "started to enter" within "six minutes."

The remaining missing  Bayesian  passengers are Lynch's daughter Hannah as well as Chairman of Morgan Stanley International  Jonathan Bloomer, his wife, Judy , and New York City-based lawyer  Christopher Morvillo and his wife, Neda , sources have said.

Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, was among those rescued, PEOPLE previously reported.

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Read the original article on People .

How did the superyacht Bayesian sink? Experts say weather was just one factor

Divers searching for 6 missing people locate 5 bodies inside wrecked yacht's hull.

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A complicated search effort is underway deep beneath the surface of the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Italy, where a superyacht sank early Monday during a fierce storm. 

Dive crews are attempting to enter the wreck of the Bayesian, a 56-metre long British-flagged luxury vessel, which is sitting in some 50 metres of water near the Sicilian fishing village of Porticello.

Fifteen of the 22 passengers and crew members on board were rescued. Divers searching for six people considered missing, including British businessman Mike Lynch, located five bodies inside the yacht's hull on Wednesday, and retrieved four of them from the water.

Searchers previously recovered the body of Recaldo Thomas, the ship's Canadian-Antiguan cook, in the water not far from where the Bayesian sank.  

• Diving team finds 5 bodies in Sicily yacht search
• Canadian dead, several others missing after superyacht capsizes off Sicilian coast

Questions have emerged about why a boat designed to handle severe weather sank so rapidly and whether or not some of its features could've been a factor in its demise. Maritime experts say investigations may, in time, reveal what led to the disaster.

"There needs to be an investigation as to why this happened, what went wrong and, you know, how to prevent it in the future cases," said Simon Boxall, an oceanographer and senior lecturer at the University of Southampton in England.

Canadian dead, others missing after superyacht sinks near Sicily

How did the bayesian sink so quickly.

Grainy footage from closed-circuit cameras on the shore broadcast on the website of the Giornale di Sicilia newspaper showed the Bayesian's majestic mast just before it disappeared. 

Karsten Borner, captain of the Sir Robert Baden Powell, which rescued the survivors who managed to get into a lifeboat, told The Associated Press he was close enough to be able to see the Bayesian as the storm came in.

"A moment later, she was gone," he said.

The survivors told the rescuers they went flat on the water "and were sunk in two minutes."

Boxall said vessels rely on being able to steer and navigate stormy seas, but the Bayesian was anchored and stationary, which likely made it more vulnerable to the storm and, potentially, a waterspout , or mini tornado that creates a whirlwind over the surface of the sea. 

He said it was also dark, meaning "you wouldn't see this sort of very unique event coming towards you."

CCTV footage shows yacht Bayesian as deadly storm strikes

"It's a freak of nature," Boxall said. "I think the fact that so many have survived, so far, is probably a miracle."

Tom Sharpe, a retired Royal Navy commander and defence commentator, told CBC News the weather was likely not the only issue.

He says it's rare that a weather event like this takes down a boat. 

"There's nearly always a sequence [of events]," he said in an interview from Guildford, England, explaining that everything from safety protocols to the culture on board the vessel needs to be taken into account. 

Was the boat's design part of the problem?

The Bayesian was built in 2008 by Italian luxury yacht maker Perini Navi.

Andrea Ratti, a nautical design professor at Milan Polytechnic, told Reuters that a boat the size of the Bayesian could only sink so rapidly by taking on a huge amount of water. 

He suggested that one or more portholes, windows or other openings may have been broken or smashed open by the waterspout, letting in water. There has also been media speculation that a major hatch might have been inadvertently left open.

Reports have also highlighted that the Bayesian featured a 72-metre mast — one of the tallest in the world. 

Ratti said an unusually tall mast is not by itself an element of vulnerability in a storm. 

A second expert, structural engineer Filippo Mattioni, was also skeptical about the suggestion the boat may have sunk due to a broken mast, which likely would have caused major damage smashing against the hull.

Fire department diver Marco Tilotta told the newspaper Il Messaggero that the wreck was "apparently intact," with "no gashes, no signs of impact." However, only half of the hull is visible to divers.

The Bayesian also had a retractable keel — the fin-like structure under the hull that helps stabilize boats and acts as a counterweight to the mast. 

Both Ratti and Mattioni wondered if the yacht had been anchored with the keel up, reducing the vessel's depth under water and making it less stable. Ratti said strong winds might have caused the boat to start oscillating wildly, "like a pendulum," putting exceptional strain on the mast.

Sharpe pointed out that a mast the size of the Bayesian's is designed for a massive sail, and without that sail raised and catching the wind, the gusts likely would've had a negligible impact on the aluminum pole.

• What we know about the capsized superyacht off the Sicilian coast

He instead suggested the anchor may have played a pivotal role.

"My kind of working assumption is that she was probably a bit further in at anchor, and it's very likely, in these sort of conditions, that her anchor dragged," he said. 

In such a situation, he said, a crew is better off steering toward the anchor to stabilize the vessel or raising the anchor and heading out to sea to ride out the storm.

"They might have got caught in that middle ground where they're not on a particularly good anchorage, but the anchor is now controlling the bow of the ship."

Sicily superyacht rescue: What divers are up against | About That

What caused the extreme weather.

Although Sharpe says the weather is unlikely the sole cause of the sinking, he notes the Mediterranean isn't the calm sea often pictured in travel brochures. 

"It can get pretty nasty," he said.

The type of storm that struck Monday is fuelled by warm water and the Mediterranean is warmer than ever, said Boxall, noting there's been about a three and a half degree increase in the 20-year average temperature.

'The ship behind us was gone,' says captain who rescued yacht passengers

Climatologists say global warming is making such violent and unexpected tempests more frequent. 

Luca Mercalli, president of Italy's meteorological society, said the sea surface temperature around Sicily in the days leading up to the shipwreck was about 30 C. 

"This creates an enormous source of energy that contributes to these storms," he told Reuters.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Senior Writer

Nick Logan is a senior writer with CBC based in Vancouver. He is a multi-platform reporter and producer, with a particular focus on international news. You can reach out to him at [email protected].

With files from The Associated Press and Reuters

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Founded in 2003

Timmerman Yachts is a Russian builder of quality luxury motor yachts. Based in Moscow, it is owned by a group of Dutch and Russian investors and operates out of Moscow Shipyard. Several noted naval architecture and yacht design firms are involved with Timmerman, including Vripack, Guido de Groot Design, Ginton Naval Architects, Jon Bannenberg Ltd., and Francis Design Ltd.

Founded in 2003, the company was named for 17th century Dutch boat builder Franz Timmerman who brought Dutch boat manufacturing techniques to Russia and co-founded the Russian navy. Timmerman Yachts has more than 1,000 employees working at the Moscow Shipyard.

Timmerman has delivered a number of semi-custom luxury yachts between 26-47 metres in length, including TM26 and Timmerman FD-51, designed by Francis Design Ltd. Other notable Timmerman yachts include Victoria M, Alexandra (now Latitude) and Olsten 125′.

One of the 10 largest yacht builders in the world, Timmerman is focused on building high-quality luxury yachts at more competitive prices. Its Russian-Dutch partnership provides great yacht-building capabilities. Timmerman builds yacht to the highest standards and holds DNV, MCA and Russian River Register certification. The company reportedly has more than a dozen yachts in some phase of construction.

Yachts built by Timmerman

Who was onboard tech mogul Mike Lynch's Bayesian yacht?

Topic: Disasters, Accidents and Emergency Incidents

Six people are missing, including a man dubbed the British Bill Gates, after a luxury yacht sank off the Sicilian coast.

British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch — freshly acquitted from a decade-long trial — had invited his work colleagues aboard a trip through the Mediterranean coast when a freak storm saw the yacht sink within moments.

Fifteen people escaped from the sinking vessel. The search for the missing continues.

Here's what we know so far: 

What happened?

The Italian coastguard said the yacht — the Bayesian — was anchored off the shore of port city Porticello, near the Sicilian capital Palermo, when it was hit by bad weather sometime after 4am on Monday, local time. 

Eyewitnesses said it vanished quickly beneath the waves shortly before dawn.

Managers of the sailing vessel Bayesian, Camper & Nicholsons, confirmed to the ABC that the Bayesian encountered severe weather and subsequently sank. 

"Our priority is assisting with the ongoing search and providing all necessary support to the rescued passengers and crew," they said. 

"The wind was very strong. Bad weather was expected, but not of this magnitude," a coastguard official told Reuters.

Sicily's civil protection agency head, Salvo Cocina, said a waterspout — a tornado over the water — could have struck the yacht.

"They were in the wrong place at the wrong time," Mr Cocina added. 

Storms and heavy rainfall had swept down Italy in recent days after weeks of scorching heat, lifting the temperature of the Mediterranean Sea to record levels and raising the risk of extreme weather conditions, experts told Reuters.

"The sea surface temperature around Sicily was around 30 degrees Celsius, which is almost 3 degrees more than normal. This creates an enormous source of energy that contributes to these storms," meteorologist Luca Mercalli said.

Rescuers recover the body of one of the people aboard the Bayesian.  ( AP: Lucio Ganci )

Captain Karsten Borner of the Sir Robert Baden Powell vessel told journalists he noticed the Bayesian nearby during the storm, but after it calmed he saw a red flare and realised the ship had simply disappeared.

Mr Borner said he and a crew member boarded their tender and found a lifeboat with 15 people, some of them injured, who they then took aboard and alerted the coast guard.

Search crews, including helicopters and divers, are continuing to search the wreckage, lying at a depth of 49 metres.

Specialist divers reached the ship on Monday but access was limited due to objects in the way, the fire brigade said.

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch is deploying a team of four inspectors to Italy to conduct a preliminary assessment.

The Foreign Commonwealth and Development office said it was "providing consular support to a number of British nationals and their families".

Sicilian prosecutors have also opened an investigation into the event. 

Who is missing?

Lawyer Chris Morvillo (left), entrepreneur Mike Lynch, and Morgan Stanley chairman Jonathan Bloomer are among the missing. 

There were 12 passengers and 10 crew members aboard the yacht. 

Mr Cocina said the crew and passengers hailed from a variety of countries, including Britain, the United States, Antigua, France, Germany, Ireland, Myanmar, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Spain.

Of the 22, one man is confirmed dead and another six people are still missing. 

They are believed to be inside the hull, fire rescue spokesperson Luca Cari said.

Fabio Cefalù, a fisherman who said he responded to a flare from the vessel but found it sunk, said he stayed at the site for three hours without finding anyone.

"I think they are inside, all the missing people," he said.

Rescue teams recovered the body of the yacht's onboard chef on Monday, identified as Antiguan citizen Ricardo Thomas.

The still missing people include: 

• Mr Lynch's 18-year-old daughter, Hannah 
• Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of global financial services company Morgan Stanley International
• Chris Morvillo , a lawyer at the British multinational law firm Clifford Chance. He worked on Mr Lynch's lawsuit against Hewlett-Packard
• The identities of the remaining two missing are still unconfirmed

Who was rescued? 

Fifteen people escaped from the sinking ship. 

Eight have been hospitalised and others were taken to a nearby hotel.

Charlotte Golunski was among those rescued, recalling the harrowing moments she held her child Sofia above the waves.  ( Supplied: Facebook  )

Among those rescued were:

• Mr Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, who was the owner of the yacht
• Charlotte Golunski and her one-year-old daughter, Sofia. Ms Golunski is a partner at Mr Lynch's firm, Invoke Capital. She says she momentarily lost hold of Sofia in the water but managed to hold her up above the waves until the lifeboat was inflated
• Ms Golunski's husband James Emslie
• New Zealand captain of the yacht James Catfield. He told Italian newspaper La Repubblica the crew didn't see the storm coming
• A lone Dutch citizen was identified by the Dutch foreign ministry as being rescued, but was not identified

Who is Mike Lynch?

Mr Lynch, once hailed as Britain’s king of technology, was recently freed from a Silicon Valley lawsuit that tarnished his legacy. 

The 59-year-old Cambridge-educated mathematician created Autonomy , a search engine that could pore through emails and other internal business documents to help companies find vital information more quickly. 

He received the OBE for his innovation in 2006. 

He then sold the software to Hewlett-Packard (HP) for $US11 billion ($16 billion) in 2011, with Mr Lynch personally netting $US800 million. 

HP valued Autonomy at $US46 billion ($68 billion) in the months leading up to the deal.

Mike Lynch in 2019 leaving the High Court in London.  ( Reuters: Henry Nicholls/File Photo )

But the deal quickly turned sour after he was accused of forging the software's financial records to make the sale.

As part of a decades-long legal battle against HP, Mr Lynch was extradited to the UK on criminal fraud charges. 

He steadfastly denied any wrongdoing, asserting that he was being made a scapegoat for HP's own bungling. 

He was eventually cleared of all charges in June this year. 

Although he avoided a possible prison sentence, Lynch still faced a bill from a civil case in London that HP mostly won during 2022. Damages haven't been determined in that case, but HP is seeking $US4 billion. 

Following the San Francisco trial, Mr Lynch said he would return to the UK and do what he loved most: "[being with] my family and innovating in my field."

The holiday appeared to be something of a celebration after Mr Lynch's acquittal, with guests including some of the people who had stood by Lynch throughout the ordeal.

This picture shows the rescue operations off the Sicilian coast.  ( AP: Italian Coast Guard  )

In a separate act of tragedy, Mr Lynch's co-defendant in the trial, Stephen Chamberlain, died on Monday, after a road accident left him critically injured.

Mr Chamberlain — Autonomy's former vice-president of finance alongside Mr Lynch — was hit by a car in Cambridgeshire on Saturday morning and had been placed on life support. 

What is the Bayesian?

The luxury yacht is 56m long sailboat, with a 75m mast labelled as the tallest aluminium mast in the world.

It was previously named Salute when it flew under a Dutch flag.

The yacht, built in 2008 by the Italian firm Perini Navi, can accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites and a crew of 10, according to online specialist yacht sites. It was last refitted in 2020.

Online charter sites listed it for rent for up to 195,000 euros (about $AU 321,000) a week. 

This picture taken on Sunday shows the Bayesian (left) and the Duch sailboat Sir Robert Baden Powell anchored off the coast line.   ( AP: Fabio La Bianca/Baia Santa Nicolicchia )

The ship also won a string of awards for its design. 

Ms Golunski said the yacht had travelled through the Aeolian Islands, Milazzo and Cefalù before sinking. 

It is likely the yacht's name would resonate with Mr Lynch because his PhD thesis and the software that made his fortune was based on Bayesian theory.

Superyacht sinks latest: Investigators reveal where bodies were found as probe looks at 'crew's responsibility'

Italian officials revealed at a news conference there could be "a question of manslaughter" as they opened a shipwreck investigation and said the probe is also looking at the "crew's responsibility".

Saturday 24 August 2024 18:33, UK

• Superyacht sinking

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

• Prosecutor: There 'could be a question of manslaughter'
• Probe 'concentrating' on crew's responsibility
• Seven bodies recovered after five-day search of superyacht wreckage off Sicily
• Saturday's papers pay tribute to youngest victim Hannah Lynch
• Hannah's sister pays tribute to 'my little angel'
• Explained: Inside the superyacht | What challenges have faced divers?
• Eyewitness: Sombre scenes greet rescue teams as final body is brought ashore
• Live reporting by Niamh Lynch

We're ending our live coverage for this evening but here is a recap of what we know:

• Prosecutors have opened a manslaughter investigation into the Bayesian sinking;
• Officials have revealed more details on their investigation and the difficult five-day rescue mission;
• The six bodies found during the search in recent days were all in cabins on the left-hand - and highest - side of the ship. Five were found in the first cabin and the sixth was found in the third;
• Prosecutors said the six passengers were most likely asleep when the boat sank;
• The probe is now focusing on the crew and their responsibilities, with the captain set to undergo more questioning.

Monday 19 August

The Bayesian yacht, flying a British flag, sinks at around 5am local time when the area was hit by a tornado.

Fifteen people are rescued from the 56 metre vessel - including a mother and baby - but another seven remain missing.

One body, later confirmed to be the yacht's chef Recaldo Thomas, is found near the wreck.

It emerges that British technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah are among six people that remain missing.

Tuesday 20 August

The search continues for the six tourists missing.

It is reported that among those missing are Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo; and his wife, Neda Morvillo.

Police divers try to reach the hull of the ship, resting at a depth of 50 metres.

Italy's fire brigade Vigili del Fuoco say early inspections of the wreck were "unsuccessful" because of limited access to the bridge and furniture obstructing passages.

The operation is later described as "complex", with divers limited to 12-minute underwater shifts.

Tributes pour in for Mr Thomas, with his friend Gareth Williams saying: "I can talk for everyone that knew him when I say he was a well-loved, kind human being with a calm spirit."

Wednesday 21 August

The search for the six people unaccounted for enters a third day, with crews carrying out inspections of the yacht's internal hull.

A team of four British inspectors from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) arrive in Porticello to look at the site of the sinking.

A helicopter is drafted in to help with the search effort and remotely controlled underwater vehicles are being used, with naval units and cave divers also taking part in the search.

Five bodies are found inside the yacht on Wednesday afternoon. Only four of them are brought to shore.

Body bags are seen being taken to Porticello in the afternoon where dozens of emergency services staff wait.

Searches finish for the day just before 7.30pm.

Thursday 22 August

The search resumes for the remaining missing person.

The body of the fifth missing person, found but not recovered the previous day, is brought to shore.

A fire service boat with flashing blue lights returns with a blue body bag to the port of Porticello just after 8.45am local time on Thursday.

Tributes pour in for Mr Lynch and Mr and Mrs Bloomer after they are identified as having died.

The search is called off at around 8pm in Sicily, with divers expected to begin again at 6.30am on Friday.

Friday 23  August

The search continues for the final person missing from the wreck of the Bayesian, Hannah Lynch.

Vincenzo Zagarola, of the Italian Coastguard, says the search for Hannah has not been "easy or quick", comparing the sunken yacht to an "18-storey building full of water".

The coastguard confirms in the late morning that her body has been found.

A green body bag is brought to the port of Porticello from the site of the sinking.

A spokesperson announces on behalf of the Lynch family that they are "devastated" and "in shock" after the deaths of Mike and Hannah.

Hannah's sister Esme pays tribute to her "little angel".

Saturday 24 August

A press conference is held in the court of an Italian town, Termini Imerese.

Public prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio tells reporters that his office has opened an initial investigation against unknown persons into manslaughter and negligent shipwreck.

As the focus now turns to the manslaughter investigation, here's another reminder of the seven victims of the sinking and the 15 people who survived. 

A close friend of the Lynch family has added to the chorus of tributes for British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, who died in Monday's superyacht sinking.

Susannah Gurdun, who lives in Suffolk, recalled being "daunted" when she first met Mr Lynch at a dinner party, before discovering he was "so much more than the corporate cliche".

"He was riveting.  He was funny, and kind, and endlessly interesting; capable of talking about anything and everything," she said.

Ms Gardun said the businessman also had a "thrilling ability" to make complicated subjects "accessible to those of us less blessed with a science acumen".

"In particular, he was wonderful with children.  I will never forget hearing him explain to a group of them - including our ten year old son - the physics of why the sky went pink at sunset," she said.

She went on describe Mr Lynch as a "true genius" and "phenomenal creative".

Ms Gardun said his daughter Hannah was also showing "serious literary promise", and added that it was "beyond tragic that we will never know where her own particular brilliance might have led".

"I still feel blessed to have shared that time with them in Spain.  Not just because I witnessed Mike’s incredible storytelling; but because I was given a chance of understanding what that moment said about all four of them as a united vibrant loving family," she said.

"He was an extraordinary human being and it was - truly - a privilege to have known him."

A yacht crew member who survived the sinking has paid tribute to Hannah Lynch, calling her a "diamond in a sea of stars".

Sasha Murray, chief stewardess of the Bayesian, has released a statement after divers recovered the final missing body from the wreckage, which is believed to be 18-year-old Hannah.

"Those who knew her will know that Hannah was a diamond in a sea of stars," she said.

"Bright, beautiful and always shining. What most people may not have seen was the extraordinarily strong, deep and loving relationship she shared with her parents, whom she adored more than anything. 

"While swimming with them she often said, if anything ever happened she would save them. 

"I have no doubt that the Irish, Latina fire that burns in her soul kept that spirited determination alive."

Ms Murray's statement comes as a new image of Hannah Lynch and her father Mike Lynch is released:

Prosecutors announced in this morning's news conference that they have opened a manslaughter and negligent shipwreck investigation.

Officials were unable to answer several queries from the media, saying they needed time to establish the facts, but what are the key questions facing prosecutors? 

Why weren't passengers who remained on board the vessel warned about escaping from the yacht?

The prosecutor in charge of the case, Raffaele Cammarano, suggested that some passengers may have been asleep when others were awake.

Asked why they were not woken up or alerted, he said that is something investigators are trying to work out from the statements of the survivors.

He called it an "essential" part of the inquiry.

Why were several of the passengers in one cabin?

The press conference heard several bodies onboard the sunken yacht were found in a single cabin which was not theirs.

Mr Cammarano said investigators currently do not know the reason for them being discovered in the same cabin.

The chief of the Palermo fire service, Bentivoglio Fiandra, said the yacht pinned to the right and suggested people tried to go on the other side, taking refuge in cabins in the higher part of the wreck.

Why did the boat sink?

The vessel had been deemed "unsinkable" by its manufacturer - Italian shipyard Perini Navi.

The Bayesian was hit by a downburst, according to Mr Cammarano, which are powerful winds that descend from a thunderstorm and spread out quickly once they hit the ground.

Officials will look into the safety equipment on the sunken vessel.

Mr Cammarano was asked about whether there is a black box and if the hatches were left open.

He said investigators do not have exact information about the black box and that the first phase of the inquiry will look into it.

Why were nearby vessels not similarly affected?

Another yacht, the Sir Robert BP, was about 150 to 200 metres from the Bayesian when extreme weather hit.

Its crew helped to rescue 15 people from the stricken vessel.

Italian officials said they would be looking at how the downburst could affect one vehicle and not other nearby vessels.

What weather warnings was the Bayesian alerted to?

Maritime director of western Sicily, Rear Admiral Raffaele Macauda, said the weather at the time of the yacht's sinking was abnormal and there was nothing to suggest such an extreme situation would arise.

He said there were forecasts of winds and a storm alert, but there was no warning of a tornado.

"Given that the conditions were such, there wasn't anything to suggest there could be an extreme situation arising," he said.

"There are vessels that can monitor, after all, these events and one would have thought that the captain had taken precautions."

How long will it take to recover the sailing vessel?

Mr Macauda could not confirm how long it would take to retrieve the shipwreck of the sunken yacht.

"Everything depends on the availability of the owners and the timeframe of the retrieval of the wreck and of course all that has to be submitted to the port authorities and in parallel of course there will be the inquiry results and it's only really then that we will be able to authorise the operation," he said.

"I can't say, like some experts who have already spoken on the subject, [said] that it will be eight weeks."

He made clear that the owners will bear the full cost of retrieval, although he could not estimate the figure.

Italian authorities detailed the challenging and meticulous rescue operation to recover the six missing people from the Bayesian wreck (see 9.18am post).

But why was the five-day search so difficult? 

Read more below...

More on this morning's press conference. 

One of the main updates from prosecutors was that they have opened manslaughter and shipwreck investigations after the deaths of seven people in the Bayesian sinking. 

Watch the announcement below...

Prosecutors have given a lengthy news conference this morning on their investigation into the sinking of the Bayesian. 

Read the full report on the prosecutors' probe below...

Marine investigator James Wilkes has been speaking to Sky News after this morning's press conference.

"Naturally, there are more questions than there are substantive answers at the moment - that's the nature of investigative work.

"Something forced that yacht to roll beyond its nominal stability limits, such that it wasn't able to right itself with the ingress of a certain amount of seawater that was coming into the yacht. 

"So the investigators are going to ask themselves one initial question - what must the conditions have been for this to happen? 

"Then they are going to look at the contributing factors to the yacht, sinking, and, and the unfortunate loss of life." 

Prosecutors said this morning that the future of the investigation is reliant on recovering the wreck. 

Mr Wilkes said the yacht is a "major piece of physical evidence in and of itself." 

"It's lying at 50 metres, which is a recoverable depth. 

"If it was significantly deeper, then I'm not sure they'd be considering salvage at this stage or certainly, the salvage question would be a lot more complicated to answer. 

"But if there was the ability to raise that yacht in one piece safely, then it gives the investigators physically more to look at."

Mr Wilkes said he was unsure if the yacht would have a "black box" - called a voyage data recorder in shipping. 

"It would record things like GPS position, heading speed, engine telemetry, whether the radars were on, what they were recording, alarms, communications from the yacht itself, any audio on the bridge.

"But more often than not, these are on merchant ships. The yacht was a commercial yacht in the sense that it could be chartered out so it's quite possible it has a voyage data recorder on, but I'm not sure that it does. I don't know that as a matter of fact," he said.

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How sinking of luxury yacht off Sicily unfolded

One man has died and six people are missing after a luxury yacht sank in freak weather conditions off the coast of Sicily.

The 56m British-flagged Bayesian was carrying 22 people - 12 passengers and 10 crew - when a heavy storm that created waterspouts struck early on Monday.

Fifteen people were rescued and a search operation for those unaccounted for - who include the British tech tycoon Mike Lynch - is continuing.

Here is what we know about the tragedy so far and how it unfolded.

What happened to the yacht?

The Bayesian was struck by a sudden and powerful storm in the early hours of Monday morning, witnesses say.

It was reportedly anchored to the sea bed outside the harbour at Porticello, a small fishing village to the east of Palermo, when what the Italian coastguard described as a "violent storm" hit.

The storm was so fierce that it caused waterspouts, or rotating columns of air and mist, to appear over the sea.

The vessel disappeared beneath the water at about 05:00 local time (04:00 BST).

A doctor treating survivors said the ship "capsized within a few minutes".

• Follow live updates here
• 'For two seconds I lost my baby in the sea' - yacht survivor
• Who are the missing and rescued?
• What might have caused yacht to sink
• Divers battle 10-minute dive window and debris in yacht search

Witnesses told Italian news agency Ansa that the Bayesian’s anchor was down when the storm struck, causing the 72m (236ft) aluminium mast to break in half and the ship to lose its balance and sink.

However, divers on the search and rescue team have said the ship was "practically intact" on the seabed, raising questions as to whether the mast was broken.

The ship's unusually tall mast may have contributed to its sinking, according to Matthew Schanck, chair of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the mast acted almost like a sail in the strong wind "especially with it being so high".

The extreme winds could have caught the mast and pushed the yacht over, he said.

Karsten Borner, captain of a nearby boat, said after the storm had passed, the crew noticed the yacht that had been behind them had disappeared.

"We saw a red flare, so my first mate and I went to the position, and we found this life raft drifting," he told Reuters.

His crew took on board some survivors, including three who were seriously injured.

Another witness, Fabio Cefalù, captain of a trawler, said he was about to go out on a fishing trip when he saw flashes of lightning so he stayed in the harbour.

"At about 04:15 we saw a flare in the sea," he said, according to the EVN news agency reports.

"We waited for this waterspout to pass. After 10 minutes we went out to the sea and we saw cushions and all the rest of the boat [that had sunk], and everything which was on the deck, at sea. However, we did not see any people in the sea.”

Another fisherman described seeing the yacht sinking "with my own eyes".

Speaking to the newspaper Giornale di Sicilia, the witness said he was at home when the tornado hit.

"Then I saw the boat, it had only one mast, it was very big," he said.

Shortly afterwards he went down to the Santa Nicolicchia bay in Porticello to get a better look at what was happening.

He added: "The boat was still floating, then all of a sudden it disappeared. I saw it sinking with my own eyes."

One of the survivors, British tourist Charlotte Golunski, told Italian newspaper La Repubblica how she held up her one-year-old daughter Sofia to stop her from drowning.

She said the two of them and her partner James survived only because they were up on deck when the yacht sank.

They were woken by “thunder, lightning and waves that made our boat dance”, and it felt like "the end of the world" before they were thrown into the water.

Charlotte said: "For two seconds I lost my daughter in the sea, then quickly hugged her amid the fury of the waves."

She added: "I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning.

"It was all dark. In the water I couldn't keep my eyes open. I screamed for help, but all I could hear around me was the screams of others."

What is the latest with the search?

Six passengers remain missing and the Palermo coastguard says the search and rescue operation is continuing "incessantly".

The search began on Monday and specialist divers have been working at the site since early on Tuesday morning.

One diver told Italian media the yacht was "practically intact" on its side at the ocean's basin, about 50m below the surface.

The ship's hull is obstructed with furniture and various objects, the Italian fire and rescue service has said.

Divers are looking for ways to access the yacht's cabins, but they have just 10 minutes to search on each dive before they need to return to the surface, the Italian news agency Ansa has reported.

A 1cm thick glass window is also being considered as an entry point.

Francesco Venuto, a spokesperson for Sicily's civil protection agency, told the BBC on Monday rescue teams fear the bodies of those missing "must be" in the boat.

"We've been searching all day with helicopters and boats, we've found nothing. That wouldn't make sense. In these conditions, we should have found something by now," he added.

A specialist caving search and rescue diving team arrived from Rome on Monday, hoping to "achieve results" either during the night or by Tuesday morning at the latest, the director general of Sicily's civil protection agency, Salvatore Cocina, said.

On Monday, the UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch sent a team of four investigators to carry out a preliminary assessment of the Bayesian's sinking, the BBC understands.

Who was on board?

There were 22 people on board when the storm hit, including 12 passengers and 10 crew.

The body of one man has been recovered. He has not been formally identified, but the Palermo coastguard said he was the ship's cook. His nationality has not been confirmed.

Among the six people still missing is 59-year-old tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, known by some as the "British Bill Gates".

Mr Lynch founded software giant Autonomy in 1996 and was awarded an OBE for services to enterprise in 2006.

In June, he was cleared of conducting a massive fraud relating to an $11bn (£8.64bn) sale to US company Hewlett Packard.

Afterwards, he told the BBC in an interview he had been able to prove his innocence only because he had the wealth to pay the enormous legal fees required.

The other missing people include Mr Lynch's 18-year-old daughter Hannah, Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo.

Mr Lynch's wife Angela Bacares is among the 15 people to have been rescued, with eight of those receiving treatment in hospital, the Italian coastguard said.

Charlotte Golunski, her husband and daughter Sofia were also rescued and were unharmed, but taken to hospital for check-ups.

She said they had been on the yacht with a group of colleagues.

The daily Il Giornale di Sicilia newspaper reported the vessel had mostly British passengers on board, but also people from New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Ireland and British-French citizens.

A doctor based in Palermo said the "very tired" survivors were "constantly asking about the missing people".

Dr Domenico Cipolla told Reuters that one woman he treated described the trip as a "corporate holiday", with some of those on board "very young".

"There were a lot of work colleagues, friends, a few husbands, wives, or a couple of friends who had joined in," he adds.

What is a waterspout and why do they form?

A waterspout is similar to a tornado and can form over oceans, seas or large lakes.

The western half of the Mediterranean has experienced severe storms since the middle of last week.

Through Sunday night and into Monday morning, a zone of bad weather passed by the north coast of Sicily.

BBC Weather forecaster Matt Taylor said: "A waterspout is a tornado that has occurred over water rather than land.

"They can form during intense storms, on the base of cumulonimbus/thunder clouds.

"Turbulence, and the wind blowing in slightly different directions around the cloud, can cause rotation under the base of the cloud and the spout to form.

"Like tornadoes, they bring powerful winds, but instead of picking up dust and debris they cause a water mist around the column of rotating air."

What is the Bayesian, and who owns it?

The superyacht can accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites, and is listed for rent for up to €195,000 (£166,000) a week.

It was built in 2008 by Italian company Perini Navi.

The Bayesian's registered owner is listed as Revtom Ltd, which is based on the Isle of Man.

The yacht's name is understood to derive from the Bayesian theory, which Mr Lynch's PhD thesis and the software that made his fortune was based on.

Mr Lynch's wife Ms Bacares is named as the sole legal owner of Revtom, which is registered in the Isle of Man.

The Bayesian completed a number of sailings in recent days, calling at various ports in Sicily, according to ship-tracking website VesselFinder.

A spokesperson for Camper and Nicholsons International, the firm that manages the 2008-built boat, told BBC Verify: "Our priority is assisting with the ongoing search and providing all necessary support to the rescued passengers and crew."