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Recovery operations to raise the late tech tycoon Mike Lynch’s superyacht Bayesian from the seabed off Sicily have been suspended after a diver died during underwater work.
Rob Cornelis Maria Huijben, a 39-year-old Dutch diver, died on Friday while doing preparation work to cut the ship’s mainmast. He was employed by the maritime company Hebo, whose barge arrived last week in Porticello, a fishing port near Palermo. The luxury vessel was anchored just off Porticello when it was struck shortly before dawn by a violent storm on 19 August 2024. It sank within seconds, killing seven people, including Lynch and his daughter Hannah.
Police said the cause of the diver’s death was unknown and an investigation was launched.
“This pause in activity is necessary for the investigations to be completed and to allow all salvage and associated teams to mourn the tragic loss of a highly respected salvage diver during yesterday’s underwater work,” read a statement from the British-based consultancy TMC Marine, which will oversee a consortium of salvage specialists undertaking the project.
A preliminary examination of the diver’s body revealed no visible injuries or burns. Investigators believe he may have suffered a medical problem while submerged.
An alternative line of inquiry is that after divers used a blowtorch to cut the vessel’s boom, Huijben was struck by dislodged debris – possibly a piece of metal. Footage captured by underwater cameras cut off shortly before the incident.
Marcus Cave, head of naval architecture and a director of TMC Marine, said Friday’s tragedy “has been felt by all involved in this project, and the priority right now is the family of this expert, specialist diver, who was well liked and indeed loved by all involved in the project. This pause in operations will enable thorough investigations to be completed into this tragic accident. It will also help us to mourn and regroup.
“Our thoughts are with everyone affected. Salvage operations at sea always carry an element of risk,” he added. “The salvage team is providing full cooperation to the authorities in their investigations.”
A further project update will be issued after the weekend.
Investigators hope the yacht will yield vital clues: whether a series of human errors led to the sinking, as initially suspected, or if other factors were at play. Once it is ashore, an examination will determine if one of the hatches remained open and whether the keel was improperly raised.
Lynch, who in June last year was cleared of fraud charges in the US relating to the sale of his company, Autonomy, to Hewlett-Packard in 2011, was enjoying a lavish voyage around Sicily to celebrate his acquittal alongside 18-year-old Hannah and his wife, Angela Bacares, whose company owned the Bayesian.
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Among those on board were Lynch’s attorney from Clifford Chance, Chris Morvillo, his wife, the jewellery designer Neda Morvillo, Morgan Stanley International’s chair, Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife, Judy Bloomer, a former psychotherapist. All four died in the incident. The yacht’s chef, Recaldo Thomas, was the seventh person who died.
Fifteen people survived, including Bacares.
The wreck sits at a depth of 50 metres in the bay of Porticello, which is under surveillance by Italian authorities.
Insurers estimate the salvage will cost about $30m (£23m), a bill the Bayesian’s underwriters will pick up.
