Superyacht sinking may lead to new laws: Coast Guard trainer

( NewsNation ) — Italian prosecutors have opened a shipwreck and manslaughter investigation after a superyacht capsized during a storm, killing seven of the 22 people onboard last week.

Those who passed include British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his teenage daughter, Hannah. His wife, Angela Bacares, survived.

Capt. James Staples tells “Dan Abrams Live” the tragedy, which happened off the coast of Sicily, could lead to new mandates in the seafaring world.

“We need, you know, we need to look at the training and what the regulations are on these vessels. And, usually, it takes an event like this to change the regulations,” Staples said. “You know, did they have enough people on the vessel to stand to watch? They’re going to look at rest periods.”

Staples, a U.S. Coast Guard instructor with over 40 years of experience at sea, said another major factor is the preparation the 184-foot Bayesian underwent on that fateful day.

“Did the captain have protocols he had to follow? Did they have a watch, you know, standing by for weather? What was the condition of the vessel?” Staples said.

Making sure the ship was seaworthy is a main factor in the investigation, as human error during preparation could be behind the massive yacht’s demise.

“Most marine accidents, between 80 to 85%, are human error, and most accidents, 80% of them, happened within the proximity of a port,” Staples told NewsNation.

“A $40 million vessel goes down in 12 minutes with a loss of life. … No vessel is unsinkable,” he added.

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