Mike Lynch yacht sinking must be due to human error, boss of boat builder says

The superyacht that capsized off the coast of Sicily this month, in which the British tech magnate Mike Lynch and six others died, could only have sunk because of human error, according to the chief executive of the company that owns the vessel’s manufacturer.

It is thought the Bayesian was struck by a downburst – a gusty wind associated with storms – causing the vessel to capsize and sink within minutes. The victims included Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah. Fifteen people survived, including Lynch’s wife, whose company owned the Bayesian.

“The first thought when I read the news of the sinking was that there was a problem related to the management of the boat or the fact that the hull may have hit a rock,” said Giovanni Costantino, the chief executive of the Italian Sea Group, which owns the Bayesian’s manufacturer, Perini Navi.

Related: ‘I’ve never seen a vessel this size go down so quickly’: why did the Bayesian sink in 60 seconds?

“But when the passengers declared they had not heard a loud noise onboard, which would have meant that the yacht had struck a reef, I realised the yacht had taken on water due to a hatch that was left open. Otherwise the Bayesian cannot sink.”

Italian prosecutors have placed three crew members under investigation for manslaughter and shipwreck, including the captain of the yacht , James Cutfield, 51, from New Zealand. Being investigated in Italy does not imply guilt and does not mean formal charges will follow.

The yacht was built by Perini in 2008, and named Salute. Lynch acquired it in 2014 and changed the name to Bayesian, after the 18th-century mathematician Thomas Bayes, whose work on probability informed Lynch’s professional thinking.

Perini Navi was founded in 1983, and filed for bankruptcy in February 2021. In December of the same year, the Italian Sea Group secured the acquisition of the brand and several Perini properties for €80m (£67m). Costantino’s company bears no responsibility for vessels constructed by Perini Navi before its acquisition, including the Bayesian.

Nevertheless, he said he had a sense of duty to show support for and defend the Perini brand. “Seven people have died onboard a vessel with our brand, which is why I want to speak up, also out of respect and closeness to the families who have lost relatives and friends,” said Costantino. “I imagine the crew is going through the worst moment of their lives. However, something in the way they handled the situation did not work. There was a chain of human errors.”

Related: ‘We didn’t see it coming’: the tumultuous Sicilian night that took down the Bayesian

After the incident, Costantino delved into the maritime routes of the Bayesian that night, reviewed the weather bulletin predicting an approaching storm, and examined footage from surveillance cameras capturing the final moments of the sinking ship.

“The strong wind arrived at 3.50am,” he said. “Up until that moment, the Bayesian was still anchored. From 3.50 to 4.03, the ship moved as it was dragged by the wind, tilting towards the side where there is a lateral hatch that leads to the garage [where jetskis, inflatables and other water sports kit is stored]. In the garage, there is another door leading to the engine room. If that door was open, it means that water has also entered the engine room, causing the inevitable sinking.”

The ship’s engineer, Tim Parker Eaton, who was in charge of the engine room, and sailor Matthew Griffith are also being investigated.

Italian prosecutors have suggested the sinking could have been the result of human error , but officials have also indicated it would be challenging to conduct a thorough inquiry without recovering the wreck.

Costantino said vessels such as the Bayesian must able to float even if a single compartment is flooded. “I can tell you with certainty that the ship took on water in these 13 minutes. It took on water not only flooding the garage but also the engine room,” he said.

In recent days, experts, sailors, and captains have speculated about potential flaws in the management of the incident or the vessel that could have led to the sinking. However, they emphasise that these are merely conjectures, and the families of the victims will need to await the conclusion of the investigations to understand what happened.

Costantino also said the Sir Robert Baden Powell, a Dutch-flagged sailing vessel built in 1957 and located about 150 metres (492ft) from the Bayesian when the storm struck, did not suffer damage.

“A ship from those years cannot have the technology of the Bayesian,” he said. “Yet that ship did not suffer damage. Its crew had prepared it well to face the storm. They even managed to provide assistance to the Bayesian.”

He added: “The local fishermen did not go out that night. These people took the weather conditions seriously. How did the crew of the Bayesian not take the meteorological bulletin seriously? I struggle to explain it. How did they, when they realised they were losing the ship, not think of rescuing the passengers who were in the cabins? At the moment, only God knows.”

Cutfield’s lawyers said they were “currently working alongside other legal representatives to evaluate the defence strategy and review the technical aspects of the case”.

Costantino is optimistic the investigation will shed light on tragedy. “I expect the truth to come to light, for the sake of justice for those who have died.”