Yacht Catches Fire and Sinks in Dieppe Marina Normandy

An eighteen meter explorer yacht titled m/y Join with Dutch flag and two persons onboard, went on fire at about 0500 hours on the morning of Tuesday nine August in Dieppe marina, Seine-Maritime on the quay Henry IV in Normandy France.  48 fire fighters went on the scene, although according to reports when they arrived it was already late with the yacht fully engulfed in flames and ablaze.  The two persons who where sleeping onboard the yacht needed medical assistance due to smoke inhalation and a shock, but did not need to be hospitalized.  The yacht sank after the fire.

M/y Join is a BlueGame BGX60 from 2021. Designed by Zuccon with concept by Luca Santella and hull design by Lou Codega, BlueGame launched the BGX60 in 2021 following the success of the BGX70 it presented two years before.  The BGX60 offers an interior with two or three double cabins, and is powered by twin Volvo 800 or 900hp engines with IPS pod drives.

Super Yacht Burns and Sinks in Ibiza Port

M/Y Good Vibes a 33 meter super yacht caught fire about 1430 hours on the afternoon of second August, in Ibiza.  According to reports the super yacht was sailing in the Es Freus, between Ibiza and Formentera at the time the fire started.  A commercial ship helped tow the super yacht to an empty part of the Ibiza harbor in order to make controlling  the flames easier, with the fire fighting squad eventually switching off the fire at about 2000 hours.  After this the yacht mostly sank and heavily listed to stern was towed to the marina where the day after it capsized.

M/Y Good Vibes previously named Madness is a Bilgin 110 Sky delivered in 2010, with naval architecture and design by Mahir Bestas and build in a mahogany hull and marine ply super structure covered with epoxy resins.  The Bilgin 110 Sky offers five guest cabins sleeping ten, with crew accommodation for four in two cabins, and was powered by twin MTU 1800hp which gave her a top speed up to 22 knots.  Good Vibes was last refitted in 2019 and is one of three Bilgin 110 Sky delivered. 

Sunseeker Yacht Burned Down by Fire in Comino, Malta

A 23 meter Sunseeker motor yacht went ablaze at 0015 hours, on first August in the bay of Santa Marija, on the island of Comino, in the Maltese islands.  The yacht was on anchor with three persons onboard reportedly sleeping, who jumped in the water and went to safety on a nearby yacht as they saw the fire. The Maltese civil protection with assistance from the Armed Forces of Malta went to extinguish the fire to no avail, with the yacht fully burned down and sank some three hours later.  Some unconfirmed reports are stating that the yacht fire started on the flybridge.  No one was injured in the fire, although the guests onboard where treated for fume inhaling.

The Sunseeker in this fire is a 2005 75 Yacht mark one.  Replacing the 74 Manhattan and introduced in late 2003 and produced till 2007, the 75 Yacht followed the design language of the 82 Yacht introduced a couple months earlier.  Selling in about twenty units the 75 Yacht was replaced by the slightly smaller 70 Manhattan in 2007, with a 75 Yacht Mark.II launched in 2014 and produced till 2017.  The mark. II was an evolution of the 70 and 73 Manhattan models. 

Canados Super Sport Yacht Catches Fire in Tallinn

A 27 meter Canados super sport yacht titled Hooligan and registered under Finnish flag caught fire and later sank on Saturday thirty July in the Gulf of Tallinn, Estonia.  The Canados yacht had ten Finnish passengers onboard and around 1530 stop functioning for a fault which some minutes later developed into a fire.  The passengers and crew called a mayday and jumped in a life-raft and where rescued by a nearby yacht, later collected by the Estonian rescue unit, who took them to Tallinn for interrogation. At about 1830 the Canados yacht subdued to the fire, sank, in Tallinn Bay with the Estonian working on lifting up in order to avoid further contamination from the fuel in tank.

Hooligan is a Canados 90 Open build in 2008 and reported last refitted in 2016.  Presented in 2005 to a design of Luiz de Basto, the 90 Open was an unusual creation from Canados, more famous for building flybridge yachts or super yachts, with open yachts being rare and the last one made in the early nineties.  Offering eight berths in four cabins, and three to four crew in two cabins, the 90 Open is powered by twin MTU engines of 2030hp and surface drives propulsion giving top speeds up to 45 knots.  Although Hooligan was powered with the smaller 1790hp MTU which gave her forty knots max.  Canados has build six 90 Sport with the model evolving in the still in project Gladiator 901 Sport in 2016.

Pershing Super Sport Yacht Fire in Amalfi

A 27 meter Pershing super sport yacht titled Cinque with eight persons onboard went on fire on the morning of 22 July, near the Li Galli islets off the coast of Amalfi.  Some swimmers alerted the coast guard off the fire who came with a rib to safe the eight persons onboard; a British family with four children and two Italian crew, to safety.  The coast guard later dispatched a helicopter to turn off the fire, which succeeded in the operation temporally, and avoided the yacht from total sinking immediately, with it sinking later in the day.  Cinque was reported on charted duty at the time of the fire.  No persons where injured in the fire beside the shock of the accident.

Cinque is a Pershing 88 from 2000. Designed by Fulvio de Simoni the 88 was Pershing flagship at launch and changed how sport yachts above and below 24 meters look, creating a new standard copied over the years by the competition. Reaching speeds up to forty knots from twin MTU 2000hp engines with Arneson surface drives propulsion, and offering an interior with four double guest cabins, and two crew cabins, the Pershing 88 was produced from 2000 till 2005 in seventeen units and was replaced by the 90.

Fairline Yacht Destroyed by Fire in Peninsula

A 23 meter Fairline Yacht titled m/y Pegasus went ablaze at around 0300 hours of Friday morning fifteenth July in Gig Harbor, Peninsula, Washington.  Gig Harbor fire fighters were called at Harborview Drive to find the yacht well engulfed in flames, with the fast assistance from the water of West Pierce Fire and Rescue boat Endeavor able to contain the fire only to two boats, with a second neighbouring yacht to the starboard side also receiving burn damage. The Fairline yacht in the fire eventually sank, with the news being that no injuries where reported with both yachts being unattended at the time of the fire.

*Update June 2023*

The accident report issued by the National Transportation Safety Board found that the Fairline yacht m/y Pegasus burned down due to oily rags containing raw linseed oil stowed in an aft compartment being the cause of the fire. 

The Fairline in this fire is a 2012 Squadron 78 Custom.  Designed by Bernard Olesinski and launched as Squadron 74 in 2003, after 29 units in 2007 it became the Squadron 78 Custom with an extra large extended bathing platform aft, and launching the Yacht Division program involving all Fairline yachts upward of sixty feet.  Other improvements onward from 2012 was the change to square larger portholes, and the option of a hard-top.  The Squadron 78 offers a four cabin interior with two crew cabins, and was powered from Man or Cat 1650hp engines.  Produced till 2018 for fifteen years a total of 115 Squadron 74/78 have been build making it one of the most produced yachts in its size.  

The other damaged yacht in this fire is an Ocean Alexander 64 Pilothouse.  Designed by Ed Monk the 64 Pilothouse was  introduced in 2001 with the 58, as an extended cockpit version of the smaller model and produced till 2011, replaced by the 65 Pilothouse in that year.

Sport Yacht Fire and Sinking in Bordighera

A sport yacht of seventeen meters titled Sounjarello with one captain onboard went ablaze on 1700 hours of twelve July, and about thirty minutes later sank in between Bordighera and Ospedaletti.  The yacht was only one mile into its journey leaving San Remo direction to the South of France, when a fire struck it.  Immediate the assistance of the San Remo Coast Guard, who took the fifty year old captain to safety and later to the San Remo hospital for fumes de-intoxication.  

Sounjarello is a Riviera 565 SUV model.  Released in 2013 and based on the 53 Flybridge hull, the 565 was the second in Riviera's SUV line up which debuted with the 445 in 2012 and today features seven models from 39 to 64 feet.  The Riviera 565 SUV offered a three double cabins interior including a full beam owners cabin and was powered by twin Volvo 700hp engines with IPS pod drives, giving her a thirty knots top speed.  Eleven 565 SUV have been build in a three year production run, with the model evolving into the 575 SUV in 2016.

Super Sport Yacht Sinks Near Bodrum

A super sport yacht named Alien of 24 meters in length sank in unknown circumstances in Gundogan Kizilburun, to the North of Bodrum in Turkey on the morning of Sunday tenth July.  The super sport yacht had apparently anchored at night in the area, when in the morning the yacht started to take in water and later sank. Reports are saying that at the time of sinking the owner of the Super Sport Yacht was not onboard, with it being boarded by Turkish personality Hakan Sabanci and his girlfriend plus crew.  Hakan has apparently used this yacht for his Turkish vacation in previous years. 

Alien is an Italian Yachts 80 Jaguar Sport designed by Robert Angel.  Presented in 2009 the 80 Jaguar, was an evolution of FP Yachts Jaguar 24 Sport, with accommodation for eight guests in four cabins with two crew cabins sleeping four, and was powered by twin MTU 1800hp which with surface drives propulsion gave her top speed up to 42 knots max.  The 80 Jaguar was produced till 2013 when Italian Yachts founded in 2008 closed its doors accused of tax evasion. 

Yacht Fire in Papagayo Costa Rica

A motor yacht of about 22 meters in length caught fire while at anchor in Playa Panama, Guanacaste, Costa Rica on the afternoon of ninth July.  The fire was reported as starting in the engine room with the yacht fully flame engulfed in about five minutes.  The yacht was fully destroyed by the fire and later on sank.  The guests on the yacht are reported to having sustained no injuries and being safe.

The yacht in this fire is an Astondoa 72 GLX produced from 1998 to 2007.  Designed by Nuvolari Lenard the Astondoa 72 GLX was a popular yacht for the Spanish builder, due to its nice design and spacious four cabins lower deck and open galley layout.  Astondoa 72 GLX are powered by twin Man 1200hp with later units featuring the larger 1360hp engines.  About forty plus first generation 72 GLX where made, replaced by the Christian Gatto designed 76 GLX in 2008, with a second generation 72 GLX released in 2014.

Motor Yacht Sinks and Destroyed in North Corsica

An Italian flagged nineteen meter Sanlorenzo motor yacht with three persons onboard sank when hitting various reefs in the Desert Agriates, in North Corsica on the morning of seventh July.  Immediate assistance to the crew onboard the yacht came from the French coast guard Agriates 2 rib, with a ship which was in the area also helping in the operation to take the three persons to safety.  Following this the coast guard with assistance from SNSM diving crew tried to remove the vessel from the reefs with no luck, which with the strong winds and rough seas of the night and following day and the yacht stuck into between reefs destroying it into various parts.  According to initial investigation no pollution was generated from the accident.

The yacht in this accident is a Sanlorenzo 62, designed by Franco Dellarolle and produced from 1994 to 99.  The Sanlorenzo 62 offered three double cabins, with one crew cabin aft, and an Italian style main deck with separate galley behind the pilot house and is powered by twin Man 1100hp, which give speeds up to 31 knots.  The 62 was Sanlorenzo entry level model, replacing the 57 on which it is based and was also the first SL with the sloop stern, later added to all the models.  The 62 also had a 1997 evolution with the central mast replaced by the integrated radar arch.  Over twenty units of the 62 where made with Sanlorenzo building only to order and about ten boats per year.  Sanlorenzo reintroduced a redesigned SL62 with different stern in 2005 produced till 2014. 

Explorer Motor Yacht Burns Down in Maine

A 21 meter explorer yacht named Elusive, went on fire and eventually sank on 1600 hours of Saturday 18 June, near Kittery in Maine.  Elusive had three passengers and two dogs onboard, who as soon as they saw the fire jumped in the water for safety and where picked unharmed by nearby boats.  Meanwhile New Hampshire state police called the coast guard, four fire department, and Kittery's harbor master for assistance, to no success as the yacht burned to the waterline, and two hours later sank.  The three persons onboard lost all there belongings as Elusive was a live aboard yacht. 

Elusive is a Marlow Explorer 70E from 2007.  The 70E was introduced in 2002, part of the 65-70 series and different from the smaller 65 in the sloop stern.  The Marlow 70E is standard powered by 715hp engines which can go up to 1100hp units and offered a three double cabins layout with a twin or double berth crew cabin aft.  The Marlow Explorer 70E evolved into the Mk.II in 2018.

Riva Classic Burns in Bay of Palma

A Riva classic sport yacht of about fifteen meters in length, burned and sank on the afternoon of Saturday eighteen June in the Bay of Palma, off Portals to the South West of Mallorca.  The yacht had two persons onboard and eventually it sank.  The two persons onboard jumped off the yacht when the fire broke, and where reportedly saved by the Maritime Safety Agency.  Sinking in deep water the yacht is not a navigational hazard, while the cause of the fire are being investigated.

The Riva in this fire is a 50 Diable.  Designed by Giorgio Barilani and produced from 1983 to 89 in 31 units, the 50 Diable was Riva's entry into sporty yachts over fifteen meters.  The 50 Diable offered interior with two double cabins; master cabin forward, and a guest cabin with two L-shaped berths, and is powered by twin GM 475hp, with later units having the 535hp and 550hp engines.   The 50 Diable was replaced by the Turborosso 51 in 1989.

Sunseeker Burns Down in Hope Town Harbour Abaco

A twenty meter Sunseeker flybridge yacht went ablaze while on anchor in the early afternoon of seventeen June in Hope Town harbor in Abaco.  Hope Town Volunteer and Fire rescue was on the scene to assist the yacht and its occupants and extinguish the flames.  No one was injured in the fire, but the twenty meter Sunseeker motor yacht was totalled and is now a wreck.

The Sunseeker yacht in this fire is a 2019 Manhattan 66.  Released in the fall of 2016 as replacement to the 65, the Manhattan 66 was produced till 2019 replaced by the similar looking 68 model in 2020.  Offering a four double cabins interior, with one crew cabin, the Manhattan 66 is powered by twin Volvo 900hp with IPS pod drive propulsion or Man 1200hp with line shafts. 

Sport Yacht Fire in Syracuse Sicily

A sport yacht of about nineteen meters in length went ablaze on the night early morning of 29 May at approximately 00:44 hours at the Marina Yachting marina, located in the natural harbor of Syracuse, in the Eastern Ionian coast of Sicily.  Upon reports of the fire the Syracuse Coast Guard and the Fire Fighting squad dispatched two boats; CP323 and a fire fighting tug boat, with other units coming from the land side to control the fire.  The fire left one of the marina staff needing medical assistance for toxicity, caused by smoke inhaling from trying to turn off the flames.  The sport yacht sank two hours later, with the harbor Coast Guard starting the procedure to protect the area from environmental damage.  The sport yacht was reported as being on charter, with the cause of the fire having unconfirmed reports that it started from exploding batteries.

The nineteen meter sport yacht in this fire looks a Sessa C68, designed by Christian Grande and released in 2010.  The C68 offers interior layouts for three or four double cabins plus a crew cabin for two.  The C68 is powered by twin Volvo 900 or 1000hp engines with IPS pod drives and is able to reach top speeds up to 36 knots, although the first hulls which precede the large IPS drives where powered by twin Volvo 700hp with IPS and or Man 1360hp and line shaft propulsion.  The Sessa C68 was modernized in 2018 with window glazing replacing the circle shaped port holes.  A Sport Fly version presented as a project in 2013 never actually materialized. The C68 was replaced as Sessa's flagship by the slightly larger, and wider Fly 68 Gullwing in 2018.

Princess Lost to Fire in Torquay

A 25 meter Princess super yacht burned down and eventually sank in the early afternoon of Saturday 28th May at Torquay marina, Devon, United Kingdom.  The cause of the fire are yet unknown, but it seems by some initial photos that the fire started around the helm station area, with marina residents saying they heard a big bang explosion noise before seeing a plum of smoke rising from the yacht.  No one was injured in the fire, which took over two hours and five fire engines and squads to extinguish, with the Princess super yacht eventually let go from its mooring and then sinking.  After the sinking the yacht was protected by booms, as according to reports she was filled with over 8,000 liters of fuel, making her a rather dangerous environmental hazard.

The Princess in this fire is an 85 model from 2010 titled m/y Rendezvous registered under British flag.  Designed by Bernard Olesinski the Princess 85 follows the second generation design language of the large models above twenty meters by the World known Plymouth boat builder, which debuted with the 95 in 2007, and was followed by the 85 in 2008.  This Princess 85 was powered by twin MTU 1800hp engines which give her a top speed up to 28 knots and a cruise of 23.  The interior layout of the 85 offered four double guest cabins, and two crew cabins aft.  Debuting in 2008 and produced till 2012 with nineteen units reported being made, the Princess 85 replaced the 25M after seven years of production, and evolved into the 88 in 2013.

Super Yacht Burns and Sinks Near Santa Maria di Leuca

A super yacht of 26 meter in length burned down and eventually sank on the early morning of Saturday thirteenth May in the South Adriatic sea.  The super yacht with three crew was leaving Santa Maria di Leuca in the early hours of the morning direction to Montenegro when a fire started out in the engine room five nautical miles in the trip and away from the coast.  The female captain immediately called the  MayDay and reported the fire to the Italian Coast Guard deploying two fire fighting boats one from Lecce, and another from Taranto to save the crew and control the fire.  With the three crew saved, the fire fighting crew tried to extinguish the fire, with no success and the yacht sinking at about 0400 hours in the South Adriatic sea. 

The super yacht in this fire is a Dominator 860 model called m/y Naseem and build in 2009.  Designed by Nuvolari Lenard the 860 was at the time of launch in 2005 Dominator flagship model, replaced as the largest model by the 29m in 2008.  The Dominator 860 offered an interior with four double cabins, two crew cabins and was powered by twin Cat 1800hp which made her reach speeds up to 26 knots and a cruise of 22 knots.  Sold in seven units the Dominator 860 was an evolution of the Mochi 25 Mega produced from 1996 up to 1999.

Dominator was born from the remains of Mochi Craft which founded in 1960 closed down to bankruptcy in 1999.  Dominator first model the 65 which will become the 68 launched in 2002, was in-fact going to be the latest new Mochi 20 set to launch in year 2000 and to replace the Paolo Caliari designed 65 produced from 1990 till 1997 with the last two years updated and renamed as 21 Classic. 

Yacht Destroyed by Fire in Saint-Mandrier, One Person Lost

A 23 meter motor yacht titled Lady Amethyst with Austrian flag and four persons onboard went ablaze on 0200 hours of 17 April in Port Pin Roland, Saint-Mandrier, near Toulon.  Immediate the reaction of the fire fighting squad which committed the resources of 55 fire fighters, four fire engines, two ambulances, and one SNSM ship.  After saving three of the four Austrian crew, the second course of action was to isolate the yacht in order to not ignite nearby yachts.  The operation to extinguish the flames took about ten hours, with the yacht a total wreck after the fire.  The saved three crew members needed to be hospitalised for de-intoxication with a fourth crew member being reported lost as at 18 April.  No pollution was reported with a plan to remove the wreck on 20 April.  M/y Lady Amethyst arrived in Port Pin Roland on the evening of 15 April, which was also the day the yacht completed its sale from a French to the new Austrian owner.

Motor yacht Lady Amethyst is a Conam 75 Wide Body.  Produced from 2003 up to 2010 the 75 Wide Body was Conam largest ever build, and followed the use of a full wide body design Giuseppe Cimino owner and founder of the Naples boat builder pioneered to his flybridge boats with the 48 Chorum in 1990.  Thanks to the wide body the Conam 75 offers spaces usually found on yachts three to five meters larger.  About ten 75 Wide Body have been build up to 2010.

Conam was founded in 1980 by engineer Giuseppe Cimino with help from cousin Luigi in Naples, Italy.  In 2002 Cimino sells Conam to ship builder Gruppo Rodriguez, who closes the yacht company in 2010.  In 2015 Cimino founded Solaria with the launch of a 40 model and a 54 in project stages.

Fire Burns Down Sanlorenzo Super Yacht

A fire broke down and totally destroyed a 27 meter Sanlorenzo super yacht titled m/y Pesa in Valencia's Marina Sur in Spain, the early afternoon of ninth April at around 1300 hours.   According to reports the fire on m/y Pesa started at around 0800 morning time, and was believed to have been controlled only for it to start again and eventually totally destroy the yacht, with only the lower part of the hull remaining intact.  Six separate fire crews where called to control the fire, with the super yacht reported to have been nearly fully loaded with fuel, eight thousand out of 9500 liters making the operation more difficult.

M/y Pesa is a Sanlorenzo SX88 model from 2019.  Sanlorenzo SX line was introduced in 2017 with the SX88, designed by Mauro Micheli and Sergio Beretta for the exteriors, hull shape by Lou Codega, and interiors by Piero Lissoni.  The Sanlorenzo SX88 offers interior accommodation for eight in four double cabins, with two crew cabins sleeping three crew, and is powered by triple Volvo 800hp with IPS pod drives giving a top speed up to 23 knots.  The SX88, was followed by the SX76 launched in 2018 and the SX112 presented in 2020, these two models designed by Zuccon.  Sanlorenzo has delivered 48 SX88 so far.

Princess Super Yacht Fire in Seattle

A Princess super yacht of 25 meters in length caught fire on the Saturday morning of 26 March at around 0400 hours in Chandler's Cove, on South Lake Union in Seattle.  The Seattle fire department dispatched a Fire Rescue boat and two fire fighting squads with no success, as the yacht succumbed to the fire, although she did not sink, it is now a total loss. No one was injured in the fire and this Princess super yacht was reportedly sold just about a week before this fire destroyed it.

The Princess in this fire a 25M model from 2003 titled Apollo.  Coming from naval architecture and design by Princess since 1980 designer Bernard Olesinski the 25M was produced from 2000 till 2006 in eight units, and was till the launch of the 95 in 2007 the Plymouth boat builder flagship.  The Princess 25M offered an interior of four guest cabins sleeping eight, with two crew cabins for four, and was powered by twin Man 1300hp standard, up to 2000hp engines.  With the large engines the 25M reached speeds up to 34 knots.

Unfortunate Sunseeker Burns Down in Cabo San Lucas

In an unfortunate accident a twenty meter Sunseeker motor yacht went up in flames in Cabo San Lucas just in-front of the marina entrance during a private fire-works display on late night of 26 February.  The Sunseeker yacht was unattended during the fire, which was set by fire-works remains falling on the flybridge canopy.  Life witnesses say the canopy burned in about seven minutes, with all the yacht burning down in less to three hours.  No fire-fighting crew arrived on the scene with the motor yacht fully burning down and becoming a total wreck.  Yacht owners from the area are calling for the danger these private display fire-works have, seeing that no safety zones are created, and that no fire fighting boat is located nearby.  

The Sunseeker in this fire is a Manhattan 63 produced from 2010 up to 2014.  Based on the Manhattan 60 it replaced extended in length and a redesigned layout, the 63 offers four double cabins with an aft crew cabin, and is powered by twin Man 1000 or 1200hp with line shafts or Volvo 900hp with IPS pod propulsion.  The 63 was replaced by the Manhattan 65 in 2014.