The captain of a superyacht which sank off the coast of Italy last week in bad weather, killing seven people, is under investigation by Italian prosecutors.
Italian media reported on Monday that suspect James Cutfield, 51, of New Zealand, is being investigated on suspicion of manslaughter and criminal responsibility for a boating accident.
He and 15 others survived the sinking of the Baysian, including British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah, and five others who died.
“The Baysian was built to be able to sail in any weather,” naval architect Franco Romani, who was part of the yacht’s design team, told daily newspaper La Stampa in an interview on Monday, adding that water could have also entered through an open side hatch on the yacht’s left side.
Prosecutors said the event was “extremely rapid” and may have been a “downburst” – a localized, powerful wind that falls from a thunderstorm and spreads quickly when it hits the ground.
At least one dead, British tech entrepreneur, American missing after yacht sinks off Italian coast
James Cutfield was captain of the Baysian when it sank off the coast of Italy. (Facebook/James Cutfield)
As with U.S. law, being under investigation does not mean guilty, nor does it mean that formal charges will be filed against Cutfield.
On Saturday, Chief Prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio not only confirmed the investigation but also said the team would look at all possible elements of responsibility, including the captain, crew, supervisors and the yacht’s manufacturer.
Morgan Stanley International chairman, wife and four others still missing after luxury yacht sinks off Sicily
Italian firefighter divers work at the site of a shipwreck in Porticello, Sicily, southern Italy, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (Photo by The Associated Press/Salvatore Cavalli)
The Basian was a 184-foot, British-flagged luxury yacht that was deemed “unsinkable” by its builder, Italian shipyard Perini Navi.
All crew members except for the chef survived the sinking, but six passengers were trapped in the hull.
This photo taken on Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024, shows the Baisian (left) and the Dutch sailing ship Sir Robert Baden-Powell anchored off the coast of the Sicily village of Porticello, near Palermo in southern Italy. (Fabio La Bianca/Baia Santa Nicolicia via The Associated Press)
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Fox News Digital spoke with eSysman of the YouTube channel “eSysman SuperYachts” to find out what happened to the vessel.
“Naturally, voyage planning takes the weather into account: wind, wave size and wave frequency are studied and accurate weather forecasting improves every year, but it is still not 100%,” the organizers said, noting that ultimately the captain is responsible for the ship.
Fox News’ Bradford Betts, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
