The captain of the superyacht that sank off the coast of Italy last week during severe weather, killing seven, is under probe by Italian prosecutors.
James Cutfield, 51, of New Zealand, is under investigation on suspicion of manslaughter and culpable shipwreck, Italian media reported Monday.
He and 15 others survived the sinking of the Bayesian. British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, his daughter Hannah and five others died.
“The Bayesian was built to go to sea in any weather,” Franco Romani, a nautical architect who was part of the team that designed the yacht, told daily La Stampa in an interview published on Monday. He added that the yacht could have taken on water from a left open side hatch.
Prosecutors said the event was “extremely rapid” and could have been a “downburst” – a localized, powerful wind that descends from a thunderstorm and spreads out rapidly upon hitting the ground.
James Cutfield was captain of the Bayesian at the time of its sinking off the Italian coast. (Facebook/James Cutfield)
Similar to U.S. law, being investigated does not imply guilt nor that formal charges will be filed against Cutfield.
On Saturday, chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio not only confirmed an investigation, but said his team will also consider each possible element of responsibility, including those of the captain, the crew, individuals in charge of supervision and the yacht’s manufacturer.
Italian firefighter divers work at the site of a shipwreck, in Porticello, Sicily, southern Italy, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Salvatore Cavalli)
The Bayesian was a 184-foot British-flagged luxury yacht deemed “unsinkable” by its manufacturer, Italian shipyard Perini Navi.
Its crew survived the sinking, minus the chef. Six passengers were trapped in the hull.
This picture taken on Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024, shows the Bayesian, left, and the Duch sailboat Sir Robert Baden Powell at anchor off the Sicilian village of Porticello near Palermo, in southern Italy. (Fabio La Bianca/Baia Santa Nicolicchia via AP)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Fox News Digital spoke with eSysman of the YouTube channel eSysman SuperYachts, to find out what could have gone wrong with the vessel.
“Obviously, any voyage plan will take into account the weather. Wind, wave sizes, and frequencies of the waves will be studied and precise prediction of weather has improved over the years, but it’s still not 100%,” the host said, noting that it is ultimately the captain who is responsible for the vessel.
Fox News’ Bradford Betz, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
