The Italian Sea Group (TISG), builder of the sailing superyacht Bayesian, has filed a civil lawsuit in Sicily seeking approximately €456 million in damages from the vessel’s owning company and crew for negligence that led to the yacht’s sinking in 2024.
Bayesian was a 56 m aluminum-hulled sailing superyacht built by Perini Navi in Viareggio, Italy, and delivered in 2008. She featured a single aluminium mast at around 72 m tall – at one time among the tallest masts on any yacht – and was legally owned by Revtom Ltd., an Isle of Man company controlled by Angela Bacares, widow of British tech billionaire Mike Lynch.
Sinking and casualties
On 19 August 2024, Bayesian was at anchor off Porticello on Sicily’s northern coast when a sudden and extreme thunderstorm struck the area before dawn. Severe gusts of wind – local data suggests surface winds may have exceeded 87 kn – rapidly heeled the vessel at anchor, leading to a knockdown and capsize that sank the yacht in roughly 15–20 minutes.
Of the 22 people on board, 15 survivors were rescued from the water. Seven people died, including Mike Lynch and his daughter.
The vessel’s stability proved vulnerable during extreme wind conditions with sails lowered and centreboard raised – conditions that UK investigators later determined left the yacht susceptible to capsize over about 63 kn of beam wind. These risks were not documented in the onboard stability booklet carried at the time.
Grounds of the lawsuit
TISG’s lawsuit, filed in the court of Termini Imerese, contends that the sinking resulted from crew negligence and operational failures rather than design faults. The claim targets Revtom, Bayesian’s registered owner, as well as skipper and two crew members, alleging failures such as not lowering the yacht’s keel, ignoring severe weather alerts, and not closing watertight hatches – actions the builder says directly led to the casualty and subsequent reputational damage to the shipyard.
The shipbuilder claims that the tragedy damaged its reputation in the luxury yacht market and halted significant future sales, including nearly €1 billion worth of prospective orders. According to the suit, Perini-branded yachts have seen orders collapse following the incident.
Ongoing investigations
Italian prosecutors and the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) have separately investigated the sinking. The MAIB’s technical reports highlight that Bayesian’s stability vulnerabilities were not documented to the owner or crew, a factor that contributed to its inability to withstand the severe squall.
Separately, criminal investigations in Italy have probed possible charges against the vessel’s master and crew members for negligent shipwreck and manslaughter related to the 2024 incident.
Salvage of Bayesian’s wreck was a complex and hazardous operation beginning in 2025, involving lifting and recovery efforts to preserve evidence for ongoing investigations. A diver lost his life during preparation work, underlining the difficulties associated with raising large yacht wrecks from depth.
