Vessels like Mike Lynch’s stricken superyacht are “unsinkable”, according to the chief executive of the firm which makes and sells them.
Giovanni Costantino, CEO of The Italian Sea Group, told Sky News there are no flaws with the design and construction of the Bayesian superyacht which capsized in a storm off the coast of Porticello, Sicily, on Monday.
Five bodies were found by divers on Wednesday – taking the number of confirmed dead to six.
The Italian Sea Group also owns the firm that built British tech tycoon Mr Lynch’s Bayesian, and Mr Costantino said the vessels “are the safest in the most absolute sense”.
“Being the manufacturer of Perini [boats], I know very well how the boats have always been designed and built,” he said.
“And as Perini is a sailing ship… sailing ships are renowned to be the safest ever.”
He said their structure and keel made them “unsinkable bodies”.
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Mr Costantino said news of the sinking “put me in a state of sadness on one side and of disbelief on the other”.
“This incident sounds like an unbelievable story, both technically and as a fact,” he said.
It is understood Italian prosecutors investigating the incident are continuing to hold interviews with the survivors.
On Tuesday they questioned the captain for more than two hours to help reconstruct what happened and provide useful technical details.
Four British inspectors are also in Porticello and have begun a preliminary assessment of events.
It is understood they will look at all relevant aspects of the incident, including the design, stability, and operation of the vessel. They will also examine the effects of the weather conditions experienced.
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Twenty-two people were on board the vessel, 15 of whom were rescued – including Briton Charlotte Golunski and her one-year-old daughter Sofia.
Divers will resume efforts on Thursday morning to bring ashore a body they found earlier. One more person remains missing.