An investigation is underway into two British crew members who were on board the £30 million Bayesian superyacht when it sank off the coast of Sicily, killing seven people.
Six passengers, including British tech billionaire Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, drowned in the August 19 tragedy. The yacht’s chef, Recaldo Thomas, also died.
Italian prosecutors are investigating Tim Parker Eaton, who was in charge of the engine room on the night the ship sank, a judicial source told Reuters today.
Investigators are also said to be looking at another British crew member, Matthew Griffith, who was on deck watch, and Tijs Koopmans, 33, the Dutch first mate.
It comes after the boat’s captain, James Cutfield, was investigated for manslaughter and shipwreck on Monday, with his lawyers revealing he was too “shocked” to answer questions during his first formal hearing yesterday.
James Cutfield, a 51-year-old New Zealander, was in charge of the Bayesian when it sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily
A handout photo provided on August 19 by the Perini Navi Press Office shows the ‘Bayesian’ sailboat in Palermo, Sicily, Italy
British tech magnate Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah both died in the Bayesian tragedy when the superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily
The British-flagged Bayesian superyacht (pictured) was owned by tech magnate Mike Lynch
Recaldo Thomas, chef on the Bayesian, was the first person rescued after the yacht sank Monday
Judy and Jonathan Bloomer died on the Bayesian when the ship capsized in the water
The bodies of Neda and Chris Morvillo, pictured in 2018, were also recovered last week
Aldo Mordiglia, one of the lawyers representing the 51-year-old New Zealander, claimed the captain wanted to cooperate with the investigation. But he later revealed his client had “exercised his right to remain silent.”
“There were two reasons,” Mordiglia said The Times“It is understandable that he is very shocked. Furthermore, we as lawyers were only appointed yesterday and we have to gather information that we do not have yet, so that we can defend him.”
Prosecutors in Italy have previously questioned Cutfield, who they said had been “extremely cooperative.” Other crew members on the 56-meter (184-foot) British luxury yacht voluntarily remained in Italy to help with the investigation.
Under Italian law, being under investigation does not imply guilt or necessarily lead to criminal charges.
Cutfield, Parker-Eaton and Griffith were among 15 survivors of the August 19 tragedy that killed Mr Lynch, Hannah, Morgan Stanley International Bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo.
The body of Canadian-Antiguan citizen Thomas was recovered from the sinking site, while the other bodies were not found until several days later by divers.
Their bodies were taken to the nearby village of Porticello, about 18 kilometres from the Sicilian capital Palermo.
The bodies of the victims were tragically found last week in ‘cramped places’ with furniture on top. Diving teams brought them ashore one by one. A total of 120 dives were made to the wreck on the seabed.
Fifteen of the 22 people on board the ship, including Hannah’s mother Angela Bacares, 57, managed to escape in a life raft.
Italian prosecutors have admitted they failed to conduct alcohol and drug tests on the ship’s crew – all but one survived – because they needed treatment and were in shock. They have vowed to question the sailors intensively.
Chief Prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio, who is leading the investigation, has said his team will take into account all possible elements of responsibility, including those of the captain, the crew, those responsible for supervision and the yacht’s manufacturer.
According to the coastguard, no tornado warning had been issued that night, contrary to earlier reports. The ship’s captain, Mr Cutfield, reportedly told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica about the sudden change in weather: ‘We didn’t see it coming.’
Mr Cartosio had previously said that he believed it was “likely that criminal offences were committed” surrounding the sinking of the yacht.
He opened a case of shipwreck and manslaughter that was not initially focused on individuals. Mr. Cutfield is now being investigated for shipwreck and manslaughter.
Mr Cutfield (pictured) is now being investigated for shipwreck and manslaughter
Your browser does not support iframes.
Search for ships returning to shore Friday after Hannah Lynch’s body discovered
According to a BBC live translation, Carosio told reporters that the captain, crew, supervisors, the shipbuilder or others could have been responsible for the ship’s sinking.
He added: ‘We will determine the responsibility of each element. That will happen during the investigation, so we cannot do that prematurely.’
‘For me it is likely that criminal offences have been committed, that it may be manslaughter, but we can only determine that if you give us the time to investigate.
‘Media timing is completely different from that of a public prosecutor. We need a minimum amount of time to come to a good scientific conclusion.’
Mr Cartosio stressed that the investigation was still in its early stages, but suggested there were questions the crew needed to answer.
Italian prosecutors held a press conference on Saturday revealing that the victims were unable to escape because they were asleep during the storm
He added that it would be “painful” if, theoretically, “this tragedy, this terrible tragedy, was caused by behavior that was not fully in line with the responsibility that everyone (on) the ship had to have.”
He added: ‘Individuals or people may be guilty, negligent, careless or irresponsible… We cannot just rush through this.’
Investigators are investigating how a sailing ship, considered “unsinkable” by its manufacturer, Italian shipyard Perini Navi, could sink while a nearby sailboat remained largely unscathed.
Prosecutors said the event was “extremely rapid” and could have been a “downburst” — a localized, strong wind that descends from a thunderstorm and quickly dissipates as it hits the ground.
The Bayesian fuel is extracted from the seabed after 18,000 liters of fuel are removed from the tank.