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BLACK PEARL

BLACK PEARL is a 106.7 m Sail Yacht, built in Netherlands by Oceanco and delivered in 2018.

Her top speed is 17.5 kn and her power comes from two MTU diesel engines. She can accommodate up to 12 guests in 6 staterooms. She has a gross tonnage of 2700.0 GT and a 15.0 m beam.

She was designed by Nuvolari Lenard (119 other superyachts designed) and Ken Freivokh (37 other superyachts designed).

The naval architecture was developed by Oceanco (26 other superyachts architected), BMT Nigel Gee (8 other superyachts architected) and Dykstra Naval Architects (28 other superyachts architected), and the interior of the yacht was designed by Nuvolari Lenard (107 other superyacht interiors designed), Ken Freivokh (136 other superyacht interiors designed) and Gerard P. Villate - she is built with a Teak deck, a Steel hull, and Aluminium superstructure.

BLACK PEARL is in the top 5% by LOA in the world. She is one of 4 sailing yachts longer than 100m, and, compared to similarly sized sailing yachts, her top speed is 1.33 kn above the average.

BLACK PEARL is currently sailing under the Cayman Islands flag, the 2nd most popular flag state for superyachts with a total of 1414 yachts registered. She has recently entered the superyacht marina Porto Montenegro, in Montenegro. For more information regarding BLACK PEARL's movements, find out more about BOATPro AIS .

Specifications

• Name: BLACK PEARL
• Yacht Type: Sail Yacht
• Builder: Oceanco
• Naval Architect: Oceanco , Dykstra Naval Architects , BMT Nigel Gee
• Exterior Designer: Ken Freivokh , Nuvolari Lenard
• Interior Designer: Ken Freivokh , Nuvolari Lenard , Gerard P. Villate
• Refits: 2022,2023

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Standing at 350ft,  Black Pearl  is the world’s largest sailing yacht and is estimated to have cost in excess of $200 million. The unique vessel was garnering global attention long before her maiden voyage thanks to her revolutionary design, eco-credentials and technological advancements, all of which have set a new industry standard and seen her scoop-up numerous awards for innovation. 

Delivered in 2018 by Dutch shipyard Oceanco, the three-mast yacht is said to be the realization of a radical vision by her owner who wanted “to build something that was out of the ordinary in every way,” according to the ship’s captain Chris Gartner. Who is  Black Pearl’s  owner? This, along with much of her interior details, has never been officially released, all adding to  Black Pearl’s  mystique. That being said, she is widely believed to belong to the Russian businessman, Oleg Burlakov.

This unmistakable vessel is not the product of one designer but in fact the result of an ambitious cross-industry collaboration between some of international yachting’s greatest creative minds. UK-based Ken Freivokh Design (responsible for the iconic  Maltese Falcon ) and Italian studio Nuvolari Lenard (behind Steven Speilberg’s  Seven Seas  yacht) teamed up to create her striking exterior. However, it is not just her aesthetics that sets her apart, but also her utilization of the very latest green technology, which according to Oceanco, has rendered her capable of crossing the Atlantic without using any fuel. “How?” one might ask. 

The superyacht is capable of crossing the Atlantic without using any fuel / ©Tom Van Oossanen

In fact, under sail, the yacht can reach an incredible 30 knots and regenerate enough energy to power the boat’s full house load, removing the need to run generators. 

Black Pearl  is also powered by an advanced hybrid propulsion system that Oceanco designed in collaboration with specialist consultancyBMT Nigel Gee. Gartner explains how the complex system generates electricity through the vessel’s spinning propellers: “Her hybrid propulsion installation has two shaft lines, each with a controllable pitch propeller. In normal sailing mode, the propellers are set to minimize drag and prevent the shafts from turning. But when we want to harvest some of that kinetic energy to be stored and used onboard, the pitch of the propellers is altered to create a lifting force as the water passes over them. This rotates the shafts, which are connected to a permanent magnet electric propulsion motor, effectively converting the wind energy that is moving  Black Pearl  through the water into electrical energy.”

Little information has been released about Black Pearl’ s  interiors / ©Tom Van Oossanen

Her interiors – which remain a closely guarded secret – were also designed by Nuvolari Lenard and French architect Gerard Villate. Other than that, what we do know is that she has six cabins providing accommodation for up to 12 guests, including a master suite and two VIP cabins.  Black Pearl’s  total interior volume is a roomy 2,700 GT, significantly overshadowing the world’s second-largest sailing yacht the  EOS  at 1500 GT. 

No actual pictures of the inside of the vessel have ever been released but according to Nuvolari Lenard, the interior is a celebration of Louis XVI French design (think elaborate neoclassical touches like wood carvings, gold accents and sumptuous fabrics) as well as some art deco touches. The Italian design studio has also  shared a handful of interior renderings  to give us a hint of what may lie inside the  Black Pearl  yacht. These include an elaborately decorated dining room that can seat up to 16 guests. We would expect to see this same level of grandeur throughout her accommodation. 

Relax 

The Black Pearl yacht is said to have plenty onboard to keep passengers entertained / ©Tom Van Oossanen

Black Pearl  is said to have a wealth of recreational spaces spread across her three decks, though due to her secretive nature, little information has been published as to what delights she offers her passengers. Aerial photographs reveal a pool aft of the main deck as well as a hot tub aft of the upper deck. There is also a fold-down platform at the aft of the yacht which is likely to transform into a full-beam beach club. 

Ken Freivokh Design  features a mysterious unnamed 328-ft-plus DynaRig yacht on its website which some may speculate could give us an insight into the luxury facilities on board the vessel. The unidentified yacht includes a substantial toy and tender garage housing two limousine tenders, a hydroplane and a range of utility tenders and jet skis. It is also said to feature a helipad and an extending forward deck that can be used for entertaining guests as well as spotting dolphins. If that wasn’t enough, other out-of-this-world amenities include a glass-fronted swimming pool and an aquarium. Could  Black Pearl  host similar facilities? It’s anyone’s guess. 

A true sailing vessel, the  Black Pearl  yacht is built for adventure and her lower carbon footprint means her voyages are much kinder to the planet than those of a typical motor yacht of similar stature. 

Despite her transatlantic credentials she appears to spend most of her time cruising around Europe with regular sightings in Gibraltar as well as stopovers on the Isle of Portland on England’s south coast, the Spanish ports of Cadiz and Tarragona, the Russian city of St.Petersburg and of course Monaco where her owner is said to reside.

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As the name suggests, superyachts are meant to garner attention . From Zaha Hadid’s stunningly crafted ships to vessels featuring waterfalls , these massive floating crafts are becoming ever more exquisite in design. And the latest concept superyacht, by designer Timur Bozca, is no exception. Dubbed The Black Swan for its black exterior and graceful aesthetic, the striking structure is proof of the power of simplicity. According to Bozca, who splits time between offices in Istanbul, Milan, and London, the superyacht was crafted by connecting “simple lines together with dramatic angles and curves.”

“Using the powerful image of an arrow as my inspiration, I tried to create an aerodynamic exterior that would give the yacht a distinctive look, while also improving the efficiency of the craft in the water,” said Bozca in a statement. The yacht will include four engines that can generate 23,172 horsepower, hitting a top speed of 32 m.p.h. Made from aluminium and steel, the yacht features a stunning pool that funnels toward the stern and seems to disappear into the ocean. The Black Swan also includes a sundeck, balconies that are hidden from view, and a rooftop helipad.

A view of the sundeck and swimming pool.

The superyacht will be able to accommodate up to 12 guests across a master suite and six guest suites. The yacht is still in its initial design stage, but if built as shown, it would cost upwards of ten million dollars.

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Step Inside the Black Pearl Yacht

Care for the environment is at the very heart of this game-changing superyacht's design.

By Emma Al-Mousawi

Standing at 350-ft, Black Pearl is the world’s largest sailing yacht and is estimated to have cost in excess of $200m. The unique vessel was garnering global attention long before her maiden voyage thanks to her revolutionary design, eco-credentials and technological advancements, all of which have set a new industry standard and seen her scoop up numerous awards for innovation. 

Delivered in 2018 by Dutch shipyard Oceanco, the three-mast yacht is said to be the realization of a radical vision “to build something that was out of the ordinary in every way,” according to the ship’s captain Chris Gartner.

[See also: What Do We Know About Jeff Bezos and his Yacht?]

This unmistakable vessel is not the product of one designer but in fact the result of an ambitious cross-industry collaboration between some of international yachting’s greatest creative minds. UK-based Ken Freivokh Design (responsible for the iconic Maltese Falcon ) and Italian studio Nuvolari Lenard (behind Steven Speilberg’s Seven Seas yacht) teamed up to create her striking exterior.

However, it is not just her aesthetics that sets her apart, but also her utilization of the very latest green technology, which according to Oceanco, has rendered her capable of crossing the Atlantic without using any fuel. “How?” one might ask. 

Let’s start with her three imposing 230-ft DynaRig carbon masts designed by Dykstra Naval Architects. The innovative structure sees her sails subdivided into smaller sections that can be set or furled at the touch of a button.

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“The key to the DynaRig’s effectiveness is just how easy it makes sailing Black Pearl rather than relying on propulsion from fossil fuels,” says Gartner. “With a single person able to set 2,900-meters-sq (31, 215-sq-ft) of sail area in just under seven minutes, we can quickly and simply turn off the main engines and harness the power of the wind, which costs nothing and is better for the environment.”

[See also: Step Inside the Lady Moura Yacht]

In fact, under sail, the yacht can reach an incredible 30 knots and regenerate enough energy to power the boat’s full house load, removing the need to run generators. 

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Black Pearl is also powered by an advanced hybrid propulsion system that Oceanco designed in collaboration with specialist consultancy BMT Nigel Gee. Gartner explains how the complex system generates electricity through the vessel’s spinning propellers: “Her hybrid propulsion installation has two shaft lines, each with a controllable pitch propeller.

In normal sailing mode, the propellers are set to minimize drag and prevent the shafts from turning. But when we want to harvest some of that kinetic energy to be stored and used onboard, the pitch of the propellers is altered to create a lifting force as the water passes over them. This rotates the shafts, which are connected to a permanent magnet electric propulsion motor, effectively converting the wind energy that is moving Black Pearl through the water into electrical energy.”

[See also: How Much Does a Yacht Cost to Build?]

Her interiors – which remain a closely guarded secret – were also designed by Nuvolari Lenard and French architect Gerard Villate. Other than that, what we do know is that she has six cabins providing accommodation for up to 12 guests, including a master suite and two VIP cabins. Black Pearl’s total interior volume is a roomy 2,700 GT, significantly overshadowing the world’s second-largest sailing yacht the EOS at 1,500 GT. 

No actual pictures of the inside of the vessel have ever been released but according to Nuvolari Lenard, the interior is a celebration of Louis XVI French design (think elaborate neoclassical touches like wood carvings, gold accents and sumptuous fabrics) as well as some art deco touches.

The Italian design studio has also shared a handful of interior renderings to give us a hint of what may lie inside the Black Pearl yacht. These include an elaborately decorated dining room that can seat up to 16 guests. We would expect to see this same level of grandeur throughout her accommodation. 

[See also: What are Explorer Yachts?]

Black Pearl is said to have a wealth of recreational spaces spread across her three decks, though due to her secretive nature, little information has been published as to what delights she offers her passengers. Aerial photographs reveal a pool aft of the main deck as well as a hot tub aft of the upper deck. There is also a fold-down platform at the aft of the yacht which is likely to transform into a full-beam beach club. 

Ken Freivokh Design features a mysterious unnamed 328-ft-plus DynaRig yacht on its website which some may speculate could give us an insight into the luxury facilities on board the vessel. The unidentified yacht includes a substantial toy and tender garage housing two limousine tenders, a hydroplane and a range of utility tenders and jet skis.

It is also said to feature a helipad and an extending forward deck that can be used for entertaining guests as well as spotting dolphins. If that wasn’t enough, other out-of-this-world amenities include a glass-fronted swimming pool and an aquarium. Could Black Pearl host similar facilities? It’s anyone’s guess. 

A true sailing vessel, the Black Pearl yacht is built for adventure and her lower carbon footprint means her voyages are much kinder to the planet than those of a typical motor yacht of similar stature. 

[See also: Style and Sustainability: The New Sunreef 80 Eco Catamaran]

Emma Al-Mousawi

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Black Pearl

Black Pearl is a custom sailing yacht launched in 2016 by Oceanco, in the Netherlands.

Founded in 1987, Oceanco is a shipyard that strives to do things differently, building custom superyachts that each stand out as iconic additions to the world superyacht fleet. With a tenth of the Top 100 largest vessels being Oceanco-builds, the Dutch yard has positioned itself as a brand driven by innovation, dedication, and an unwavering commitment to achieving the impossible.

Black Pearl measures 106.70 metres in length and has a beam of 15 feet.

Black Pearl has a steel hull with an aluminium superstructure.

It is not necessary to live, it is necessary to sail; This is the firm belief of Italian design company Nuvolari & Lenard. No stranger to high-profile yacht design, the studio has stamped its distinctive style on a number of the ocean’s biggest and brightest.

Black Pearl also features naval architecture by Dykstra Naval Architects and Lateral Naval Architects.

Performance and Capabilities

Black Pearl has a top speed of 17.50 knots. .

Accommodation

Black Pearl accommodates up to 12 guests in 6 cabins.

Other Specifications

Black Pearl has a hull NB of Y712.

• Yacht Builder Oceanco View profile

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Black Pearl

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BLACK PEARL Yacht – Huge $200M Sailing Yacht

Taking the title of the second largest sailing yacht in the world, BLACK PEARL yacht is a site to behold.

Cruising across the water with her stunning black exterior, the Black Pearl yacht certainly lives up to her name.

BLACK PEARL yacht interior

BLACK PEARL has a spacious interior, almost like a large motor yacht. She has a glass elevator, a spa pool, and a hot tub for the people on board to enjoy. There is also a beach club cinema.

Designed by Nuvolari Lenard , in collaboration with architect Gerard Villate, the interior is not very well known. No pictures of the interior have ever been released.

We do know that the interior design was a tribute to the design of Louis XVI, with ornate wooden details and gold accents.

There are also some influences from the Art Deco era. We also know that there is a grand dining room, set up to host up to 16 dinner guests.

Specifications

The Black Pearl yacht has an overall length of 106,7 meters (35 ft). The beam is 15 meters (49,3 ft) and has a top speed of 15 knots.

The cruising speed is 12 knots. Her sails can be raised in just seven seconds with the push of a button, and she can cross the Atlantic using under a liter of fossil fuel.

She is economical in other aspects too. Regenerative power under sail, for example.

The late owner wanted to have less of an impact on the environment and set up several environmentally friendly solutions.

The Black Pearl yacht has room for up to twelve guests in her six staterooms.

The Black Pearl yacht’s exterior was designed by Nuvolari Lenard, the same as the interior. In collaboration with Ken Freivokh Design, they created her distinct look.

The black color covers most of her exterior, and her sails have a mechanism that allows them to be folded, in order to pass through the Panama canal.

She also possesses the largest DynaRig in the world. In fact, she has three of them.

There is some mystery regarding the different features of her exterior, same as for the interior, but thanks to aerial photographs there is known to be a hot tub aft on one of the three decks, and a pool aft on the main deck.

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Second largest sailing yacht in the world 107m BLACK PEARL joins the charter fleet

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By Nina Done   13 January 2023

It has just been announced that the iconic 107m (350ft) sailing yacht BLACK PEARL is ready to welcome her first charter guests on board from the A-lister-approved superyacht hub of St Barts . Now you too can be among the first to experience the ground-breaking yacht for yourselves on a Caribbean yacht charter  this winter.

Delivered in 2018 by the renowned Dutch yard Oceanco , the award-winning tri-deck  sailing yacht has been hailed as an innovative triumph, with its iconic DynaRig sailing system, high-tech design and wave-piercing bow, and has been turning heads ever since.

BLACK PEARL is one of the largest and most ecological sailing yachts in the world, capable of crossing the entire Atlantic burning just 20 liters of fuel thanks in part to her DynaRig sailing system and an innovative propulsion system that harvests kinetic energy under sail.

Her striking exteriors are from the boards of the illustrious Nuvolari Lenard and Ken Freivokh, while her naval architecture comes courtesy of Dyksra Architects, who previously worked on the renowned sailing yacht MALTESE FALCON , from which she drew her inspiration.

Her interiors, penned by Valentina Zannier and architect Gerard Villate, have long been kept under wraps, but now they have been revealed to showcase a luxurious palette with design cues from the neoclassic Louis XIV period, characterized by elegance and refinement, with touches of gilded opulence throughout. So, as sleek and slightly menacing as she may seem from the outside, she is the very essence of sumptuous luxury on the inside.

Sailing yacht BLACK PEARL provides accommodation for up to 12 charter guests across 5 beautifully-appointed suites.

On board highlights include vast alfresco deck spaces replete with an array of sun loungers, a Jacuzzi and bar for the perfect daytime hangout while on charter, as well as a 4,000-bottle wine cellar and tasting room, and a beach club featuring ceiling lights mimicking the night sky constellations for an added ethereal touch. She also boasts a wealth of convivial social and dining areas for her guests to enjoy while on board. 

If you’d like to learn more about chartering sailing yacht BLACK PEARL, please contact a recommended yacht charter broker . If you're interested in renting a yacht of a similar calibre, browse the complete fleet of Oceanco yachts available to charter .

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106m Sailing Yacht Black Pearl on Follow-Up Sea Trials

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Written by Maria Korotaeva

The 106-metre mega sailing yacht Black Pearl (also known as Project Solar or Oceanco Y712 ) was spotted during her follow-up sea trials in the Netherlands . Black Pearl was launched in 2016 by one of the leading shipbuilders in the world, Oceanco . She was designed by Nuvolari Lenard , based on hull lines by  Dykstra Naval Architects .

Sailing Yacht Black Pearl on sea trials. Photo credit Dutch Yachting

This incredible luxury vessel boasts three rotating masts, a steel hull and an aluminium superstructure, with a total internal volume of 2,700 GT. Featuring lots of luxury living space, Black Pearl offers her guests a large number of great amenities. She is believed to have two spa pools and an enormous beach club. Black Peral also has ample storage for her water toys and tenders.

Sailing Yacht Black Pearl. Photo credit Dutch Yachting

She was designed to accommodate 12 guests in 6 lavish cabins.Her auxiliary power comes from a pair of CAT engines, which provide a top speed of 17.5 knots.

SY Black Pearl on sea trials. Photo credit Dutch Yachting

We will be bringing more details on this mega yacht, as soon as the shipyard unveils more information. You can find out more about Oceanco superyachts  here .

Please contact CharterWorld - the luxury yacht charter specialist - for more on superyacht news item "106m Sailing Yacht Black Pearl on Follow-Up Sea Trials".

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World’s Largest Sailing Yacht SOLAR Project by Oceanco

The Next Generation of Massive Sailing Yachts

Nuvolari Lenard Designed 106 m Sailing Yacht SOLAR project for Oceanco

New 105m DYNARIG Yacht by Oceanco and Dykstra

Late summer special offer on board 72m superyacht ARBEMA in the Western Mediterranean

The International SeaKeepers Society will host its 2024 annual Founders Event in October

Special offer for remaining weeks of September on board 51m sailing yacht RED DRAGON

A luxury charter yacht is the perfect way to encounter New England’s fall foliage display

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OCEA delivers 33m motor yacht ARAOK II to her new owner

39m sailing yacht LINNEA AURORA launched by SES Yachts

The Monaco Yacht Show 2024: a dazzling display of the best superyachts in the world and much more …

66m Benetti motor yacht IRYNA hits water in Italy

A first look at 55m superyacht PROJECT AGNETHA from Heesen Yachts

44m superyacht ORION ONE reaches a construction milestone

40m superyacht HYGGE from MCP Yachts commences sea trials

44m charter yacht JEMS offers 9 days for the price of 7 in August in Italy

Try now - Live tracking map for yachts and other vessels

Real time world map for tracking yachts and all other vessels like speed boats, cargo or tankers! Tracking yachts and other vessels was never so easy!

Mega Yacht Black Pearl – Beauty of the Seas

Black Pearl   is a sailing mega yacht launched in 2016, which is 106.7 meters in length. It has three DynaRig masts supporting a sail area of 2,900 square meters. 

The yacht was known during its build process originally as  Oceanco Y712  and thereafter as “Project Solar”. The hull is steel, the superstructure aluminum, and the masts carbon fiber. The yacht is owned by Russian millionaire Oleg Burlakov.

It is expected that  Black Pearl  can cross the Atlantic using only 20 litres (4.4 imp gal; 5.3 US gal) of fuel, aided by regenerative technologies. One key technology to support this, is to use the speed of the vessel through the water under sail to generate electricity with a variable pitch propeller. The yacht also features heat capture technologies and large scale storage batteries to capture energy generated but not immediately used.

Inspired by the 88 m (289 ft)  Maltese Falcon , the intention behind the project was to push the boundaries of the DynaRig system and demonstrate the potential for larger DynaRig-equipped vessels.

The creation of the yacht, then known as “Project Solar”, began on 7 July 2010 when Ken Freivokh was contracted to handle styling and design on the project. Given their involvement with  Maltese Falcon , Freivokh introduced Dykstra Naval Architects to the project and the team were able to advance the DynaRig system and to improve performance through changes both to mast shape and installation. The 96 m (315 ft) preliminary concept that resulted was codenamed “Nautilus”.

Freivokh then commissioned Devonport Yachts (Pendennis Shipyards) to undertake technical studies to complete the tendering package. The tendering process began in June 2011 and included seven shipyards worldwide.

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By November 2011 Freivokh had extended the design from 96 m to 100 m (328 ft) and a scale model was produced. Dutch builders Oceanco were selected from the tendering process to construct the yacht at their Rotterdam (The Netherlands) shipyard.

The design and details of the yacht developed continuously during the build process, with the owner having a direct input on many aspects of the final design. The final design had the yacht at 106.8 m,and the yacht, built under the name  Y712 , was then named  Black Pearl .

The overall yacht design was done by Ken Freivokh, Gerard Villate, Nigel Gee, and Nuvolari Lenard, with others. The yacht was constructed at Oceanco, a shipyard in Alblasserdam, the Netherlands and launched in September 2016.

It was delivered in early 2018 to the customer, after it had undergone sea trials.

Find more mega yacht articles below

Black Pearl  is a sailing yacht with three 70-meter (230 ft) high masts, and is capable of 30 knots (56 km/h) in suitable weather conditions. It also has diesel engines that can propel it to 17.5 knots (32 km/h). She is capable of accommodating up to 12 guests in one master suite, two VIP and two double guests cabins.

As a private yacht  Black Pearl  can accommodate 12 guests and has various features including an on-deck Jacuzzi, convertible cinema, full beam beach club, and a tender garage. Total interior volume is 2,700 gross tons. She has also won the Sailing Superyacht of the Year Award in 2019.

Specifications:

• Length – 106.7 meters (350 feet)
• Gross tonnage – 2700 t (measure of interior volume)
• Guest capacity – 12 people (6 cabins)
• Sail Area – 2,900 meters squared
• Max sail speed – 30 knots (56 km/h, 35 mph)
• Contract – 2010
• Purchased – 2012
• Launched – 2016
• Delivered -2018 
• Registered to Cayman Islands

Fuelless transatlantic voyager capability

Black Pearl Mega Yacht is designed to generate electricity to power its on-board systems, by using its propeller as a turbine as the yacht is propelled by the wind.

Under sea trials  Black Pearl  achieved 20 knots of speed on the water, and its developers expect that it will be able to transit the Atlantic using no fuel.

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A sleek black yacht that just launched is now the world's largest superyacht. Take a look at the 600-foot vessel owned by a Norwegian billionaire.

The world's largest superyacht, a 600-foot vessel owned by a Norwegian billionaire, just launched in Romania .

• The REV Ocean was designed to carry out scientific research expeditions with the goal of safeguarding the oceans.
• It will also be available to charter to help support the costs of the scientific research missions.
• A publicist for the REV Ocean said the vessel's billionaire owner, Kjell Inge Rokke, would also use the yacht but pay to rent it like any other customer.
• The REV Ocean dethroned the 590-foot Azzam , which held the record of largest yacht in the world for six years.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .

The REV Ocean dethroned the 590-foot Azzam , which held the record for largest yacht in the world for six years.

Unlike most superyachts, the REV Ocean wasn't designed only for luxury cruising. It was built to be a research vessel, carrying out scientific expeditions with the mission of safeguarding the world's oceans.

The yacht will, however, be available to charter to help support the cost of its scientific missions, a publicist for the REV Ocean told Business Insider.

The REV Ocean, which is on its way to Norway to be outfitted, is set to be completed in 2020.

Take a look at the record-breaking 600-foot superyacht.

At 600 feet (182.9 meters) long, the REV Ocean is the world's largest superyacht.

It dethroned the 590-foot Azzam, which held the record for more than six years.

After 18 months of construction, the vessel was lowered into the water at the Vard Tulcea shipyard in Romania on August 24.

The REV Ocean was commissioned by the billionaire Norwegian businessman Kjell Inge Rokke .

Rokke is worth an estimated $3.3 billion.

He owns almost 67% of Aker, a publicly traded shipping and offshore drilling conglomerate, according to Forbes .

Rokke also started and funds a nonprofit foundation, also called REV Ocean, that's dedicated to safeguarding and preserving the oceans.

The Norwegian businessman is one of more than 200 wealthy people who have signed the Giving Pledge , promising to give away at least half of their fortune to charity.

The REV Ocean had "an extensive and complicated build period," according to the foundation.

The yacht was designed by Espen Oeino , who has designed some of the world's most famous yachts , including the late Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen's 414-foot Octopus.

The REV Ocean was built to be a scientific vessel in addition to a cruising yacht. REV stands for Research Expedition Vessel.

According to the REV Ocean foundation , scientists can use the superyacht for research into plastic pollution, unsustainable fishing, and the impact of CO2 emissions on the ocean.

"REV Ocean will strive to fill critical knowledge gaps, develop innovative solutions, and bridge science, business and policy sectors to achieve positive change," the foundation said.

The REV Ocean will be able to hold 55 scientists and 35 crew members, the foundation says.

The vessel's onboard equipment will include "scientific trawls, sonar systems, laboratories, auditorium and classrooms, moonpool, AUV and submarine, an ROV with 6000 meters depth capacity, and advanced communication equipment."

The superyacht will also be available to charter to help fund its scientific missions.

Rokke will also use the yacht, but he'll pay to rent it like any other customer, said REV Ocean's communication manager, Lawrence Hislop.

"The primary focus, branding, and emphasis, however, is on science," Hislop told Business Insider.

As a charter vessel, the REV Ocean could carry 28 guests and 54 crew members.

According to its website , the superyacht will be available for "private individuals, companies and institutions seeking to improve their awareness of the ocean."

The price hasn't been finalized, but REV Ocean is negotiating a contract with a yacht-chartering company, Hislop told Business Insider.

Next, the ship will go to Norway to be fully outfitted.

In the coming weeks, the REV Ocean will be towed down the Danube River and into the Black Sea, then pass through the Bosporus Strait in Istanbul, cross the Mediterranean, traverse the Strait of Gibraltar, and travel up to the Vard shipyard in Brattvag, the foundation said.

The journey is expected to take 30 to 35 days.

The vessel is set to be completed sometime in 2020.

Source: REV Ocean

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$250M superyacht Liva O draws 'big' attention on Seattle's Lake Union

The superyacht LIVA O, owned by billionaire Stephen Orenstein, has made a notable appearance on Seattle's Lake Union. (AJ Janavel)

SEATTLE - The superyacht LIVA O, owned by billionaire Stephen Orenstein , has made a notable appearance on Seattle's Lake Union . 

Measuring 387 feet, LIVA O is the largest superyacht ever built by the esteemed German shipbuilder Abeking & Rasmussen . For comparison, a Washington state Olympic Class ferry measures 362 feet.

Launched as the shipyard's latest masterpiece, LIVA O represents a significant achievement for Abeking & Rasmussen, which has been in operation for over 115 years. "We have once again succeeded in building an exceptional yacht," said Matthias Hellmann, CEO at Abeking & Rasmussen. "By upholding our values of innovation, quality, and client satisfaction, we have created a yacht that sets new industry standards."

Designed by Joseph Dirand Architecture in Paris, the yacht features a sleek black hull and offers luxurious amenities, including a Neptune Lounge with an underwater view, a swimming pool, a helicopter pad and a crow’s nest. The vessel also employs a diesel-electric propulsion system for quiet navigation and maneuvering. 

So how much does a yacht of this size cost? According to Superyacht Fan , Orenstein bought the yacht in 2023 for $250 million and estimates its annual running cost to be $15 to $25 million. 

The superyacht LIVA O, owned by billionaire Stephen Orenstein, has made a notable appearance on Seattle's Lake Union. ( AJ Janavel )

Who is Stephen Orenstein?

According to Forbes , Stephen Orenstein is a German-American business executive with extensive commercial real estate holdings in Germany, Italy, the U.K. and the U.S., and holds a stake in the German soccer team Eintracht Frankfurt. 

Formerly owning 75% of Supreme Group, a logistics firm that supplied food and water to the U.S. Army in Afghanistan, Orenstein took over the company in 1985 after his father's death. 

Forbes estimates his net worth at $2 billion. 

The yacht's presence in Lake Union is drawing attention from locals and yacht enthusiasts alike, marking a significant milestone in Seattle's maritime scene.

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Experts puzzle over why Bayesian yacht sank. Was it a 'black swan event'?

The Bayesian set off on a leisurely cruise around Italy's southern coast on a sunny day in late July.

The luxurious super yacht − which boasted one of the largest masts in the world and carried a crew of business moguls, including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his family and a chair of Morgan Stanley − set sail from the Amalfi Coast, bound for Sicily.

Less than a month later, the ship had sunk 160 feet under the water , leaving its cook dead and six of its passengers, including at least two Americans, missing and prompting a massive search that has drawn international attention.

Now, experts are trying to piece together why in the early hours Monday the Bayesian was quickly pulled under the waves amid a storm that saw at least one tornado spin up over the water.

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A perfect storm led to Bayesian sinking, experts say

The combination of unlikely factors that could have contributed to the ship's fate constituted a "black swan event," Matthew Schanck, chairman of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council, told USA TODAY.

The Bayesian was well-built: A 2008 product of Italian ship maker Perini, it was constructed in accordance with international maritime standards and commercially certified by the U.K.'s Maritime and Coastguard Agency, according to Schanck.

The bout of bad weather that swept the area when the ship went down was also out of the ordinary in the northern Mediterranean, "which isn't renowned for prolonged, significant stormy weather," he said.

"The fact that those two elements have then resulted in the foundering of a super yacht is pretty extraordinary," Schanck said. "These things don't happen every day."

After the ship sank just before 5 a.m. local time, 15 people, including a 1-year-old, were pulled from the water. Some were rescued from a life raft by the crew of a ship docked nearby.

Ricardo Thomas, the ship's cook and a native of Antigua, was found dead, according to authorities.

As of Tuesday, six people were missing, including Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter. Several missing passengers were involved in Lynch's trial on fraud charges, including Jonathan Bloomer, a Morgan Stanley chair who served as his character witness, and one of Lynch's attorneys. Lynch, accused of fraud after he sold his company to electronics giant Hewlett-Packard, was acquitted of all charges weeks ago.

Who is Mike Lynch? UK entrepreneur among those missing after superyacht sinks off Sicily

Tornado formed over unusually hot water

Storms in the area that night may have whipped up a water spout, a tornado over the water , according to local meteorologists.

It was likely triggered by the water's unusual warmth, said Rick Shema, a certified consulting meteorologist who served in the Navy.

"The water spout was an uncommon occurrence," he said. "But again, these things happen, especially in warmer water."

At 83.7 degrees, water in the area was more than 3 degrees hotter than average on the day the Bayesian sank, likely the result of climate change, Shema said.

"Hurricanes can form at 80 degrees. This was almost four degrees higher than that," he said.

The water spout may have spun up when cooler air dropped from mountainous places nearby onto the hot water, he said. "A water spout is a vortex, basically like a tornado, spinning real fast, sucking up water and moisture as the column rises," he said.

Although water spouts only reach around 120 mph, as compared with tornadoes on land, which can reach up to 300 mph, "you don't need 200 mph to sink a ship," he said.

"Even an average tornado, 120 miles an hour, that's a lot of wind," he said, "which would heel the boat over for sure."

Water spouts spring up suddenly, Shema said. Before they strike, winds can be slow, but "once the water spout comes over, bam, it's on," he said.

Before sunrise, the ship's crew may not have seen the water spout coming. "The visibility was probably a big factor," he said.

With the windows of the yacht opened, as they likely were in the hot weather, the water spout could have triggered water that flooded through the portholes, Shema said, causing the ship to sink.

Tragedy strikes: Scramble to find survivors after Bayesian yacht sinks off Sicily coast

Search continues, but shift to recovery phase approaches

Italian authorities said the Bayesian was probably at anchor when the storm struck, meaning it couldn't maneuver and ride the waves, according to Mitchell Stoller, a captain and maritime expert witness. Other ships in the area that turned on their engines rode out the storm, he said.

"When you're at anchor and you see weather, you start your engine and you put the wind on the bow. You don't let it get on the side," he said.

Schanck said another key question concerns the position of the keel, a heavy weight underneath the boat that acts as a counterbalance to keep it upright, when the ship sank. When lifted, "that's going to affect the stability of the vessel, because, obviously, you've now raised the center of gravity of that vessel," he said.

The Bayesian was floating over 160 feet of water at the time, deep enough that the keel would likely be deployed. But the fact that "the vessel heeled over so heavily makes me question that," Schanck said.

The cause of the disaster may not be known until the ship can be examined in more detail, experts say. Prosecutors in a nearby town have already opened an investigation.

Schanck said investigators will have plenty to work with once the operation moves into a recovery phase.

"The vessel is intact and in good condition on the seabed," he said. "There's a lot of eyewitness accounts from other vessels in the area and the shore."

As the search entered its second day on Tuesday, the rescue effort may shift in that direction soon. "I suspect, later on, today or tomorrow, we'll probably see some mention of a recovery operation being stated," Schanck said.

The decision to would depend on whether rescuers find signs of life in the ship and air pockets or survivable spaces, Schanck said. At this point, survivors on the water's surface looks unlikely. "My professional opinion is that the casualties will be located within the vessel," he said.

"There is a risk versus benefit in all maritime search and rescue incidents," he said. "Where we start transitioning to a recovery phase, that line shifts."

Contributing: Reuters

Cybele Mayes-Osterman is a breaking news reporter for USA Today. Reach her on email at [email protected]. Follow her on X @CybeleMO.

Superyacht sinks latest: Investigators reveal where bodies were found as probe looks at 'crew's responsibility'

Italian officials revealed at a news conference there could be "a question of manslaughter" as they opened a shipwreck investigation and said the probe is also looking at the "crew's responsibility".

Saturday 24 August 2024 12:40, UK

• Superyacht sinking

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• Prosecutors have just ended a press conference which provided more details on investigation after sinking of superyacht
• Prosecutor: There 'could be a question of manslaughter'
• Probe 'concentrating' on crew's responsibility
• Seven bodies recovered after five-day search of superyacht wreckage off Sicily
• Saturday's papers pay tribute to youngest victim Hannah Lynch
• Hannah's sister pays tribute to 'my little angel'
• Explained: Inside the superyacht | What challenges have faced divers?
• Eyewitness: Sombre scenes greet rescue teams as final body is brought ashore
• Live reporting by Niamh Lynch

Prosecutors have given a lengthy news conference this morning on their investigation into the sinking of the Bayesian. 

Read the full report on the prosecutors' probe below...

Marine investigator James Wilkes has been speaking to Sky News after this morning's press conference.

"Naturally, there are more questions than there are substantive answers at the moment - that's the nature of investigative work.

"Something forced that yacht to roll beyond its nominal stability limits, such that it wasn't able to right itself with the ingress of a certain amount of seawater that was coming into the yacht. 

"So the investigators are going to ask themselves one initial question - what must the conditions have been for this to happen? 

"Then they are going to look at the contributing factors to the yacht, sinking, and, and the unfortunate loss of life." 

Prosecutors said this morning that the future of the investigation is reliant on recovering the wreck. 

Mr Wilkes said the yacht is a "major piece of physical evidence in and of itself." 

"It's lying at 50 metres, which is a recoverable depth. 

"If it was significantly deeper, then I'm not sure they'd be considering salvage at this stage or certainly, the salvage question would be a lot more complicated to answer. 

"But if there was the ability to raise that yacht in one piece safely, then it gives the investigators physically more to look at."

Mr Wilkes said he was unsure if the yacht would have a "black box" - called a voyage data recorder in shipping. 

"It would record things like GPS position, heading speed, engine telemetry, whether the radars were on, what they were recording, alarms, communications from the yacht itself, any audio on the bridge.

"But more often than not, these are on merchant ships. The yacht was a commercial yacht in the sense that it could be chartered out so it's quite possible it has a voyage data recorder on, but I'm not sure that it does. I don't know that as a matter of fact," he said.

For days we have been waiting to hear from those on the frontline of this rescue mission.

And today finally, we did. Speaking for an hour and a half to the surprise of local journalists who couldn't believe what they were hearing alongside the world's press.

First-hand accounts of the gruelling, distressing and meticulous work that led to the discovery of the bodies of those missing on board the Bayesian.

Mr Cartosio said he had felt the need to conduct a press conference given the international interest in the event.

Flanking the head public prosecutor were representatives from the fire and rescue service and the members of the coastguard.

Some 11 highly specialised divers spent a total of 4,470 minutes underwater searching the vessels across five days.

By the end, there was little visibility in the water but they persevered and by lunchtime on Friday they had recovered the final missing person.

The discoveries of the bodies of all those onboard was difficult for divers despite their years of experience.

The foyer of the courthouse in Termini Imerese - a town just outside the Sicilian capital and some 10 miles from the scene of the tragedy - was packed. 

Some 100 journalists on white plastic chairs scribbling away as details about the mission and the subsequent investigation were revealed for the first time. 

The world's media heard the scope of the investigation was broad and that the aim of it was to find who is responsible.

Charges relating to shipwreck and manslaughter are being considered but nothing is being ruled out. 

The six bodies that were recovered in the five-day rescue operation were found in the cabins on the left-hand side of the ship, prosecutors reveal. 

They were trying to hide there after the ship sunk and landed on its right-hand side (see 9.24am post).

Watch below...

Prosecutors have confirmed that the captain of the Bayesian will undergo more questioning.

The yacht's captain James Cutfield has already been questioned for more than two hours by Italian prosecutors.

Prosecutors added that Mr Cutfield had been "extremely cooperative". 

They also indicated that British and American authorities are involved in the investigation.

"Well the inquiry is Italian... [but] yes, things are underway from the foreign judicial authorities."

The passengers who died were probably asleep, prosecutors said, and this is the reason they failed to escape. 

Officials suggested that "they were asleep whereas the others weren't".

We heard earlier that it was "clear people were trying to hide in cabins on the left hand side" as the ship landed on its right-hand side after it sank (see 9.24am post).

The first five bodies were found in the first cabin on left hand side and the final body was found in the third cabin.

The prosecutors' press conference is ongoing. 

Maritime director of western Sicily Rear Admiral Raffaele Macauda said that there is "no information so far that the yacht was wrongly placed" when it sank.

There was a "slight deviation of anchorage because of a piece of archaeology nearby", prosecutors added.

Questions on the weather at the time of the sinking have also been raised by journalists in the press conference.

The yacht had been hit by a downburst, according to Raffaele Cammarano, the prosecutor of this specific case.

He told the press conference "from the information we have, it is a downburst we are talking about".

Downbursts are powerful winds that descend from a thunderstorm and spread out quickly once they hit the ground.

He also added more details about the weather at the time of the sinking.

"Apart from extreme events which are being verified by the prosecutor, there was a great deal of visibility," the official said.

"And as you can see from the internet there was forecasts from midnight to 4am, winds of a strength of five from the north-west and the west and a storm alert.

"But there wasn't an alert of a tornado."

He added: "Given that the conditions were such, there wasn't anything to suggest there could be an extreme situation arising.

"There are vessels that can monitor, after all, these events and one would have thought that the captain had taken precautions."

 Autopsies on the victims "have not been done yet", prosecutors said.

They also said that they do not know the "specific" timeline of the investigation and said it depends on the owners of the yacht and maritime authorities. 

"After all, the wreck is 50 metres down," they said.

"Everything depends on the availability of the owners and the timeframe of the retrieval of the wreck and of course all that has to be submitted to the port authorities and in parallel of course there will be the inquiry results, and it's only really then that we will be able to authorise the operation.

"I can't say, like some experts who have already spoken on the subject [say] that it will be eight weeks.

"But the preliminary phase which we requested was to retrieve the wreck and after that we can proceed with the rest. 

"There are specialised companies after all who can proceed with getting up the fuel tanks, for example, first, so that's a priority for us because it has environmental knock-on effects and then we'll work out a proper timeframe - a plan with a timeframe."

Prosecutors are now taking questions from reporters who are gathered. 

One asked about the Bayesian crew's responsibilities considering all but one survived. 

Prosecutors said they were "concentrating on this particular aspect". 

They want to "discover how much they knew and to what extent all the people [passengers] were warned".

"Of course the question is understandable.

"We have tried to find out maximum information possible from the crew members or the survivors - all I would say is that the incident happened really, really suddenly.

"The inquiry will begin with the facts of the shipwreck - that is all I can say at the moment."

There is no legal obligation for the captain, crew and passengers to stay in Italy "but we expect them to cooperate fully in the investigation", prosecutors added.

"If we don't recover the wreck , it would be difficult to fully investigate the sinking," the Italian officials said.

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Bayesian Yacht Sinking: Climate Change Created Perfect Storm for Waterspouts

The waterspout blamed for the deadly sinking of a luxury superyacht carrying the British tech billionaire Mike Lynch in Italy has been called a freak “black swan” event. But scientists believe this kind of marine tornado is becoming more common with global warming.

While the cause of the sinking of the Bayesian hasn’t officially been determined, weather conditions and witness reports from Sicily, where the yacht was anchored off the coast, have led experts to suspect a waterspout, a whirling column of air and water mist. The key factor for waterspout formation is warm water—and the past year has seen the ocean surface heat up to record-breaking temperatures , in part due to climate change.

“If this rate of warming is going to be continuing in the future, it’s very possible these phenomena will be common and not rare,” says Michalis Sioutas, a meteorology PhD who studies waterspouts in Greece and is a board member of the Hellenic Meteorological Society. “It’s very possible to talk about waterspouts or even tornadoes and extreme storms becoming common.”

The 180-foot Bayesian sank in a matter of minutes after being caught in a sudden storm with strong winds and intense lightning at around 4 am on Monday. Fifteen people who had been aboard were rescued, and one person was found dead. Six people are missing, including British tech billionaire Mike Lynch, who was recently cleared of fraud charges over the sale of his company to Hewlett-Packard. On Wednesday, the bodies of five people were recovered from the sunken ship but have yet to be identified.

Fishermen saw a waterspout near the yacht shortly before it sank, and a nearby schooner was tossed about by what its captain, Karsten Borner, called a “hurricane gust,” which he believes capsized the Bayesian . Experts have said the conditions were ripe for a waterspout.

This extreme weather phenomenon occurs when warm, moist air rises rapidly over water, spinning as winds change direction at different heights. The result is a long, bending funnel of spray between the water and the clouds, tapering off as it rises as much as 10,000 feet into the heavens.

It comes in two flavors. The more vanilla kind is a fair weather waterspout , which forms in relatively calm and even sunny conditions, often under a billowy cumulus cloud. It happens more often in places like the Great Lakes and the Florida Keys, reaches wind speeds of 50 miles per hour, and usually breaks up before it can cause significant damage.

Then there are severe waterspouts, essentially tornadoes over water, which “are another beast” entirely, according to Wade Szilagyi, a retired forecaster at the Meteorological Service of Canada who now directs the International Center for Waterspout Research. These tornadic waterspouts can move from land to water, or vice versa, and twist at 125 miles per hour or more. They’ve been known to throw debris, rip apart buildings, and overturn boats.

A waterspout documented by Sioutas in Methoni, Greece, in 2004 picked up a boat and sent it sailing through the air, striking and killing a 10-year-old boy. Last year, a sudden storm and waterspout with winds of over 40 miles per hour overturned a tourist boat carrying off-duty intelligence agents on Italy’s Lake Maggiore, killing four. Sioutas says waterspouts can even generate “massive water displacements similar to tsunamis,” citing the gigantic waves that struck the coast of the Greek island of Samos during a 2004 cyclone, tossing boulders like toys.

Tornadic waterspouts spring up only in stormy weather with strong winds, lightning, and sometimes hail, and are the product of two main ingredients: wind shear and rising, unstable air. The process begins when masses of cold and warm air collide. This brings together winds from different directions that start to spin around each other, creating vortices. If a thunderstorm also converges in the area, it can provide the instability, sucking warm air up into itself at dizzying speeds. Over water, it starts carrying moisture up as well. Szilagyi compares the waterspout’s development to a twirling figure skater.

“You can think of the skater, if she just spins around normally, that’s like the little vortex that’s already started,” he says. “But if she brings her arms in, then that’s like the column of that unstable warm air, pulling, stretching that vortex upward. She starts to spin faster.”

Waterspouts have been known and feared since ancient times. In the 1550s in Malta, a waterspout plowed through the harbor of Valletta, reportedly destroying an armada of warships and killing hundreds of people. It’s even thought that old stories of fish or frogs raining down on land may be the product of waterspouts sweeping the creatures up into the clouds.

Now global warming may be supercharging the phenomenon. The International Panel on Climate Change has not found a definite link—there hasn’t been much research into how climate change may be affecting waterspouts—but experts say that the conditions for waterspouts to form are happening more often. A 2022 study of 234 waterspouts in the Spanish Mediterranean over the past three decades found that they were more likely to break out when the sea surface was warmer, especially above 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit). And water temperatures are now at unprecedented levels.

Last year was the warmest on record for the ocean. The heat content of the upper 6,500 feet of the seas was the highest ever seen. The seas broke temperature records every single day between May 2023 and May 2024. Marine heat waves struck areas from Antarctica to the Mediterranean.

“Warmer oceans have more energy and more humidity to transfer to the atmosphere, the most important fuels for storms,” says Luca Mercalli, president of the Italian Meteorological Society. “The contrast of warm sea and colder air that flows over energizes vertical winds that could result in downbursts or waterspouts.” (A downburst is a powerful cascade of wind and rain from a thundercloud.)

That perfect storm of waterspout conditions hit Italy around the time the Bayesian sank. In recent days, a mass of high-level cold air has swept down from the Alps and over the country’s western coast, meeting the exceptionally warm air just above the sea surface. Four days before the Bayesian went down, sea surface temperatures were the hottest ever recorded across the Mediterranean Sea, with a daily median of 28.71 degrees Celsius. The ocean near where the Bayesian was anchored has reached almost 30 degrees Celsius this week, four degrees higher than the 20-year summer average, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Cold and warm air clashed. Winds started spinning, and overheated water provided the ingredient of instability needed for a waterspout outbreak. As a result, a total of 28 waterspouts were documented off the western coast of Italy from August 17 to August 20, according to the International Center for Waterspout Research.

The total number of waterspouts reported has been increasing in recent years, although a major factor has been that more people are able to capture them with phone cameras and post them on social media, Szilagyi says. But he says that warming waters and a longer waterspout season due to climate change are also contributing. In particular, he believes the number of severe waterspouts are on the rise.

“With the increased water temperatures, that’s probably resulting in more frequent tornadic waterspouts,” Szilagyi says. “There’s no scientific evidence yet that they’re getting even stronger. It’s just that they’re becoming more frequent.”

Warming sea waters are also expected to boost other extreme weather events like Mediterranean hurricanes, or “medicanes,” one of which contributed to the flash flood that killed thousands of people in Libya last year .

In this brave new world, countries need to improve early-warning systems and invest more in research to forecast and observe trends in waterspouts, scientists say. “We have to prepared for more dangerous waterspouts possibly in the future,” Sioutas says. “Significantly warmer waters contribute very significantly to the creation of waterspouts, especially the violent ones.”

Updated 8-22-2024 1:15 pm BST: A previous version of the story stated that the ship’s mast had snapped; this detail has been removed as damage to the mast has not been confirmed.

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‘Black swan’ phenomenon may have sunk Bayesian yacht, experts say

A rare and unexpected “black swan” weather event may have led to the luxury Bayesian superyacht’s speedy demise, maritime experts claim.

The spontaneous formation of a tornado-like waterspout would have given the 22 passengers and crew aboard the luxury vessel little to no time to react to the violent storm Monday before the ship capsized and sunk, killing one and leaving six others missing.

Marine experts believe the large waterspout — a slim column of spinning air below a thunderstorm that occurs over water — was a “black swan event” or a weather phenomenon characterized by its extreme rarity and severe impact, similar to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, they told The Times UK.

“That water carries significant weight,” Matthew Schanck, chairman of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council, told The Times. “And if the waterspout ends up dumping a load of that water on board the vessel, that’s going to cause significant damage.”

The Bayesian is believed to have sunk within minutes after being struck by the early morning storm. Six people, including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and top New York City lawyer Christopher Morvillo, remained missing Wednesday as Italian officials investigate the ship’s sudden sinking.

One expert, Andrea Ratti, a nautical design professor at Milan Polytechnic University, suggested the ship may have sunk so quickly because its windows, portholes, or other openings may have been broken or smashed open by the powerful waterspout, allowing the vessel to quickly fill and sink.

However, a UK industry expert said sinking a ship of that size should have taken hours.

“I don’t think the industry has ever faced anything like this. It’s a horror story,” the unnamed expert declared.

Meteorologists told the outlet the weather conditions that led to the ship’s demise were consistent with a waterspout and that a lot of unpredictability comes with tornado warnings.

“There was a big thunderstorm just to the north of Sicily, a lot of lightning activity, lot of heavy rain, very strong signature of what we call ‘cold cloud tops’ on the satellite pictures. All of those things would add up to a thunderstorm that could easily spawn a waterspout,” said Dr. Pete Inness, a meteorology lecturer at the University of Reading.

Inness noted that with tornado warnings, officials can estimate when and where they will happen, but until one forms they don’t know all of the details, including how strong they will be.

Additionally, like tornadoes, waterspouts are short-lived weather events that go undetected on radars. Along with the fact that it was dark out during the storm, it would’ve been difficult for the crew to realize what was happening, Inness said.

There were 18 confirmed waterspouts off the coast of Italy on Aug. 19, according to the International Center for Waterspout Research.

Other experts questioned why the crew wasn’t paying closer attention to various weather warnings ahead of the tragedy.

“I don’t know if there was anyone on board consulting the radar. Let’s say that if I had been on board, at the first sign of a thunderstorm I would have woken up all the occupants and been ready and alert with lifejackets on until the storm was over,” one of Italy’s leading climate experts, Luca Mercalli, told the outlet.

Even if they had been paying closer attention, it was unlikely the crew could have been prepared for such a “high impact, low probability” weather event, Schanck added.

“I’ve reviewed the forecasts. There was nothing other than thunder. There was nothing that jumped out to me that made it a dangerous decision to anchor there,” he said.

The experts also squashed a theory shared by American entrepreneur Scott Painter , who suggested the ship’s massive 240-ft tall mast — the tallest of its kind — may have made it more vulnerable in the powerful weather event.

One rescue diver told Italian media the yacht was “practically intact” underwater, and Tom Sharpe, a former Royal Navy commander, said the idea that the mast would make the ship unstable was “just incorrect.”

“That mast is designed to have a massive sail hanging off it. So on its own with no sail, that’s not what has caused the boat to go over.”

An official investigation into the incident will likely take months, prosecutors in Sicily said.

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Fact check: What the Obamas and other Democratic speakers got right, wrong on Day 2 of the DNC

Former president barack obama and former first lady michelle obama energized convention attendees. here are some fact checks of their claims..

CHICAGO —  Two decades after exploding onto the political scene at a different Democratic convention, former President Barack Obama, along with former first lady Michelle Obama, energized convention attendees here. The Obamas bestowed their support on nominee Kamala Harris, who aims to follow Obama as the nation’s second Black president.

Barack Obama began his address by praising outgoing President Joe Biden. “I am proud to call him my president, but I am even prouder to call him my friend,” Obama said of Biden, his former vice president.

Obama attacked Harris’ opponent, former President Donald Trump with zingers, once needling Trump for a “ weird obsession with crowd sizes ” (which also involved a suggestive hand gesture).

Barack Obama offered a few notes that rhymed with his career-making 2004 keynote address at the Democratic convention in Boston, in which he argued against the idea that there is a blue America and a red America.

Michelle Obama’s speech also offered some optimistic notes, including the notion that “hope is making a comeback” with Harris’ late entry into the presidential race as Biden’s would-be successor. But the former first lady’s remarks were sometimes even more acerbic than her husband’s.

She said, for example, that Trump had benefited from the “affirmative action of generational wealth” yet still managed to get “a second, third or fourth chance” while regularly “whining” or “cheating.” She also criticized Trump — an early spreader of the “birther” conspiracy theory that doubted that Obama was born in the U.S. — for having made Americans “fear us” as an educated, high-achieving couple who “happen to be Black.”

PolitiFact fact-checks politicians across the political spectrum. We also fact-checked the  Republican National Convention  in July.  Read more about our process.

Here are some fact-checks of claims made during the convention’s second night.

Barack Obama: Under Joe Biden, the U.S. produced “15 million jobs, higher wages, lower health care costs.” 

He’s right about jobs: The U.S. has  added 15.8 million jobs  since January 2021, when Biden was sworn in, though some of those represented the workforce return of workers the pandemic had sidelined.

Wages are up under Biden without factoring in inflation. But for his full tenure, wages have  trailed inflation , which hit a four-decade high under Biden. Nevertheless, wages have outpaced inflation over the past two years, the past year and compared with before the pandemic.

Whether health care costs were lower overall is a trickier question, because there’s great variation from family to family and person to person. However, U.S. health care expenditures as a percentage of gross domestic product peaked during the pandemic in 2020 and have  since fallen  roughly to prepandemic levels. This represented the biggest sustained decline in decades.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.: “Unemployment was soaring” when Biden and Harris took office in January 2021.

Mostly False.

Sanders overstated the unemployment situation when Biden and Harris were inaugurated.

In April 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the unemployment rate surged to 14.8% as millions of Americans lost their jobs.

But by the time Biden took office in January 2021, the rate had fallen to 6.4%, and it continued to fall that year.

So it wasn’t “soaring” any longer, though the rate was still high by historical standards. It was lower than 6.4% for about six years prepandemic.

July’s unemployment rate is 4.3%.

Project 2025

Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Philadelphia: “And on Page 587, Project 2025 would cut overtime pay for hardworking Americans.”

Labor law experts have told PolitiFact  that the Project 2025 plan would not eliminate overtime pay, but some workers could lose overtime protections if the plan’s proposals are enacted. It’s hard to say how many; it would depend on what’s enacted.

The document proposes that the Labor Department maintain an overtime threshold “that does not punish businesses in lower-cost regions (e.g., the southeast United States).” This threshold is the amount of money executive, administrative or professional employees need to make for an employer to exempt them from overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

In 2019, the Trump administration  finalized a rule  that expanded overtime pay eligibility to most salaried workers earning less than about $35,568. The Biden administration  raised that threshold  to $43,888 beginning July 1, and that will rise to $58,656 on Jan. 1, 2025.

Project 2025’s proposal would return to the Trump-era threshold in some parts of the country. It’s unclear how many workers that would affect, but experts said some would presumably lose the right to overtime wages.

Other proposals in the plan include allowing some workers to choose to accumulate paid time off instead of overtime pay, to work more hours in one week and fewer in the next rather than receive overtime,,and require employers to pay overtime for working on the Sabbath.

Former first lady Michelle Obama: One of Trump’s proposals is “shutting down the Department of Education.”

Trump has said he would  abolish the Education Department , a proposal  he shares with Project 2025 , an agenda independently produced by some Trump allies.

It’s also something conservative groups have pushed for decades. The idea is to save a few essential functions and hand them to other agencies.

Trump’s education agenda also includes universal school choice, not spending federal dollars on schools that have vaccine mandates, allowing prayer in school, making principals directly elected by voters, subsidizing homeschooling and abolishing tenure for K-12 teachers.

Health Care

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.: “Democrats lowered prescription drug prices.”

Mostly True.

The Democrats did take historic steps to lower prices for Medicare recipients, but that’s a limited group of people and for many drugs that will take time.

In August 2022,  Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act,  which allows the federal government to negotiate prices with drugmakers for Medicare. It passed without Republican support. The same law  capped  the monthly price of insulin at $35 for Medicare enrollees starting in 2023.

The Biden-Harris administration  announced  Aug. 15 that the federal government had reached agreements with all participating manufacturers on new negotiated drug prices for the first 10 drugs selected under the new law.

That will define the prices to be paid for prescriptions starting in 2026. For 2027 and 2028, 15 more drugs per year will be chosen for price negotiations. Starting in 2029, 20 more will be chosen a year.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham: Donald Trump and J.D. Vance want to “repeal the Affordable Care Act.”

Half True .

Trump’s new position doesn’t match his old one, but more details are needed.

In 2016, Trump campaigned on a promise to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. As president, Trump supported a failed effort to do just that. In the years since, he has repeatedly stated his intent to dismantle the health care law, including in campaign stops and social media posts throughout 2023.

In March, however, Trump walked back this stance. He wrote on Truth Social that he “isn’t running to terminate” the ACA but to make it “better” and “less expensive.”

Trump hasn’t said how he would do this, and health care policy experts said it’s difficult to know where he stands without a detailed plan. Experts identified an array of possible changes that could be executed under another Trump administration but said a sweeping repeal likely isn’t in the cards given a lack of political support.

Childhood Poverty

Sanders: “We cut childhood poverty by over 40% through an expanded child tax credit.”

Biden’s American Rescue Plan increased the child tax credit from $2,000 to $3,600 for children younger than 6 and to $3,000 for children 6 to 17.

We  previously reported  that supplemental poverty numbers showed poverty among all U.S. children dropped from 9.7% in 2020 to 5.2% in 2021, the Census Bureau said — a decline of 46%. About 5.3 million people were lifted out of poverty, including 2.9 million children.

The provision lapsed after December 2021, facing opposition from Republicans and Sen. Joe Manchin, now an independent, who argued that expanding the credit would worsen inflation.

When the expanded tax credit expired, supplemental child poverty  spiked , rising from 12.1% in December 2021 to 17% in January 2022 — a 41% change.

Kamala Harris in a DNC video: Trump “wants to impose what is in effect a national sales tax on everyday products and basic necessities that we import from other countries. … (it) would cost a typical family $3,900 a year.”

Trump has said that  he would propose a 10% tariff on all nondomestic goods sold  in the U.S. Although tariffs are levied separately from taxes, economists say that much of their impact would be passed along to consumers, making them analogous to a tax.

The video’s figure about how much it will cost families is higher than current estimates.

The American Action Forum, a center-right think tank, has  projected  additional costs per household of $1,700 to $2,350 annually.

The Peterson Institute of International Economics, another Washington, D.C.-based think tank,  projected  that such tariffs would cost a middle-income household about $1,700 extra each year.

PolitiFact chief correspondent Louis Jacobson, senior correspondent Amy Sherman, staff writers Samantha Putterman, Sara Swann, Loreben Tuquero and Maria Ramirez Uribe contributed to this story. 

Our convention fact-checks rely on both new and previously reported work. We link to past work whenever possible. In some cases, a fact-check rating may be different tonight than in past versions. In those cases, either details of what the candidate said, or how the candidate said it, differed enough that we evaluated it anew.

This fact check was originally published by PolitiFact , which is part of the Poynter Institute.

Opinion | Media reaction to Kamala Harris’ acceptance speech

It was a speech that wowed not only the obviously partisan crowd in Chicago, but many of the media commentators covering it.

Fact check: How accurate was Kamala Harris’ 2024 DNC speech in Chicago?

Harris leaned into several key policy themes: abortion rights, voting rights and support for Ukraine as it fights a continuing Russian invasion

LIVE: Fact-checking Kamala Harris’ 2024 DNC speech in Chicago

PolitiFact is live fact-checking the fourth and final night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention

Opinion | Who has been the DNC’s most surprising speaker so far?

It’s Stephanie Grisham, a former White House press secretary for Donald Trump who now supports Kamala Harris for president

Fact check: What Walz, Buttigieg, Clinton and others got right and wrong at Day 3 of the DNC

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz accepted his party’s vice presidential nomination on the Democratic convention’s third night

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