There has been a tragic number of yacht casualties so far this year; eight motor yachts caught fire, three sank, two were attacked, and a 50-metre sailing yacht was hit by a rescue vessel. SuperYacht Times has rounded up all the casualties (and near casualties) of 2022.
(11-01-22) Fire at the Ferretti shipyard in Cattolica destroys superyacht 
Photo: https://www.corriereromagna.it/A fire broke out at the Ferretti shipyard in Cattolica, Italy. According to a local news report, the fire started around 9:30 on 11 January 2022 and destroyed a 30-metre superyacht that was ready for delivery.
Ferretti released an official statement; "The fire that broke out in the early hours of the morning of Tuesday January 11, involving a boat under construction at the Cattolica shipyard, caused no injuries thanks to the immediate implementation of safety procedures, with the intervention of the shipyard's fire-fighting teams and the local fire brigade. The fire has been contained and extinguished, the site is safe. The causes of the incident are currently under investigation."
Read the full story here.
(28-02-22) Crew member attempts to sink €6.5m superyacht Lady Anastasia 
Spanish broadcasters have shared the news that Taras Ostapchuk, chief engineer aboard the superyacht Lady Anastasia, attempted to sink the 47.73-metre superyacht, valued at approximately €6.5m, in Port Adriano, Spain, which is believed to belong to a Russian arms dealer.
According to various outlets, the attempted sinking was provoked when Ostapchuk viewed a video of a missile hitting an apartment building in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. Following the court case, Ostapchuk said “I had a good job as a head mechanic on the boat and a good salary but I am going to fight for my nation.”
Read the full story here.(16-03-22) 53m superyacht Vixit run aground in Mexico
Photo: Justin RatcliffeThe 52.75-metre Oskarshamns Varv superyacht Vixit ran aground near the village of Ligüí, Mexico, According to reports, the yacht was damaged in three areas and if refloated will need to be towed to Mazatlán for repair.
At the time of the incident, there weren't any reports of fuel leakages. (11-04-22) Fire severely damages 27m Sanlorenzo yacht Pesa in Valencia, Spain
Photo: J. Signes- Agencia EFEThe 26.7-metre yacht Pesa, launched in 2020, caught fire in the North Marina in the Port of Valencia, Spain. According to witnesses, the flames went out and reignited in a few seconds without the firefighters being able to control the fire.
The event saw three platoons of firefighters tackle the flames for 12 hours in order to put out the fire. During the fire, dozens of boats moored in line very close to the flames were removed as a precaution and an anti-pollution barrier was placed in the water.
Read the full story here.(30-05-22) 26m Princess yacht Rendezvous destroyed in fire in Torquay
Photo: Martin Underwood for ITVThe 25.91-metre Princess motor yacht Rendezvous has been destroyed in a yacht fire in Torquay in Devon, the UK. An Environment Agency spokesperson told the Metro newspaper, 'Update on yacht fire in Torquay. With yacht now sunk, and with approx 9 tonnes of diesel on board, focus now on pollution. Pollution response led by harbour master.'
By around 6pm on Saturday 28 May, the fire was finally extinguished and local police have stated that the cause of the blaze is currently being treated as unknown.
Read the full story here.(31-05-22) Austal 59m superyacht Idol hits bridge following refit in Italy
Photo: Benoit DonneThe 58.9-metre motor yacht Idol got caught out by high tide as it was navigating the waterways near Pisa, Italy, and collided with a bridge. The yacht had recently undertaken a refit, which included a fresh lick of paint and the installation of a helipad.
The incident took place on the morning of 31 May, and the extent of the damage is unknown.(10-06-22) 50m schooner Eleonora E struck and sunk by rescue vessel
Photo: Radiociutat TarragonaThe 49.5-metre Van der Graaf schooner Eleonora E has sunk after being hit in Port Tárraco, Tarragona, Spain by a 60-metre rescue vessel. At around 8:00 am on 10 June, the Maritime Rescue boat Punta Mayor started her exit manoeuvre from the Moll de Costa in the port of Tarragona, when her main engines became blocked while she was in reverse. The crew stopped the engines and tried to anchor her with two anchors to stop her from moving.
Read the full story here.
(29-06-22) 26m motor yacht spotted sinking off Turkish coast
Photo: Captain Mehmet AlazA motor yacht partially sunk off of the Turkish coast on 29 June. Turkish news outlet Medya Ege reported that the incident started when the vessel began to take on water. 10 people were apparently evacuated from the vessel, which was then towed by the Coast Guard to the Gümüldür Fisherman's Shelter.
Read the full story here.(05-07-22) Ferretti Yachts 29m In Too Deep run aground in New York
Photo: The Suffolk Times (Courtesy of Peter McGreevy)The 29.2-metre motor yacht In Too Deep by Ferretti Yachts has run aground east of Mattituck, Long Island, New York. According to reports, In Too Deep “drove bow first into the beach at 6.8 knots”.
The extent of the damage caused from running aground is unknown, but the local police force did confirm that there were no injuries. As The Suffolk Times reported, “The crews from Douglass Marine stayed with the 2013 Ferretti yacht from 2 p.m. until it was freed at 9:20 p.m. The yacht then made it back to Strong’s Marine in Mattituck to dock.”
Read the full story here.(08-07-22) 27m Ferretti motor yacht Green Whisper spotted sinking in Greece
Photo: SYT ReaderLocal news outlets have reported that the 27.2-metre Ferretti yacht Green Whisper has sunk off the coast of Paxos, Greece. The Ferretti 880 model yacht was grounded with three passengers onboard, all of which were rescued by the local coastguard.
According to the port authorities, "the beached vessel was observed tilting due to the inflow of water and a floating barrier was installed to prevent pollution, while light buoys were also installed on the bow and stern for the safety of navigation."
Read the full story here.(22-07-22) Motor yacht catches fire off the coast of Italy
Photo: caprinews.itThe motor yacht Cinque caught fire off the coast of Positano, and according to local media, Capri News, no injuries were reported. The fire is believed to have started due to a short circuit in the engine room. As soon as the fire broke out the guests and some of the crew were taken to safety in the tender.
Read the full story here. (28-07-22) Turkish Coast Guard fire at 27m motor yacht Belgor
Photo: https://www.milliyet.com.tr/The motor yacht Belgor has been involved in a chase and capture by the Turkish Coast Guard due to suspicion that the vessel was involved in drug smuggling. Turkish media company Milliyet has reported that the Coast Guard chased the vessel, firing on it and ramming the yacht when those aboard attempted to make an escape.
Read the full story here. (01-08-22) 33m motor yacht Ion Fedra ran aground in Mykonos
The 33-metre Ion Fedra ran aground in the afternoon of July 26 in Mykonos, Greece. Following the collision, the luxury yacht’s hull began taking on water and developed a dangerous fore tilt due to water ingress. According to Proto Thema, to prevent Ion Fedra from sinking, water had to be pumped from inside the yacht by the local Fire Department. No injuries were reported.
Read the full story here.(01-08-22) 27m Canados motor yacht Hooligan catches fire and sinks in Estonia
Photo: NÖMME RESCUE UNIT, TALLINNThe 27.45-metre Canados motor yacht Hooligan caught fire and sank around 18:20 on Saturday off the coast of Tallinn, Estonia. According to Finnish media company Iltalehti, the border guard said that the yacht had suffered a serious technical fault before catching fire.
Read the full story here.(04-08-22) Fire onboard 34m Bilgin yacht Good Vibes in Ibiza
Photo: elperiodicodeespanaThe 33.53-metre Bilgin Yachts motor yacht Good Vibes caught fire in the Es Freus area between Ibiza and Formentera. It is believed that the fire started in the engine room of the Turkish-built yacht. After five hours, the fire was extinguished but the yacht Good Vibes had suffered damage to the hull, and was half-sunken in the water.
Read the full story here. (11-08-22) 44m ISA superyacht Aria SF sinks following fire in Ibiza
Photo: SYT ReaderThe brand new 43.7-metre ISA superyacht Aria SF has been destroyed in a fire off the coast of Cala Saona, Formentera in Spain. The superyacht was launched by the Italian shipyard in April and delivered only last month.
The head of Maritime Rescue in the islands, Miguel Chicón, told the local news website Diario de Ibiza that superyacht Aria SF was towed to the coast to facilitate the refloating of the ship in case of sinking. Her owner had agreed to her transfer to a port towards Ibiza but she was deemed too dangerous to enter.
Read the full story here.(16-08-22) Five rescued from fire on 36m experimental yacht MS Porrima 
Photo: PorrimaA crew of five were rescued on Friday in Mandwa, India from the 36-metre experimental MS Porrima yacht after a fire broke out in the battery compartment. The unique Swiss ship is run solely on renewable energy from solar, wind and hydrogen power.
According to a statement by ICG “The Indian Coast Guard immediately responded to the SOS and diverted the fast patrol vessel, ICGS AGRIM, for rescue operations.” However, the fast response patrol vessel struggled through the bad weather and reported heavy flooding along with the fire. The ICG then launched a helicopter to rescue all five crew, despite the heavy rain and strong winds.
Read the full story here.(20-08-22) 39m My Saga yacht sinks off the coast in Italy
Photo: SYT ReaderThe Italian press reports that the 39.4-metre motor yacht My Saga sank in the Gulf of Squillace, about nine nautical miles off the coast of Catanzaro Marina. My Saga was built in Italy in 2007 under the Monaco Yachting & Technologies brand as Yuko.
A tugboat from Crotone arrived at the scene and started towing the superyacht towards Crotone, but the weather conditions worsened and the vessel was already partly submerged and listing heavily to starboard. My Saga was taking on too much water and eventually sunk.
Read the full story here.
(01-09-22) Sunseeker 28m Black Diamond yacht destroyed in fire
a fire broke out aboard the 28.15-metre Sunseeker yacht Black Diamond in the IMS yacht maintenance and repair shipyard in Saint-Mandrier, France. The yacht fire, the cause of which is unknown, completely engulfed the yacht, which has been marked as a total loss by authorities.
Photo: Sdis83 / https://www.varmatin.com/The French media outlet VarMartin.com reported that an explosion happened aboard the yacht at around 1am on Friday morning, and firefighters were quickly called to the scene.
Read the full story here.
(03-09-22) 49m Aegean superyacht 007 sinks in Greece
The sinking of the 49-metre Aegean superyacht 007 in Greece was reported during the early hours of 3 September. The incident occurred off of the Greek island of Kythnos and it appears from imagery that the yacht has now been stabilised by the Coast Guard in an almost fully submerged state.
Photo: DM to SYTThe Greek media outlet Cyclades24 reported that the superyacht 007 ran aground on Friday evening, causing an inflow of water that gradually tilted the vessel. The Coast Guard answered mayday calls and discovered the vessel in a semi-submerged state, though the five passengers onboard were not in danger and were quickly rescued.
Read the full story here.