Superyacht Captain Reportedly Facing Criminal Investigation Over Deaths

The captain of the doomed Bayesian superyacht is reportedly being placed under investigation by Italian prosecutors after the 184-foot vessel sank amid strong storms off the coast of Sicily last week. Seven of the 22 passengers and crew were killed in the accident, including British tech magnate Mike Lynch.

Reuters confirmed Italian media reports on Monday that 51-year old James Cutfield, a New Zealand national, was being investigated for manslaughter and shipwreck. However, an investigation in Italy does not necessarily imply guilt and does not determine whether formal charges will ultimately be brought forth. Notices must first be sent to those under investigation before victim autopsies can be conducted.

Cutfield was reportedly interrogated twice before a decision was made to place him under investigation. It's also presently unclear if any crew members would likewise be investigated as part of a possible criminal probe.

The Bayesian sunk within minutes early on the morning of Monday, Aug. 19 when it was said to have encountered a tornado-like waterspout. Despite the weather-related elements, Ambrogio Cartosio, head of the public prosecutor's office of Termini Imerese, said it was still possible that negligence had contributed to the sinking.

Giovanni Costantino, CEO of The Italian Sea Group, the firm that owns the manufacturer of the ship, said in an interview with Italian media last week that an "endless chain of errors" had contributed to the vessel's downfall. Among the precautions that Costantino claimed had been ignored was moving the passengers to the ship's emergency meeting point from their cabins and securing the hull and deck by closing all doors and hatches.

Franco Romani, a nautical architect who was part of the team that designed the ship likewise said in an interview on Monday that "the Bayesian was built to go to sea in any weather." Romani also theorized that the yacht may have taken on water from a side hatch that was left open.

If egregious mistakes were in fact found to have been made, as Reuters points out, maritime law holds a ship's captain fully responsible for the ship, crew, and all passengers on board. Neither Cutfield or any of the surviving crew members have publicly commented on the investigation.