Captain James Cutfield is only man who can answer ‘key question’ to SOLVE superyacht mystery, says experts
THE CAPTAIN of the doomed Bayesian remains at the centre of a probe into how the boat sank as only he can answer key questions about the disaster.
James Cutfield, 51, was quizzed by local police for more than two hours after the disaster on Monday morning which has so far killed at least six people.
Bertrand Scibo, who runs a shipwreck research and salvage company in France, told The Sun that a boat of this size never sinks for just one reason.
He said one theory for how it sank so quickly could be related to the keel, a structural-backbone fin that weighs down the vessel and prevents it from capsizing in rough weather.
It is usually lowered when in deeper waters to help keep the boat stable, and pulled up when it steers into harbour.
Divers discovered that the boat’s keel was raised as they spent days scouring the wreck for those trapped inside this week, according to local reports.
Scibo said: “Every time a vessel sinks, there is never just one reason.”
“It could be that the keel was also inside or outside, because they can remove the keel [sic].”
In this case, he explains, there would be “no reason to remove the keel, because they do that only when they go into harbour”.
“Only the captain will be able to answer this special question”, he explained.
He added that the divers will be traumatised by the search for bodies in the wreck, comparing it to a “horror movie”.
Scibo said he’s worked with colleagues who have never dived again after carrying out similar operations.
So far six people have been confirmed dead in the tragedy, with five bodies recovered from the yacht after one was found nearby.
Divers are still searching for the final missing passenger, 18-year-old Hannah Lynch.
Both an Italian and a British investigation has been launched into the disaster, with four UK specialists in Palermo scouting out the situation.
Diving expert Scibo added that “all the information seems to be a bit secret”, around the ongoing investigation into how the Bayesian sank.
Prosecutors from the nearby town of Termini Imerese spent more than two hours quizzing Kiwi Cutfield, 51, about the tragedy this week.
They have also carried out interviews with the 15 survivors to establish what exactly happened.
It comes after the CEO of the firm that manufactured the superyacht, Giovanni Costantino, claimed the vessel is “unsinkable”.
And in a separate interview with Italian TV he blamed “human error” for the yacht’s wreck.
It comes as…
- Mike Lynch’s daughter Hannah, 18, presumed missing after five bodies found on the wreck reportedly identified
- Lynch’s shell-shocked wife revealed how she was awoken by a ’tilt’ as the yacht sank
- The captain of the Bayesian broke his silence on the horror storm and was quizzed by cops for over two hours
- Experts believe the yacht’s ‘tallest mast in the world‘ may have contributed to the disaster after a freak ‘Black Swan’ weather event struck
- Pictures showed the tiny raft that saved up to 15 people
- Frantic text messages from the survivors revealed the chaos
The luxury yacht, with the world’s second tallest mast at 246ft, was caught up in stormy weather in the Porticello Harbour on Monday morning.
Witnesses who watched the horror from a smaller boat nearby said the mast was hit by a twister – or waterspout – causing it to capsize, take on water and plunge under the surface.
Fifteen of the 22 people onboard were rescued by the nearby boat, including 11 who clung to an inflatable life raft that sprung up on deck.
The captain was also able to escape and was recovering in hospital this week.
Stephen Askins, partner at Tatham & Co, a London law firm with a specialism in maritime law, told the Daily Mail that a key question for officials investigating will be directed towards crew.
He said of those conducting the probe: “They will want to find out if the captain was at fault over anything.
“If I was looking at this I’d be very interested in the weather report, what the captain was briefing the crew and what the captain was briefing the owner.
“It’s a case of looking at what happened and then asking yourself whether in all the circumstances what he did was reasonable.”
Scibo also said that if the windows or portholes were left open, water would fill up inside “very quickly”, making the yacht sink even more quickly.
He explained: “If you’ve got a combination of all these reasons, the keel, the mast, the portal, the windows and this very big tornado.
“You find the reason of the sinking.”
Who has been recovered from the yacht wreckage?
FIVE bodies have been recovered from the Bayesian yacht wreck so far, as the total number of those confirmed dead hits six people.
Authorities on the ground have reportedly confirmed their identities to press, although no official public comment has been made yet.
Morgan Stanley chief Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy, lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda were retrieved from the sunken boat on Wednesday.
On Thursday morning the body of Brit tycoon Mike Lynch was thought to have been recovered.
The Italian coastguard said all the missing men had been found – and they were only searching for one remaining woman – who could only be Mike’s daughter Hannah.