Salvage Operation Halted After Diver's Death in Effort to Recover Mike Lynch’s Sunken Superyacht off Sicily

The multi-purpose floating work barge Hebo Lift 2 monitors the stretch of sea off Porticello

Efforts to refloat the sunken superyacht of tech billionaire Mike Lynch have been temporarily suspended following the tragic death of a salvage diver during underwater recovery operations off the northern coast of Sicily.

The diver, a 39-year-old Dutch national employed by maritime salvage firm Hebo Maritiemservice, died on Saturday while working to retrieve the 56-metre vessel Bayesian, which lies at a depth of 49 meters (160 feet) near the fishing village of Porticello, close to Palermo. He was pulled to the surface by his team, where medics aboard the Hebo 2 and Hebo 10 support ships attempted resuscitation, but were unsuccessful.

Italian sources reported that the diver may have been struck by a piece of metal while he and his team were cutting the boom—the horizontal spar attached to the mast—of the wreck. However, local authorities have stated that the precise cause of death remains under investigation.

Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah Lynch, who both died after the luxury yacht Bayesian sank

A spokesperson for TMC Marine, the UK-based consultancy managing the salvage operation, confirmed the diver’s death and announced a pause in recovery efforts. “This pause in activity is necessary for the investigations to be completed and to allow all salvage and associated teams to mourn the tragic loss of a highly respected salvage diver during yesterday’s underwater work,” the statement read.

The Bayesian sank on August 19, killing seven people, including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, 59, and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah Lynch. Also among the deceased were Jonathan Bloomer, 70, chairman of Morgan Stanley International, and his wife Judy Bloomer, 71, both from Sevenoaks, Kent; U.S. lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo; and Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who worked as a chef aboard the vessel. Fifteen others, including Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares, were rescued.

The haunting final moments of Bayesian ship were shown ahead of Mike Lynch inquest

The group was reportedly celebrating Lynch’s acquittal in June 2024 on U.S. fraud charges related to the 2011 sale of his company, Autonomy, to Hewlett-Packard. Lynch, who founded Autonomy in 1996, had been at the center of one of the tech industry’s most high-profile legal battles before being cleared.

A floating salvage barge, Hebo Lift 2, equipped with advanced diving and remotely operated vehicle systems, had arrived at the wreck site to begin the lifting phase of the operation. A detailed analysis of the yacht and the seabed confirmed that the condition of the vessel has remained unchanged since the last inspection, allowing preparations for recovery to continue once operations resume.

An inquest has been opened into the deaths of all seven individuals who perished in the disaster. The raising of the superyacht is expected to provide critical insights into how the supposedly unsinkable vessel sank so rapidly.