Tech tycoon Mike Lynch’s sunken superyacht is due to be raised from the seabed off the coast of Sicily this weekend.
The 56-metre (184ft) Bayesian is set to be lifted to the surface near the fishing town of Porticello on Saturday or Sunday before being taken to nearby Termini Imerese — where Italian prosecutors investigating the sinking are based.
Investigators in the UK and Italy say raising the vessel is crucial to fully understanding what happened.
Last week, salvage teams expected the boat to be raised later in June, but thanks to “accelerated progress”, the timeline was brought forward.
The yacht’s 72-metre (236ft) mast was cut off on Tuesday using a remote-controlled tool and rested on the seabed to be picked up later.
Over the next few days, workers will fit hoses and plugs into the fuel tank vents on the yacht’s right side, which had been lying flat on the seabed.
The yacht will then be slowly tilted fully upright, supported by strong steel straps attached to Hebo Lift 10 — one of Europe’s most powerful sea cranes.
If all goes to plan, the boat will be lifted to the surface before being carried to Termini Imerese on Monday, where it will be lifted onto a specially made steel cradle on the quayside.
Marcus Cave of British firm TMC Marine, which is overseeing the salvage efforts, said: “The complex work to safely recover the Bayesian has been progressed quickly in the past week by the contractors’ personnel. Over the coming days, all going well, the vessel’s final recovery will take place this weekend and lead to her ultimate safe delivery to the authorities in Termini Imerese.”
The vessel was originally expected to be raised last month but salvage efforts were delayed after a diver died during underwater work on May 9, prompting greater use of remote-controlled equipment.
Billionaire Mr Lynch, 59, and his daughter Hannah, 18, were among seven people who died when the Bayesian sank off the coast of the Italian island on August 19.
About 70 specialist personnel had been mobilised to the fishing village Porticello from across Europe to work on the recovery operation, which began last month.
Inquest proceedings in the UK are looking at the deaths of Mr Lynch and his daughter, as well as Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, 70, and his wife, Judy Bloomer, 71, who were all British nationals.
Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) investigators said in an interim report that the Bayesian was knocked over by “extreme wind”.
The yacht had a vulnerability to winds but the owner and crew would not have known, the report said.
The others who died in the sinking were US lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo, and Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working as a chef on the vessel.
Fifteen people, including Mr Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, were rescued.
Mr Lynch and his daughter were said to have lived in the vicinity of London and the Bloomers lived in Sevenoaks in Kent.
The tycoon founded software giant Autonomy in 1996 and was cleared in June last year of carrying out a massive fraud over the sale of the firm to Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2011.
The boat trip was a celebration of his acquittal in the case in the US.
