Just one month after being delivered to its owner, a superyacht caught fire on a Mediterranean island.
On Thursday, August 11, in the afternoon, the 150-foot Aria SF ship caught fire near Cala Saona on Formentera’s western shore.
Following a mayday call, the Spanish coastguard dispatched two rescue boats to the area.
Nine passengers and seven crew members left the ship in total after an unsuccessful attempt to put out the fire.
There were no reports of any injuries.
The black smoke the fire caused could be seen as far away as the neighbouring island of Ibiza.
The superyacht, which only recently departed the shipyard, included a pool, five bedrooms, and a gym. Later this year, during the Cannes Yachting Festival, it was scheduled to make its formal premiere.
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An investigation into the cause of the blaze is underway.
A spokesman for the Spanish Coastguard Service said: “The seven crew members and nine passengers are all safe.
“They were evacuated onto a police boat. The fire is now almost out.
“Two Coastguard vessels, Salvamar Acrux and Guardamar Concepcion Arenal, were mobilised by our co-ordination centre in Palma in Majorca after the alarm was raised around 5pm yesterday/on Thursday.”
The owner of the superyacht has been named as Paulo Scudieri.
The 61-year-old is the chairman of Gruppo Addler, a manufacturer of interior auto parts, which was established in 1956 by his father Achille.
Scudieri, who lives in Naples, is Monaco’s Ambassador for Tourism and the founder of a group that owns 19 restaurants in Italy.
It was not immediately clear if he was on board, although specialised yachting websites say the vessel is not currently available for charter.