The captain of the superyacht that sank in the Mediterranean last week, claiming the lives of tech tycoon Mike Lynch and six others, is being investigated for potential manslaughter and shipwreck charges, Reuters reported, citing a judicial source.
James Cutfield, the 51-year-old captain, was questioned by prosecutors on Sunday for two hours, according to Italy’s La Repubblica. The New Zealander is set to be questioned again on Tuesday, Corriere Della Sera reported.
Giovanni Rizzuti, one of two attorneys appointed to defend Cutfield, said that the yacht captain is “very shaken by the immense tragedy” and intends to defend himself, according to the outlet.
Another attorney, Aldo Mordiglia, told the Washington Post by email that Cutfield is under investigation for potential manslaughter charges.
The Bayesian, an 184-foot superyacht, sank off the coast of Porticello, Sicily, last week.
Fifteen people, including Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares, were rescued, while seven others — including Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah — have been confirmed dead.
An investigation into the exact cause of the sinking is ongoing, but some have criticized the crew for supposed shortcomings.
Giovanni Costantino, the CEO of the Italian Sea Group, which owns Perini Navi, the firm that built the Bayesian in 2008, blamed the crews for not following protocol and failing to prepare for the storm.
He told the Financial Times that the yacht sank in 16 minutes but that the vessel was “designed to be absolutely stable” as it had the second-tallest mast in the world.
When the yacht started taking on water, the skipper should have locked everything up and gathered all passengers at the safe point, and no one should’ve been in their cabin, in line with protocol, Costantino told the outlet.
In an interview with Reuters, Costantino said the yacht’s crew members made the “incredible mistake” of not being prepared for the powerful storm that rolled in.
Franco Romani, a nautical architect who was part of the team that designed the yacht, told La Stampa the Bayesian was built to go to sea in “any weather” and that a side hatch that was left open could have let water enter the vessel, per Reuters.
Italian prosecutors said during a press conference on Saturday that they had opened a manslaughter investigation.
Ambrogio Cartosio, the head of the public prosecutor’s office of Termini Imerese, said he was investigating a “crime hypothesis” of culpable shipwreck and manslaughter.
It’s unclear if other crew members will be probed, Reuters reported, adding that in Italy being under investigation does not automatically result in official charges or implied guilt.
Corriere Della Serra reported that investigators have asked Cutfield’s deputy, Tijs Koopmans, to stay in Sicily to be questioned again, but they didn’t specify whether he was under investigation.
