[ AGAINST THE WIND ]
40 YACHTS BURNT OR SUNK IN THE SPACE OF JUST 12 MONTHS! WHAT’S GOING ON? by Andrea Pezzini, CEO & Co-Founder of Floating Life
W
hat’s going on? Why so many yacht accidents this summer? I’ll refer back to my previous article, where I made some veiled criticisms of the way CE certification is applied and the lack of a sense of a sense of responsibility, something now forgotten by most yards, to comment on what happened during this summer of mishaps. We’ve read about and seen yachts catch fire or sink slowly under the waves and we’re all wondering why there have been so many such incidents this summer. At one time we’d immediately have put these events down to insurance scams, but those usually involve older yachts with artificially-inflated values. The yachts in question now, though, are new, only a few months old or recently delivered, so obviously the blame lies elsewhere. Technical experts in this field will have a nagging suspicion that there’s something more serious behind it all – it is, in fact, a question of quality. Here we mean quality of construction and in training crews for genuine emergencies. More than a few times I’ve
visited yards, even prestigious ones, and discovered that they are mounting crucial yacht components like sea cocks without enough sealant and fitting gaskets valve types not suitable for this type of use. I’ve also seen examples of lithium ion batteries not stowed correctly, and fan-coils mounted in inaccessible places. Such carelessness can, for example, cause the electronics of the management system to overheat, creating a serious fire risk. However, when I ask the builders to use their common sense and modify these practices without considering the expense, in some cases the arrogant response has been that there was no problem because these practices were in line with the yard’s standards, or that it was really none of my business. Then you read that fourteen yachts have burnt or sunk in the Mediterranean. Well, I prefer going to sea in reliable, well-made craft, as attractive as possible but above all safe, with well-trained crews who are not risking their life for the sake of a few euro out of a total construction price of millions. We’ll talk about crews in my next article...
I’ll stop here for now - I’ve already wasted enough breath!
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