A 150ft superyacht has run aground in the Mediterranean after a crew member “left a door open” and water started rushing in.
The vessel, a luxury charter yacht named Ethos from Italian shipwrights Admiral Yachts, had been available to punters for an eye-watering €180,000 (£153,000) for a week on board.
But when five mega-rich tourists took Ethos for a spin off the coast of the Greek island of Kefalonia, a moment of oversight from a crew member left the quintet’s charter in trouble.
A deckhand had left a side door on the megayacht open “as the weather turned” – but didn’t notice the error as water flooded in through the open entryway, local outlet Protothema reported.
The five tourists – as well as five crew aboard – were able to disembark safely as the vessel continued to list in Evretis Bay.
But with the boat now aground, local divers have been drafted in to investigate the sub-surface damage to the vessel.
And with authorities monitoring the yacht in the bay, further local reports have said that water extraction is already underway.
Several pieces of footage of the listing yacht have gone viral on social media, with commentators weighing in to make jokes at the stricken vessel’s expense.
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In the footage, a number of small boats can be seen circling the yacht as waves threaten to breach the sides onto its decks.
And one social media user, pointing to the yacht’s 2024 refurbishment, jabbed: “Apparently wasn’t refitted well!”
While another prodded: “Things the insurance company will hate to see!”
The megayacht’s trouble in the Ionian Sea will doubtless leave officials wincing at charter firm YachtCharterFleet, which promotes the Ethos as a “comfortable and convenient” vessel with “all you need to relax muscles and reduce stress” on board.
The megayacht is understood to have been purchased for some £16million
YachtCharterFleet
The Maltese-flagged yacht, understood to have been purchased for some £16million, boasts of “carrying up to nine crew onboard to ensure a relaxed luxury yacht charter experience”.
As well as the luxury amenities, Ethos also boasts a steel hull, twin Caterpillar engines and an aluminium superstructure.
YachtCharterFleet talks up its “advanced stabilisation system on board” which reduces its side-to-side roll and “promises guests exceptional comfort levels at anchor or when underway”.
GB News has approached YachtCharterFleet for comment.