Mark Zuckerberg’s £240M Superyacht Draws Outrage After Allegedly Ignoring Alaska Rescue Call
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Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
A 387-foot luxury superyacht belonging to Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has found itself at the centre of a maritime storm off the coast of Alaska. The vessel, Launchpad, reportedly failed to respond to an urgent broadcast from the US Coast Guard to assist a stranded boat, forcing a passing cruise ship to step in and undertake the rescue instead.
The incident unfolded in the waters between Juneau and Petersburg near Kuiu Island, when a 21-foot skiff ran out of fuel late on Monday evening. The vessel’s occupants alerted the US Coast Guard at approximately 9:30 pm. While maritime authorities determined the occupants were not in immediate peril, they issued a broadcast request at 9:56 pm asking nearby vessels to render aid to the stranded crew.
According to vessel-tracking logs and local reports, Zuckerberg’s £240 million ($390 million) superyacht—accompanied by its support vessel Wingman—was positioned significantly closer to the disabled craft than any other boat in the area. Yet, calls to the mega-yacht went unanswered.
Passengers Erupt in Anger at Sea
The situation took a dramatic turn when the MV Wilderness Legacy, a boutique cruise vessel operated by UnCruise Adventures, answered the call and altered course to tow the stranded skiff to safety at Farragut Bay.
Upon completing the rescue, the cruise ship’s captain took to the public address system to inform passengers of the situation, revealing that the Meta founder's massive vessel had been nearer to the scene but remained silent on the radio.
Michael Love, a software engineer aboard the cruise ship, documented the captain's announcement on the social media platform Bluesky, noting that the revelation was met with "near unanimous booing" from travellers on deck.
"Our boat rescued a stranded vessel after the Coast Guard radioed Mark Zuckerberg's yacht – which was closer – and they repeatedly refused to respond," Love shared online, sparking widespread debate across social platforms over maritime etiquette and duty of care.
Meta Spokesperson Forced to Clarify
As public criticism mounted, representatives for the tech billionaire moved quickly to clarify the circumstances surrounding the non-response, insisting there was no deliberate refusal to help.
Brian Baker, a spokesperson for Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, confirmed that neither the billionaire nor his family were aboard Launchpad when the incident occurred. Baker explained that the crew was operating on a different radio frequency at the time the assistance request was broadcast by maritime authorities.
Furthermore, Baker stated that by the time the superyacht’s crew reviewed the transmission logs, the cruise ship had already initiated the towing operation. "The assist was already underway," Baker noted, adding that the team was relieved that all parties involved were unharmed.
