AIR POCKETS

Expert Says Sunken Superyacht Passengers May Still Be Alive

“If the yacht is on its side, it might have more air pockets than if it’s upright,” Nick Sloane, the engineer behind the Costa Concordia refloating.

Nick Sloane, the engineer who masterminded the refloating of the Costa Concordia in 2014, said that billionaire Mike Lynch and the five other missing people aboard the Bayesian may still be alive if there is an air pocket in the hull. The 184-foot superyacht capsized on Monday morning off the coast of Sicily after it “was hit by a very strong wind,” according to one of the survivors, a person only identified as Charlotte by the Italian media agency ANSA. Sloane told Sky News that his contention is, that the speed the Bayesian sunk and the fact that is intact could “could favor the formation of small air pockets inside.” He described his guess as “highly speculative” and “impossible to predict” but there is precedent for finding survivors in air pockets. “If the yacht is on its side, it might have more air pockets than if it’s upright. She’s got quite a large keel, and that will deflect and put her on her side, I’m sure,” Sloane added. One unidentified male, whom authorities believe may be Canadian-Antiguan chef Recaldo Thomas, was recovered on Tuesday, according to the BBC. There were 22 people aboard the Bayesian when it sunk.