Zuckerberg Superyacht Accused of Ignoring Vessel's Call for Help – Alaskan Cruise Captain Comes to the Rescue
The yacht owned by Facebook and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg could have been named the SS Indifferent from the way it responded to a call for help recently.
On Aug. 3, a 21-foot skiff ran out of gas off the coast of Alaska, according to the Associated Press.
After a call for help went out, the cruise ship Wilderness Legacy responded by towing the skiff to Farragut Bay.
However, cruise ship passengers were told that the detour from the planned route took place because the $300 million Launchpad yacht owned by Zuckerberg did not respond, even though it was closer.
Cruise ship passenger Michael Love explained what took place on social media.
“Our boat rescued a stranded vessel last night and apparently we did that after the Coast Guard radioed Mark Zuckerberg’s yacht — which was closer — and they repeatedly refused to respond. (There was near unanimous booing when the captain announced this),” he wrote.
“Frankly, if I was Mark Zuckerberg I would be absolutely ecstatic at a chance to do something helpful for someone in need and maybe get some good PR out of it,” he said, according to the Alaska Beacon.
The Beacon’s report said tracking services showed the cruise ship passing around Zuckerberg’s yacht to reach the skiff.
The U.S. Coast Guard and the Marine Exchange of Alaska noted that the skiff was not in distress, but needed help.
“At approximately 9:56 p.m., the Coast Guard determined they were not in distress and issued a marine assistance request broadcast on their behalf,” Coast Guard Public Affairs Specialist Shannon Shepard said.
John Hollingsworth is the chief operations officer of the Marine Exchange, which is based in Juneau and repeated the broadcast.
“We did assist the Coast Guard with callouts on our radio and (were) able to hail the Wilderness Legacy who ended up rendering assistance,” he said.
A representative of Zuckerberg downplayed the incident.
“Mark and his family were not on board at the time of the incident. As the Coast Guard noted, the boat was not in distress, and by the time the crew reviewed the Coast Guard contact on a different radio channel from the one they were operating on, the assist was already underway. We’re grateful all parties are safe,” the statement said.
Retired Coast Guard Captain Aaron C. Davenport said Zuckerberg’s yacht breached the unwritten rules of the sea but broke no laws, according to AP.
“If Zuckerberg’s ship is there and this vessel just ran out of fuel, they’re under no obligation whatsoever to assist them. Zero,” he said. “Is it that common courtesy to help other mariners out? Yes, because someday you’re going to need assistance.”
“Alaska is a remote place, so it could easily go from non-emergency to emergency and very quickly,” he said.
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