Did Mark Zuckerberg's Yacht Ignore Call for Help? What Coast Guard Says
A 21-foot skiff ran out of fuel off the coast of Alaska earlier this month and contacted the U.S. Coast Guard seeking assistance.
A Meta CEO-owned yacht, Launchpad, reportedly ignored a call for help involving a stranded boat off the coast of Southeast Alaska, according to claims made by a passenger aboard a nearby cruise ship. The alleged incident occurred on August 3 when a 21-foot skiff ran out of fuel and contacted the U.S. Coast Guard for assistance. The Coast Guard received the request around 9:32 p.m. and, approximately a quarter of an hour later, broadcast a marine assistance request, stating that the skiff was not in distress.
Launchpad, valued at around $300 million, was closer to the stranded vessel when the assistance request was broadcast. Michael Love, a passenger on the Wilderness Legacy, claimed that the Coast Guard radioed Launchpad and that the yacht repeatedly refused to respond. The Wilderness Legacy then towed the skiff to Farragut Bay, where it was refueled.
A Meta spokesperson stated that the yacht's crew did not initially hear the Coast Guard communication, and Zuckerberg and his family were not on board at the time of the incident. Maritime experts suggest that the incident might have been categorized under assistance rather than a distress situation, as no threats to human life or significant environmental danger were present.
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