Zuckerberg spokesperson says his yacht did not hear call for maritime assist

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's yacht did not immediately respond to a call for help from a skiff running low on fuel off the coast of Alaska, but a maritime law expert stated on Monday that the crew might not have been obligated to respond, as the Coast Guard deemed the skiff not in distress. A spokesperson for Zuckerberg said the yacht did not hear the radio call for assistance, and by the time it did, another nearby ship had already offered its aid.

The Aug. 3 incident became notable after a passenger on the cruise ship shared on social media that Zuckerberg's captain claimed his yacht refused to respond. The U.S. Coast Guard reported that the 21-foot Hewescraft vessel initially signaled for assistance around 9:32 p.m. using a radio frequency all boats are expected to monitor.

Twenty-five minutes later, the Coast Guard concluded the vessel was not in distress and issued an assistance request. The skiff safely reached Farragut Bay after the Wilderness Legacy cruise ship towed it there and helped it refuel. Maritime law expert Ian Ralby explained that this situation differed from one where everyone in the area is legally obligated to assist if doing so doesn't put their own ship at risk.

Ralby, president of the nonprofit Auxilium Worldwide, likened the situation to the difference between calling AAA for a jump-start and 911 for an ambulance, emphasizing that while both require assistance, the legal obligations to help are distinct. Neither Zuckerberg nor his family were on the 387-foot Launchpad yacht at the time, according to his spokesperson.

The spokesperson added that the yacht was not in distress, and the Coast Guard determined that the Launchpad was not obligated to provide assistance by the time they reviewed the Coast Guard's contact on a different radio channel. Coast Guard Captain Aaron C. Davenport, with three decades of experience, explained that running out of gas is not considered an emergency and that the Launchpad was not legally obligated to help the skiff.

He added that while it's a common courtesy to help other mariners, it was unnecessary in this case. The Coast Guard would not automatically deploy ships for a ship running out of gas, but in the harsh environment of Alaska, a ship running out of gas could become an emergency if it drifted into rocks or a storm approached. Davenport noted that the nearby cruise ship's response saved the Coast Guard a trip.

The Alaska Beacon reported this incident after Michael Love, a passenger on the Wilderness Legacy cruise ship, posted on social media on Aug. 5, stating that the crew had rescued a stranded vessel after Zuckerberg's yacht, which was closer, repeatedly refused to respond.