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

On August 3, a yacht owned by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was reported to have ignored a call for maritime assistance from a skiff that had run out of fuel off the coast of Alaska. However, a spokesperson for Zuckerberg clarified that the crew actually did not hear the radio call for help and that another nearby ship had already rendered assistance by the time the yacht did.

The incident came to light after a passenger on a cruise ship shared on social media that Zuckerberg's yacht "refused" to respond. A maritime law expert, Ian Ralby, explained that there was no legal obligation for Zuckerberg's yacht to respond because the skiff was not in distress. The Coast Guard determined the skiff was not in distress about 25 minutes after the yacht first hails for assistance. The skiff was safely towed to Farragut Bay and refueled by the Wilderness Legacy cruise ship.