The world is full of billionaries who have more money than they need, and it’s also full of superyachts that have more amenities than they need. So it stands to reason that many of us feel a sense of schadenfreude when these billionaires get their just desserts and lose a little bit of their fortune.
One Italian billionaire is just a little bit poorer after his brand new superyacht went up in flames and then sank.
You’re looking at the Aria SF superyacht.
This beautiful 143-foot-long yacht was launched just last month and cost an eye-watering $24 million to construct. It was built by ISA shipbuilders for Italian businessman, car mogul and all-around billionaire Paolo Scudieri.
It was launched in a grand ceremony.
Complete with Italian-themed puffs of smoke, the vessel was launched from ISA in July of 2022. Yachts have a service life of years, if not decades, so it appeared as though Aria SF was at the start of a long life.
The yacht was built for this man.
Paolo Scudieri heads an automotive group that was founded by his father in 1956. According to some sources, his annual income is in excess of $1.5 billion, yet other sources list his net worth at just half a billion dollars . In any event, he’s rich enough to afford a $24 million yacht.
Disaster quickly struck.
The superyacht somehow caught fire off the coast of Formentera — a Spanish island — earlier this month. Despite the firefighting equipment present on most high-end vessels, the fire raged out of control, forcing the crew to abandon ship.
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They were rescued by a Spanish search and rescue agency.
All 16 people on the yacht — reportedly consisting of seven crew members and nine passengers — were safely rescued from the blaze by Spain’s search and rescue agency, Salvamento Maritimo.
The search and rescue agency shared photos and videos from the scene.
The yacht is engulfed in thick black smoke, and its entire superstructure appears to have been destroyed or melter in the blaze. It isn’t known what caused the fire.
The yacht now sits on the bottom of the sea.
The yacht was still floating after the fire and plans were in place to tow it somewhere to be salvaged. But during the towing process, the vessel reportedly sank near Cap Martinet, Ibiza.
It’s a cautionary tale for superyacht owners.
While it’s fortunate that there was no injury or loss of life, there’s a lesson here: just because you have a brand new, $24 million superyacht, it does not mean you or said superyacht are invincible.
Here’s full video from the scene.
Check out the original tweet here, showing the tranquil blue waters of the Spanish coast along with the noxious black smoke from a sumptuous superyacht. Let us know what you think of this story in the comments.
