Boating accident off Šolta: Sunken yacht salvaged from a depth of 60 metres

The sailing yacht had been lying on the seabed in the Splitska Vrata strait between the Croatian islands of Brač and Šolta since the accident. According to the Dalmatinski Portal, a company specialising in underwater work raised the yacht from a depth of around 60 metres on Sunday (27 September). Preparations had begun the day before. Kristijan Antić’s Croatia blog also reported on the salvage operation.

Rescue operation between Šolta and Brač

According to the report, the actual lifting operation took around two to three hours. Before the wreck of the Beneteau Oceanis 56.1 could be loaded onto a transport vessel, around nine tonnes of water were pumped out. Waves caused by passing ships made the work difficult in the busy strait. The yacht was then taken to Split’s North Harbour. Photographs of the salvaged boat show significant damage. The investigation will have to determine which damage occurred immediately upon impact and which occurred later.

See also:

• ​‘Bayesian’: luxury yacht salvaged from a depth of 50 metres

This paves the way for a stage of the investigation that was still pending in June: the examination of the salvaged yacht on land. According to the Dalmatinski Portal, the public prosecutor’s office and the police have continued their investigation on board the vessel; an expert has also inspected it in the meantime. The findings of the expert’s report have not yet been published. The salvage operation is therefore not evidence of a specific cause of the accident or of any attribution of blame.

What happened in June?

On 14 June, the sailing yacht collided with the passenger catamaran “Krilo Eclipse” and sank. There were eight people on board the yacht. Four Czech nationals died; four others were rescued. In the First BOOTE report on the collision The fourth person was initially reported missing. Their body was later found in the wreckage.

In the BOOTE report on the investigations The case concerned the allegations against the first officer of the catamaran and his remand in custody. Back in June, the Croatian public service broadcaster HRT It was pointed out that examining the wreck was important for the investigation. The ship is now ashore. It remains to be seen what conclusions the investigators will draw from this.