UPDATE The superyacht My Song is missing, probably sunk

Pier Luigi Loro Piana’s Baltic 130′ My Song, which fell off a freighter (carrying it from the Caribbean to Genoa) in the Gulf of Lion, has been officially missing since 2 p.m. yesterday. According to an informed source, Peters & May’s cargo ship Brattingsborg, after losing the 40-meter boat in the early hours of Sunday 26 (in a force 8 northwest gale in the Gulf of Lion), remained in the area, on orders from the local Coast Guard, to “stake out” the vessel after unsuccessfully attempting to recover it.

But as of 2 p.m., visual contact with the My Song wreck was lost: the Brattingsborg departed for Genoa at 5 p.m.

The boat, which had been loaded in St. Johns (Antigua & Barbuda) last May 7 and had been positioned on the starboard side and at the front of the ship, bow forward, slipped out of the freighter: for now, the cause is still a source of speculation, pending the official investigation.

Perhaps the failure of a rizza (one of the cables with tensioning winches used to hold a movable object steady during the violent and disorderly movements of the ship), a strap, or some poorly executed welding of the eyebolts on the cargo deck that are repositioned from time to time depending on the loads?

According to our source’s reconstruction, My Song was thrown out first by falling to the right, capsizing and losing its mast (the boat had been loaded treed) and coming back straight by falling into the sea.

“From the photos we can see a fracture on the left broadside, at the height of the mast coaming, this makes us think that a bollard may have given way.”

The fact remains that, at the moment, without a mast and with a substantial leak on board, it is easy to assume that My Song (which has an estimated value of about 40 million euros) has sunk, making any future recovery attempt futile.

At the time of the accident, there were no GPS, AIS or other devices on board the 130′ footer that could report its location; they were deactivated before the freighter’s departure to St. John’s.

Meanwhile, rumors are already swirling about “after My Song”: some say that Pigi Loro Piana is leaning toward slightly “smaller” boats, such as a Swan 100 or a 72-footer. There are also those who claim that there is already another boat under construction. But at 68 years of age, who knows if the owner will have the will to wait four years (as many as it took to build the Baltic 130′) for another My Song…

HERE THE FIRST PHOTOS OF THE WRECK OF THE MY SONG

HERE THE FIRST RECONSTRUCTION OF THE DYNAMICS OF THE ACCIDENT