The Bayesian will be raised from the seabed after 18,000 litres of fuel have been removed from its tank under plans presented by the doomed yacht’s management firm.
The 184ft yacht sank off the coast of Sicily last Monday, killing British tech billionaire Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah and five others.
The British-flagged vessel is believed to be holding 18,000 litres of fuel aboard, which management firm Camper and Nicholsons International reportedly plans on emptying from the tank to prevent the fuel from polluting the water.
Once the tank is empty, it plans on retrieving the yacht, which is currently lying at a depth of 164ft off Porticello, near Palermo, sources briefed on the plan told Italian news agency ANSA.
But the operation could take several weeks, as the firm first needs to obtain a permit to remove the Bayesian before it can raise the ship from the seabed.

A handout photo made available on August 19 by Perini Navi Press Office shows the ‘Bayesian’ sailing boat, in Palermo, Sicily, Italy

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah both died in the Bayesian tragedy when the superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily

Judy and Jonathan Bloomer died on the Bayesian as it keeled over in the water

The bodies of Neda and Chris Morvillo, pictured in 2018, were also retrieved last week

Recaldo Thomas, chef on the Bayesian, was the first person to be recovered after the yacht sunk on Monday
It comes as it was revealed that prosecutors in Italy are investigating the captain of the Bayesian on possible charges including manslaughter.
James Cutfield, the 51-year-old New Zealand national who was captain of the superyacht, was among 15 survivors – which also included Mr Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, whose company Revton Ltd owns the Bayesian – of the August 19.
Cutfield is being investigated for possible manslaughter and culpable shipwreck, said lawyer Aldo Mordiglia, one of two attorneys appointed for the captain’s defence.
Mordiglia said Cutfield, who already has been questioned, would be questioned again by prosecutors on Tuesday. He declined to discuss the strategy for the defence.
Under Italian laws, being under investigation doesn’t imply any guilt, and doesn’t necessarily lead to criminal charges.
On Saturday, chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio confirmed that an investigation had been launched.
He said his team would consider each possible element of responsibility including those of the captain, the crew, individuals in charge of supervision and the yacht’s manufacturer.
While the yacht is believed to have been hit a very sudden meteorological event, it was plausible that crimes of multiple manslaughter and causing a shipwreck through negligence had been committed, chief prosecutor of Termini Imerese, Ambrogio Cartosio, said on Saturday.
Maritime law gives a captain full responsibility for the ship and the crew, as well as the safety of all aboard.

Divers of the Vigili del Fuoco, the Italian Corps. of Firefighters enter Porticello harbor near Palermo, on August 23, 2024

James Cutfield, a 51-year-old New Zealander, was in charge of the Bayesian when it sank off the coast of Sicily during a storm


Hannah Lynch and her father Mike Lynch (both pictured above) were on the yacht celebrating Mr Lynch’s acquittal on US fraud charges

A handout photo made available on August 19 by Perini Navi Press Office shows the ‘Bayesian’ sailing boat, in Palermo, Sicily, Italy

Italian prosecutors held a press conference on Saturday where it was revealed the victims were unable to escape as they had been asleep during the storm
Prosecutors in Italy have previously questioned Cutfield, who they said had been ‘extremely cooperative’. Other Bayesian crew members have remained in Italy voluntarily to assist the investigation.
The British-flagged luxury yacht went down near the Mediterranean island in southern Italy.
Investigators are focusing on how a sailing vessel deemed ‘unsinkable’ by its manufacturer, Italian shipyard Perini Navi, sank while a nearby sailboat remained largely unscathed.
Prosecutors said the event was ‘extremely rapid’ and could have been a ‘downburst’ – a localized, powerful wind that descends from a thunderstorm and spreads out rapidly upon hitting the ground.
The crew was saved, except for the chef, while six passengers were trapped in the hull.