What was supposed to be a glamorous launch of a brand-new $1 million luxury yacht turned into a nightmare within minutes as the vessel tipped over and began sinking off Turkey’s Black Sea coast, forcing terrified passengers to leap into the water.
The 85-foot yacht, named Dolce Vento, had just arrived from Istanbul and was launched Tuesday at the port of Ereğli in Zonguldak. Witnesses say the sleek cruiser looked flawless as it slid into the water, but within 15 minutes, something went terribly wrong.
Video captured by bystanders shows the yacht swaying violently before lurching hard to one side. As the hull dipped, chaos erupted onboard.
“People started screaming, climbing up the deck to stay dry, but the boat was sinking so fast,” said local witness Emre Kalkan, who was standing nearby when it happened. “Then they had no choice — they had to jump.”
One clip shows a man in a dark suit balancing on the tilted side of the vessel before springing into the sea below. Others followed, abandoning the yacht as water gushed into its lower levels.
According to port authorities, the Turkish Coast Guard and rescue teams rushed to the scene within minutes, setting up a security perimeter around the capsizing vessel. Fortunately, no serious injuries have been reported so far.
Med Yilmaz, a spokesperson for the shipyard responsible for handling the launch, told reporters that investigators are working to determine what went wrong.
“We are conducting full technical inspections,” Yilmaz said. “We need to understand whether this was a construction flaw, a balance miscalculation, or human error.”
Authorities confirmed that Dolce Vento had passed standard inspections before delivery but warned that balance and ballast issues often emerge only when yachts are first launched.
This isn’t the first time a multi-million-dollar yacht has met disaster at sea. Earlier this year, a mega-yacht carrying 400 passengers slammed into a New York City dock, injuring nearly a dozen people. And in July, authorities seized a $325 million Russian-owned superyacht ahead of a high-profile Trump-Putin summit.
Maritime safety experts say the Dolce Vento incident underscores growing concerns about the booming luxury yacht industry.
“When you’re talking about custom-built vessels, every launch is essentially a test,” said U.S.-based marine engineer Jack Reynolds. “One tiny miscalculation can have catastrophic consequences.”
As of Thursday, recovery teams are working to stabilize and salvage the partially submerged yacht. The Turkish Coast Guard has yet to release an official statement, but industry insiders say this could lead to a wider probe into yacht safety protocols in Turkey.
“This was supposed to be a dream day for the owners,” Kalkan said, shaking his head. “Instead, it turned into a nightmare in less than 15 minutes.”
Discover more from Red News Nation
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Why not do test launches prior to the real one?
There are at least two things highly dubious about this article.
Number one, based on the pictures from various angles, the yacht was a lot shorter than what the text says it was.
More importantly, number two: there’s no way this yacht cost only 1 million, regardless of length. The whole article is flawed and bogus in my personal opinion.
Dock Worker to buddy… Hey I wonder if this little rubber plug is important?