One of Europe’s strongest floating cranes to recover Mike Lynch’s sunken yacht

One of the most powerful maritime cranes in Europe will be used to raise tech tycoon Mike Lynch’s sunken superyacht from the seabed next month, those leading the plan say.

Billionaire entrepreneur Mr Lynch, 59, and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among seven people who died when the 56-metre (184ft) Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily on August 19 last year.

Recovery work is due to begin in May after Italian authorities approved a detailed salvage plan, though the time-frame is understood to be dependent on the weather and sea conditions.

It is hoped that Bayesian, which has been lying at a depth of 50 metres (164ft) on the seabed, near the port of Porticello, a fishing village, will be raised by the end of May.

British marine consultancy TMC Marine will oversee a specialist consortium, led by Dutch-based companies Hebo, a maritime services company from Rotterdam, and SMIT Salvage, with support from Italian specialists.

Salvage workers will bring up the vessel’s 72m (236ft) mast before raising the ship’s hull, which investigators say is a primary source of evidence.

The team will use the 5,695-gross-tonne floating crane Hebo Lift 10, which departed Rotterdam on April 19 and is expected to arrive off the coast of Porticello within days.

The crane, said to be among the most powerful of its kind in Europe, has a lifting height of 83.2m (273ft).

It will work alongside Hebo Lift 2, a multi-purpose floating barge with a 700 square metres of deck space and deck crane, which is equipped with diving and remotely-operated underwater vehicle systems along with a support tug.

They will be supported by specialist anti-pollution experts who will ensure that protection of marine life and environment is maintained.

The Italian coastguard has been monitoring the sea to make sure there are no fuel leaks from the yacht’s tank, a spokesman said.

Marcus Cave, head of naval architecture and a director of TMC Marine, said: “The mobilisation of this specialist salvage consortium and key lifting assets follows a detailed assessment of the best technical methodology to safely recover Bayesian.

“Every marine salvage operation requires unique planning considerations, given the specific marine conditions, and this is no different.

“The safety of personnel on site, environmental protection and recovery of Bayesian intact have been pivotal to the planning and decision-making process.”

Simon Graves, a principal investigator for the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) told an inquest hearing into the deaths of the four British nationals who were on board that the agency will be at the scene when the vessel is brought to shore.

Mr Graves told the pre-inquest review hearing in Ipswich, Suffolk, earlier this month that the Bayesian was registered in the Isle of Man so there is a British safety investigation, separate to ongoing criminal investigations.

He said he hoped the MAIB could publish its interim report online in four to six weeks, with the final report to follow in “months, not weeks” after the vessel has been inspected for evidence.

Suffolk’s senior coroner Nigel Parsley asked if the “vessel itself was a primary source of evidence” and Mark Cam, of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, said “absolutely, sir”.

Inquest proceedings in the UK are looking at the deaths of Mr Lynch and his daughter, as well as Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, 70, and his 71-year-old wife Judy Bloomer, who were all British nationals.

Italian prosecutors previously said that raising and examining the yacht for evidence would provide key elements to the investigation into possible manslaughter and negligent shipwreck launched days after the sinking.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency are looking at whether there were any breaches of maritime legislation.

The others who died, in addition to the four British nationals, were US lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo, and Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas who was working as a chef on the vessel.

Fifteen people, including Mr Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares, were rescued.

Mr Lynch’s medical cause of death was recorded as drowning when his inquest was opened and adjourned last year, with the causes of the deaths of the three other British nationals still under investigation.

The tycoon and his daughter were said to have lived in the vicinity of London, while the Bloomers lived in Sevenoaks in Kent.

Mr Lynch founded software giant Autonomy in 1996 and was cleared in June this year of carrying out a massive fraud over the sale of the firm to Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2011.

The boat trip was a celebration of his acquittal in the case in the US.