The 50.1-metre Arsenal motor yacht Espadarte has been damaged following a fire in Agropoli, Italy, last Thursday (9 October). The yacht was 17 nautical miles away from the coastal town when a blaze broke out in her engine room.
Two Italian Coast Guard patrol boats and a tug carrying firefighters from the Vigili del Fuoco fire and rescue service were dispatched to conduct firefighting operations. According to local reports, the yacht's crew had attempted to extinguish the fire themselves, with a privately owned vessel also arriving on-scene to offer assistance.
Authorities successfully evacuated the 16 people on board and worked to control the blaze, with the fire brought under control overnight. Espadarte has since been towed to Salerno, where she will be assessed for damage.
Delivered in 1968, Espadarte is a classic, Malta-built motor yacht, constructed to military specifications to a design by Jorge d'Almeida Araujo. With her "chic, beach house interiors" and broad sunbathing aft deck, she has also enjoyed popularity as a charter yacht in the Mediterranean.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
BOAT International will update the story as it develops.
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