Mark Zuckerberg is under scrutiny following reports that the crew of a yacht owned by the Meta CEO failed to respond to a distress call from another vessel off the coast of Alaska last week.
According to the Alaska Beacon, a small skiff that had run out of fuel issued a call for help on Aug. 3 through the U.S. Coast Guard. The nearby small cruise ship, the Wilderness Legacy, answered the call and towed the skiff to Farragut Bay in southeast Alaska.
Maritime law mandates that all ships must assist in response to a distress call or request for help, unless it endangers the responding vessel. Ian Ralby, a maritime law expert, emphasized the obligation to aid fellow seafarers in peril.
Despite being closer to the distressed skiff, Zuckerberg’s yacht, named Launchpad, did not intervene. A spokesperson for Zuckerberg explained that the crew did not hear the initial call for help and that another nearby vessel had already provided assistance by the time they were aware.
The spokesperson further clarified that the Coast Guard confirmed the skiff was not in distress, and once the crew became aware of the situation through a different radio channel, help was already on its way. The spokesperson expressed gratitude that all parties involved were safe.
Notably, Zuckerberg and his family were not present on the yacht during the incident.