Zuckerberg’s yacht crew did not hear call for help, says spokesperson

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that a skiff off the coast of Alaska received help from a nearby cruise ship after a call for assistance was not answered in time by the crew of Mark Zuckerberg’s yacht. The episode involved Zuckerberg’s yacht Launchpad, a small boat that had run out of fuel, and the Wilderness Legacy, which ultimately towed the skiff into Farragut Bay for refuelling.

According to the article, the incident drew criticism online after a passenger on the cruise ship described the rescue on social media and said some passengers booed when they heard the account. Zuckerberg’s spokesperson said he was not on board at the time. The spokesperson also said the yacht crew did not hear the Coast Guard request because it came over a different radio channel than the one they were monitoring.

Al Jazeera notes that maritime crews are generally expected to respond to distress calls unless there is a safety risk to their own vessel. The spokesperson added that the Coast Guard had determined the skiff was not in distress and that all parties were safe by the time the situation was reviewed. The report highlights how a routine boating assistance request became a public controversy because of Zuckerberg’s ownership of the yacht and the mismatch between the calls for help and the response from the vessels nearby.