Mark Zuckerberg's $300 million superyacht, the Launchpad, has drawn scrutiny after reportedly not assisting a small boat that ran out of fuel in Alaskan waters. The incident occurred Monday night as the 21-foot skiff traveled between Petersburg and Juneau.
According to a passenger on the assisting vessel, the captain of the cruise ship Wilderness Legacy announced that Zuckerberg's superyacht had been closer to the stranded skiff but had "refused" to help. This announcement was met with "near unanimous booing" from passengers on the cruise ship, vacationer Michael Love stated on social media.
The Coast Guard received a call for assistance around 9:30 p.m. Monday. While the Coast Guard determined the skiff was not in distress, a marine assistance request broadcast was issued about 30 minutes later. Vessel-tracking data indicates the Wilderness Legacy was farther from the skiff than the Launchpad when the request was made.
The Wilderness Legacy eventually towed the stranded vessel to safety in Farragut Bay. Zuckerberg's spokesperson stated that the Meta CEO and his family were not aboard the yacht at the time. The spokesperson also noted that the yacht's crew was operating on a different radio channel and had been alerted after assistance was already underway. The statement added that the boat was not in distress, and all parties were safe.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's superyacht, the Launchpad, was reportedly closer to a stranded boat in Alaskan waters than the vessel that ultimately provided assistance.