The crew of Mark Zuckerberg's yacht did not hear a maritime assist call from a small skiff that ran out of fuel off the coast of Alaska, a spokesperson for the Meta CEO said. By the time the yacht's crew reviewed the U.S. Coast Guard communication on a different radio channel, another nearby ship had already rendered aid.
The incident occurred on August 3 when a skiff issued a call for assistance through the U.S. Coast Guard. A nearby small cruise ship, the Wilderness Legacy, towed the skiff to Farragut Bay in Southeast Alaska and provided fuel. Zuckerberg's yacht, named Launchpad, was closer to the skiff but did not respond to the initial call.
According to Brian Baker, Zuckerberg's spokesperson, the yacht's crew did not immediately hear the radio call. "Mark and his family were not on board at the time of the incident," Baker told The Associated Press. "As the Coast Guard noted, the boat was not in distress, and by the time the crew reviewed the Coast Guard contact on a different radio channel from the one they were operating on, the assist was already underway. We’re grateful all parties are safe."
Mariam Ralby, a maritime law expert, noted that maritime law generally obligates vessels to respond to distress calls unless doing so would endanger their own ship. "Human beings are required to save the lives of other human beings if they can do so at sea," Ralby stated, emphasizing the dangerous nature of being at sea and the importance of protecting lives.
The incident gained public attention after a passenger on the Wilderness Legacy cruise ship posted about it on social media. Michael Love, a passenger who was on the cruise ship, wrote on the platform Bluesky that the Coast Guard had radioed Zuckerberg's yacht, which was closer, and that they had "repeatedly refused to respond." Love also noted that there was "near unanimous booing" on his ship when the captain announced this detail.