A 21-foot boat ran out of fuel while traveling through the waters of southeastern Alaska. Now, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg is under fire as his private yacht was reportedly closer than the vessel that ultimately came to help.
According to the Alaska Beacon, vessel-tracking data showed Zuckerberg’s 387-foot superyacht, Launchpad, was near Farragut Bay when the assistance request went out.
It seems that Launchpad did not assist, but a 192-foot cruise ship called Wilderness Legacy turned back instead, towed the small boat into Farragut Bay, and provided fuel.
A passenger on the cruise ship claimed the yacht repeatedly refused to respond, while Zuckerberg’s spokesperson said its crew did not initially hear the radio request.
A Cruise Passenger’s Post Started the Controversy
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Michael Love, a passenger aboard Wilderness Legacy, described the incident in a Bluesky post on Aug. 5. According to The Verge, Love said the ship’s captain told passengers that Launchpad had been closer to the stranded boat but had not responded.
Love characterized the yacht’s inaction as a repeated refusal. He also wrote that the announcement prompted “near unanimous booing” from passengers aboard the cruise ship.
Tracking Data Showed the Cruise Ship Turning Back
The incident happened during the evening of Aug. 3 as the boat traveled between Petersburg and Juneau. The small boat contacted the U.S. Coast Guard after running out of fuel near Farragut Bay.
Tracking data reviewed by the Alaska Beacon showed Launchpad slowing to a stop outside the bay. Wilderness Legacy traveled past the yacht before turning around and heading toward the boat to help.
UnCruise Adventures, which operates Wilderness Legacy, lists the ship as 192 feet long with room for 86 guests. Although it is considered a small cruise ship, it was still large enough to tow the 21-foot boat to safety.
Launchpad’s Crew Says It Never Heard the Request
Brian Baker, a spokesperson for Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, disputed the claim that the yacht’s crew deliberately refused to help. Baker told The Associated Press that Launchpad’s crew was operating on a different radio channel. By the time crew members reviewed the Coast Guard contact, Wilderness Legacy was already providing assistance. Zuckerberg, Chan and their family were not aboard Launchpad during the incident. Baker said they were grateful that everyone was safe.
The Coast Guard received the call from the small boat before determining at approximately 9:56 p.m. that the people aboard were not in immediate distress. It then issued a marine assistance request to other vessels in the area.
Federal law requires the person in charge of a vessel to assist someone found at sea who is in danger of being lost, provided that doing so would not create a serious danger for the responding vessel or its occupants. This means that no maritime authority has accused Launchpad’s crew of violating that law.
Launchpad is reportedly worth approximately $300 million. Its builder, Feadship, lists the yacht at 387 feet long and more than 53 feet wide. The yacht includes two certified helipads, a swimming pool, a private owner’s deck with a Jacuzzi and an observation lounge. It can carry nearly 112,000 gallons of fuel and travel approximately 5,250 nautical miles at its cruising speed.