"Worth 1.4 Billion Won"...Luxury Yacht Sinks Just 15 Minutes After Launch

Yacht Sinks Off the Coast of T?rkiye
No Casualties Reported... Passengers Evacuate Safely

A luxury yacht worth 1.4 billion won sank immediately after being launched into the water.

Luxury yacht sank immediately after departure. Screenshot from The Sun

On September 6, 2025, international media outlets including CNN reported that a yacht named 'Dolce Vento' sank just 15 minutes after embarking on its maiden voyage off the Zonguldak coast in the northern Eregli region of T?rkiye on September 2. Multiple social media platforms shared videos capturing the moment of the sinking. In the footage, the yacht is seen gradually tilting to one side as it passes near the coast, with one side of the vessel eventually submerging below the water's surface.

The videos also captured scenes of passengers inside the yacht climbing onto the exposed hull and jumping into the sea.

Passengers are jumping off the hull as the luxury yacht, which set sail for the first time, sinks within 15 minutes. Photo captured from The Sun

At the time of the incident, it was reported that the yacht owner, the captain, and two crew members were on board. They jumped into the sea and safely swam to the shore. Fortunately, no casualties were reported.

Immediately after the accident, the coast guard and port authorities established a security perimeter around the sinking site and took measures to prevent further incidents. They also launched salvage operations and began investigating the cause of the sinking right away.

The luxury yacht that set sail for the first time sank within 15 minutes. The Sun capture

This yacht, built at a shipyard in Istanbul, measures 94 feet (approximately 28.6 meters) in length and is a high-end vessel that was sold for 850,000 dollars (about 1.4 billion won). The shipyard stated, "We are currently investigating the cause of the sinking and plan to conduct a detailed technical inspection of the yacht."

Experts have suggested that a miscalculation of the metacentric height-the vertical distance between the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy-was the main cause of the accident. This is a structural issue that can commonly occur in ship design and is a key factor in determining a vessel's balance, stability, and ability to recover from tilting.