The Italian tycoon’s £20million 150ft superyacht is wrecked after it bursts into flames in front of stunned tourists off the Spanish island
- The 150ft, £20million superyacht Aria SF caught fire near the Spanish island of Formentera on Thursday
- The luxurious ship is owned by a 61-year-old Italian businessman who runs an auto parts manufacturer
- Paolo Scudieri ordered the ship in 2019 but only took delivery of it last month.
- The boat used to have five bedrooms, a swimming pool and gym but is now wrecked
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A £20million superyacht, owned by a company boss valued at more than £400million, has gone up in flames off the coast of a Spanish island.
The 150-foot vessel caught fire in Cala Saona on the west of the Mediterranean island of Formentera on Thursday afternoon, just a month after it was handed over to its owner.
The Spanish Coast Guard dispatched two lifeboats to the area as the nine passengers and seven crew members on board the Aria SF abandoned the ship following a distress call after attempts to extinguish the fire failed. There were no reports of injuries.
A £20million superyacht owned by a £400million Italian businessman has been burned out by a fire that broke out off the coast of a Spanish island
The Aria SF owned by Paolo Scudieri, 61, caught fire off the coast of Formentera in the Mediterranean Sea on Thursday afternoon
Black smoke from the fire could be seen as far away as the neighboring island of Ibiza.
Paolo Scudieri is the owner of the superyacht, which left the shipyard just last month after being sold in 2019.
The 61-year-old is chairman of car interior components manufacturer Gruppo Addler, founded by his father Achille in 1956, and his net worth is said to be around £410million.
Naples-based father of four, Scudieri is Monaco’s Tourism Ambassador and founder of a group that owns 19 restaurants in Italy.
It was not immediately clear as of Friday morning if he was on board, although specialist yacht websites say the ship is not currently available for charter.
A view of the yacht from the deck of a nearby fireboat shows how she was completely destroyed by the fire
Scudieri ordered the ship in 2019 but only took delivery last month and is now watching the ship go up in smoke
Nine passengers and seven crew members were on board the ship when it caught fire, but all were rescued unharmed and taken to safety
The ablaze superyacht, which boasted a swimming pool, five bedrooms and a gym, was set to make her official debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival later this year.
It is believed to have been towed to Ibiza by a Coast Guard vessel. The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.
A Spanish Coast Guard spokesman confirmed after the fire was nearly extinguished late Thursday: “Seven crew members and nine passengers are all safe.
“They were evacuated onto a police boat. The fire is almost out now.
“Two Coast Guard vessels, Salvamar Acrux and Guardamar Concepcion Arenal, have been mobilized by our coordination center in Palma, Mallorca, after the alarm went off around 5pm yesterday/Thursday.”
Mr Sculderi is said to be worth around £400million and owns an Italian auto parts maker