Sad news out of Palma de Mallorca: Tiketitan suffered a devastating explosion and fire while under refit yesterday.
The carbon-fiber and Kevlar yacht was one of the fastest boats that both cruised and raced. The 88-footer was reportedly able to hit 11 knots with 7 knots of true wind. In addition, a hydraulic canting keel designed by her builder, Wally, could swing up to 40 degrees to either side, providing far more stability and lighter displacement. Built in 1998, Tiketitan was the first Wally to employ this keel, in fact. It served her well while participating in events like The Superyacht Cup Palma in 2007.
It also served her well on charter, when her rate was €35,000 per week (about $48,728). Six guests could put her to the test or simply enjoy cruising various Med ports.
A few minutes ago, Wally confirmed the yard was STP and told me, “They reported us that during some maintenance works with inflammable products an explosion occurred and the boat had a fire for many hours. Nobody was injured.”
That’s similar information that CharterWave received this morning from Gertrud Annevelink, a broker with Charter Experience, who was near the yard when the explosion happened. Charter Experience’s in-house blog also has photos of the local fire department putting out the fire and states, “It looks like the yacht is a complete loss. It was an explosion caused by contractors using spraying paint or using dissolvent and somebody else was using a heat gun … 2 people were injured but not too seriously.”
More news as it becomes available.
UPDATE, FEBRUARY 4: Sergio Piñole Muñoz de Baena, production manager for STP, has provided me with further details. He says the yacht was in a cradle and not hanging from a crane, as some media reports have stated, as part of the ongoing refit work that began last October. Around 2:45 p.m. an explosion occurred inside the engine room, causing a fire that spread nearly immediately to the entire interior. “The causes of the explosion are still unknown,” he says, adding “Two crewmembers and two contractors from the yacht were in the boat at that time, and they all suffered minor burns and are already back in their homes.”
He continues: “In less than 5 minutes our staff was already fighting against the fire with 4 teams around the boat, trying to reduce the fire as much as possible” until the fire department’s arrival and keeping it from spreading to surrounding boats. Three STP workers were treated for smoke and fumes inhalation at the hospital. Once the fire department arrived, he says, they took over and put out the fire in three hours, “although one team remained in the yard until 1 a.m. for safety reasons. During that time, jointly with the fire brigade, we (made) the decision to bring a crane and hold the mast to secure it and avoid it falling over the surrounding boats and the firefighters. Sadly, the boat was severely damaged, and now the surveyors from the insurance companies will determine if it is a complete loss.”
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