One person has died following a collision between the megayacht Attessa VI and a sportfishing boat on October 26. The incident occurred in Southern California, close to the maritime border with Mexico.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard and several media reports, the crew of the 328-footer (100-meter) contacted the government agency’s Joint Harbor Operations Center in San Diego. The call came in at 7:50 p.m. that evening. Specifically, the crew indicated that Attessa VI had collided with Prowler, a 65-foot (19.8-meter) sportfisherman, about nine miles off Imperial Beach. Imperial Beach is the southernmost city in California. Reportedly, the collision caused significant damage to the starboard side of Prowler, further injuring several people onboard that boat. However, the impact apparently did not hurt anyone aboard Attessa IV.
The Coast Guard dispatched a helicopter as well as a response boat (called an RB-M) to the scene of the collision. In addition, a cutter diverted to assist with the operations. The Coast Guard says that its crews arrived around 8:45 p.m. One critically injured person aboard Prowler was air lifted via the helicopter. He died the next morning. While two additional people aboard Prowler were injured, they and 15 others transferred back to land via the Coast Guard response boat. Ten remaining passengers returned to San Diego aboard Attessa IV. The captain of Prowler remained aboard his craft, accompanied by the Coast Guard cutter. They waited for commercial salvage assistance.
The collision remains under investigation. No cause is yet available from the Coast Guard. Attessa IV remains in Southern California.
Originally delivered, as Evergreen, in 1999, Attessa IV underwent an extensive rebuild, including lengthening, starting in 2007. The initial LOA was 302 feet (92 meters).
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