Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s $300 million superyacht, Launchpad, has come under scrutiny after a small boat reportedly sought assistance while stranded in Alaskan waters, but was instead rescued by another vessel.
The 387-foot yacht was reportedly in the vicinity of a 21-foot skiff that ran out of fuel while travelling between Petersburg and Juneau, Alaska, on Monday night, according to the Alaska Beacon.
The stranded boat issued a request for assistance at about 9:30 pm, according to the US Coast Guard. Although the Coast Guard determined that the vessel was not in distress, it later issued a marine assistance request broadcast.
A small cruise ship, Wilderness Legacy, operated by UnCruise Adventures, eventually responded and towed the skiff to safety in protected Farragut Bay.
According to the Beacon, vessel-tracking data indicated that Launchpad was closer to the stranded boat than Wilderness Legacy at the time. The cruise ship reportedly passed Zuckerberg’s yacht while travelling to assist the stranded vessel.
A passenger aboard Wilderness Legacy, Michael Love, claimed the ship’s captain told passengers that Launchpad had been closer but had “refused” to assist.
“There was near unanimous booing when the captain announced this,” Love wrote in a post on Bluesky.
The incident has since prompted questions about why the superyacht did not respond sooner to the request for assistance.
However, Zuckerberg’s spokesperson said the tech billionaire and his family were not aboard Launchpad when the incident occurred. The spokesperson also said the yacht’s crew had been monitoring a different radio channel.
“Mark and his family were not on board at the time of the incident,” the statement said.
The spokesperson added: “As the Coast Guard noted, the boat was not in distress, and by the time the crew reviewed the Coast Guard contact on a different radio channel from the one they were operating on, the assist was already underway. We’re grateful all parties are safe.”
The stranded skiff was ultimately brought safely to Farragut Bay, with no reports of injuries.
