$1m luxury yacht sinks minutes after its launch in Turkey, crew jumps overboard

A luxury yacht, Dolce Vento, sank 15 minutes after its launch near Turkey's Zonguldak, forcing the crew to jump overboard. Fortunately, no injuries occurred. 

Sep 4, 2025 - 07:34
Sep 4, 2025 - 07:45
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$1m luxury yacht sinks minutes after its launch in Turkey, crew jumps overboard

IN a dramatic turn of events, a luxury yacht worth nearly $1 million sank just 15 minutes after its maiden voyage off the northern coast of Turkey, forcing its owner and crew to leap into the water to save themselves, the New York Post reported.

The 85-foot yacht, named Dolce Vento, had just been delivered to its owner from Istanbul and was being launched for the very first time near the Eregli district of Zonguldak on Tuesday.

A video captured the shocking moment the yacht tilted sharply to one side before slowly submerging into the sea. In the clip, people can be heard shouting in panic as the vessel began to go under.

Crew escapes unharmed

As the boat began to sink, the owner, captain, and two crew members quickly jumped overboard and managed to swim safely to shore.

The Coast Guard and port authorities rushed to the scene, setting up a security perimeter around the sinking yacht to prevent further accidents.

Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

Cause under investigation

Officials at the shipyard confirmed that a technical inspection will be carried out to determine what went wrong during the launch.

While the exact cause of the incident remains unclear, preliminary reports suggest there may have been a stability or structural issue with the vessel.

Not the first recent incident at sea

The sinking comes just weeks after a fishing boat carrying 11 passengers began sinking off Pier 1 in Sheepshead Bay, New York, at night. In that case, an NYPD Harbour Unit rescue team managed to bring everyone on board to safety.

The viral video of the luxury yacht sinking has sparked widespread discussion online, with many questioning how such an expensive vessel could fail so catastrophically on its very first trip.

A user commented, “I guess they don't have a solid reliability engineers.”

Another user wrote, “A luxury yacht sank just 15 minutes after its maiden launch. Turkey is launching a fighter jet too, they call it KAAN, claiming it to be better than the F-35.”

“What a pity,” the third user commented.

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