Dramatic video footage has captured the moment a brand-new luxury yacht worth nearly £700,000 ($940,000) capsized and sank just 15 minutes into its maiden voyage off Turkey’s Black Sea coast, forcing its owner and crew to leap into the water for their lives.
The 24-metre Dolce Vento, which translates to “Sweet Wind” in Italian, began listing dangerously to port within seconds of entering the water at Karadeniz Ereğli port in Zonguldak province on Tuesday afternoon, 2 September 2025, at approximately 2:30pm local time.
Shocking footage circulating on social media shows the sleek vessel, fresh from the Medyılmaz Shipyard where it had been under construction since 2024, initially gliding smoothly off the launch ramp before disaster struck approximately 200 metres from shore.
The yacht’s owner, who had travelled from Istanbul to witness his vessel’s first voyage, was filmed standing on the tilting deck before diving into the Black Sea alongside the captain and two crew members as the 160-gross-tonnage vessel began its fatal roll.
“You can see it listing to its port side within seconds,” marine experts noted whilst analysing the viral footage, which shows at least one crew member scrambling up the increasingly vertical deck before jumping overboard.
All four individuals aboard swam safely to shore without injury, assisted by shipyard workers who rushed to help as the yacht sank to a depth of seven metres within 15 minutes of touching water.
The Turkish Coast Guard and emergency medical personnel responded swiftly to the scene, establishing a security perimeter around the submerged vessel whilst port authorities began coordinating salvage operations.
Maritime experts have pointed to a critical stability issue, with speculation focusing on the yacht’s metacentric height – a crucial measurement determining a vessel’s ability to remain upright.
“The accident likely occurred due to excessive top weight, which resulted in a low metacentric height,” one naval architect commented on social media. “This condition significantly reduced the yacht’s stability, causing it to capsize shortly after launch.”
The steel-hulled yacht with aluminium superstructure, known during construction as NB65, represents a significant setback for both the Feyz Group and Med Yılmaz Shipyard, whose websites primarily showcase commercial cargo vessels and trawlers rather than luxury yachts.
Local reports vary on construction time, ranging from five months to 2.5 years, though shipyard officials confirmed the vessel had been completed and was being delivered to its owner when catastrophe struck.
“A detailed investigation will be carried out and the cause of the sinking will be determined following technical inspections,” shipyard representatives told local media, declining to speculate on whether design flaws or ballasting errors during the launch sequence were responsible.
The incident has sparked widespread discussion amongst maritime enthusiasts, with many pointing to the vessel’s unusual appearance in pre-launch photographs.
“That is the worst-engineered, top-heavy death trap I’ve ever seen,” wrote one observer on social media platform X. “I could have told you it was doomed before it hit the water.”
Others noted the atypical launch method, with the 85-foot yacht being reversed down a boat ramp rather than using traditional side-launch or lift systems typically employed for vessels of this size.
The sinking comes just weeks after a separate superyacht disaster off Ibiza where a 27-metre vessel was engulfed in flames, and follows the high-profile sinking of the Bayesian superyacht off Sicily last year, which claimed seven lives including British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch.
Turkey’s maritime authorities have launched a formal investigation, with particular attention being paid to stability calculations and weight distribution protocols during the vessel’s design and construction phases.
“Proper weight distribution and stability calculations are crucial before launching any vessel,” maritime safety experts emphasised, noting that metacentric height miscalculations remain among the most significant factors in vessel capsizing incidents.
The Dolce Vento’s rapid demise has raised questions about quality control standards at Turkish shipyards attempting to enter the luxury yacht market, traditionally dominated by Italian, Dutch and German builders.
Ereğli district, located on Turkey’s northern Black Sea coast, is not typically associated with luxury yacht construction, with the region’s shipyards primarily focusing on commercial vessels and fishing trawlers.
The incident has already generated thousands of views on social media, with one Instagram user joking: “It comes with a submarine mode too?”
Salvage operations are expected to begin once investigators have completed their initial assessment, with the wreckage currently resting on the Black Sea floor in relatively shallow water.
The total loss represents a devastating financial blow for the owner, who had reportedly taken delivery of the yacht just hours before its ill-fated launch after travelling from Istanbul to collect his new vessel.
Maritime insurance experts suggest the owner may face challenges claiming compensation if design flaws or construction errors are proven to have caused the sinking.
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