Sep 3, 2023 by Triton Staff
Sydney police are investigating a fire that destroyed a yacht reportedly owned by a prominent Australian resort and maxi racing family.
Firefighters arrived Saturday night to Sydney’s Woolwich Dock to find M/Y Andiamo engulfed in flames. Nearby boats were threatened as firefighters got to work.
According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, the yacht is owned by Sandy Oatley, son of the late Bob Oatley, who owned popular Great Barrier Reef destination Hamilton Island. According to the newspaper, the Oatley family also owns Wild Oats XI, the nine-time line honors winner of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.
Fire and Rescue New South Wales Superintendent Adam Dewberry said that crews were able to contain the fire and damage to other vessels was prevented, but that the vessel was ruined and mostly sunk.
“Initial firefighting efforts were to not only extinguish the fire, but stop it spreading to a number of high-value vessels that were moored alongside the motor yacht. A young dockworker on-site at the time moved those other vessels away from the fire,” Dewberry said.
“It took so long [to extinguish the fire] because it’s a large vessel, and we had no access onto the yacht itself; it just wasn’t safe to get on board.
“The fuel loading of these vessels is quite high – fibrerglass, plastics, foams, polyurethanes, any number of things you would associate with any [vessel] of luxury that has accommodation facilities.” The vessel had been filled with 4,000 liters of fuel earlier that day.
Dewberry said that while investigations were continuing, the fire was not being treated as suspicious.
Tagged Sydney, yacht fire
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