Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg finds himself under scrutiny following reports that his $300 million superyacht did not aid stranded passengers in Alaskan waters.
The 387-foot vessel, named Launchpad, reportedly ignored appeals for assistance when a 21-foot skiff ran out of fuel during a journey between Petersburg and Juneau, Alaska, on Monday night, as covered by the Alaska Beacon.
Ultimately, it was the Wilderness Legacy, a smaller cruise ship, that responded to the skiff in distress.
During the rescue operation, the captain of the Wilderness Legacy informed passengers aboard that Zuckerberg’s superyacht, although closer to the troubled craft than his own ship, had declined to assist, according to a passenger’s account.
The announcement was met with what vacationer Michael Love described in a Bluesky post as “near-unanimous booing” from those on board.
The tiny skiff had sent out a call for assistance around 9:30 p.m. on Monday, the Coast Guard said.
The Coast Guard determined that the vessel wasn’t in distress but issued a marine assistance request broadcast about 30 minutes later.
Vessel-tracking services show that the Wilderness Legacy, operated by UnCruise Adventures, was farther away from the stranded vessel than Zuckerberg’s superyacht at the time, according to the Beacon.
It also shows the cruise ship sailing past Launchpad on its way to help the stranded ship — as the social media tycoon’s mega-yacht stays floating in the middle of the water, the outlet reported.
The stranded skiff was towed back to safety in protected Farragut Bay by the Wilderness Legacy.
Zuckerberg’s spokesperson insisted in a statement that the tech billionaire and his family were not aboard the ship — and that his yacht crew had been operating on a different radio channel.
“Mark and his family were not on board at the time of the incident,” the statement provided to the Beacon said.
“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.”