£20million salvage operation underway to raise tech tycoon Mike Lynchs doomed superyacht from seabed with giant floating crane

A massive floating crane is on its way to raise the doomed superyacht which sank last summer, killing billionaire tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his teenage daughter.

The HEBO Lift 10 was yesterday sailing to Sicily, where the 184ft (56m) Bayesian went down last August after a freak storm.

It is key to a £20million salvage operation which seeks to explain why the vessel sank in just 16 minutes – and is complicated because Italian prosecutors are insisting all evidence must be preserved.

Divers will descend on to the 500-ton, £30million Bayesian early next month to start preliminary preparations, beginning by wrapping slings around her hull.

A source said at least two slings will be used to righten the yacht before lifting her from the seabed, adding: A lot of planning and preparation has gone into it. Compared to the raising of a container ship, this is a lot easier to handle, but nevertheless it is still a complicated process.

Officials are keen to prevent any spillage from the 18,000 litres of fuel still thought to be within the yachts tanks, with booms being set up to protect the environment.

The huge salvage cost is being covered by insurers, and the operation is being overseen by British-based marine consultancy TMC Marine. Onsite work will be led by the Dutch firms HEBO and SMIT Salvage, with support from Italian specialists.

Marcus Cave, a director of TMC Marine, said: The safety of personnel on site, environmental protection and recovery of Bayesian intact have been pivotal to the planning and decision-making process.

Entrepreneur Mr Lynch (right), 59, and daughter Hannah (left), 18, were among seven people who drowned when the Bayesian sank off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo

The HEBO Lift 10 was yesterday sailing to Sicily, where the 184ft (56m) Bayesian went down last August after a freak storm

Divers will descend on to the 500-ton, £30million Bayesian (pictured) early next month to start preliminary preparations, beginning by wrapping slings around her hull

Entrepreneur Mr Lynch, 59, and daughter Hannah, 18, were among seven people who drowned when the Bayesian sank off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo.

Mr Lynch was on board celebrating after a US jury cleared him of fraud and other charges that could have seen him jailed for 20 years. The founder of software and data firm Autonomy had been accused of selling the company for a vastly inflated price of £8.3billion to Hewlett Packard.

The Bayesian went down after it was hit by a freak storm, but Italian officials are looking at whether the ships captain and crew were partly to blame. There has been speculation that portholes and doors were open, allowing water to flood in, and the keel had not been lowered, which could have prevented the capsizing.

Some are also pointing the blame at the Bayesians 237ft (72m) mast. Bad weather had been expected on the night of the tragedy, and investigators are looking at whether the crew took proper precautions.

The yachts designers, Italian Sea Group, had insisted it was unsinkable. Skipper James Cutfield, 51, from New Zealand, and British chief engineer Tim Parker Eaton, 59, and nightwatchman Matthew Griffin, 22, are under formal investigation in Italy for manslaughter and causing a disaster.

The HEBO crane, which can lift 2,200 tons, will take the Bayesian to a dry dock 15 miles away at Termini Imerese for inspection. A second vessel, the HEBO Lift 2 barge, will bring a remotely operated underwater vehicle to monitor the yacht to ensure there is no fuel spillage.

A total of 22 people – 12 crew and ten guests – were on board when the Bayesian sank. Other victims were Britons Jonathan Bloomer, 70, chairman of Morgan Stanley International bank, and his wife Judy, 71, American lawyer Chris Morvillo, his wife Nada and the yachts chef Recaldo Thomas.

An inquest earlier this month at Suffolk Coroners Court heard from Simon Graves, principal investigator for the UKs Marine Accident Investigation Branch, who hope to publish an interim report soon. They are involved as the Bayesian was UK registered, with Italian authorities running a parallel criminal probe.