Thousands of liters of diesel have spilled into the water at a popular Australian holiday destination after a luxury superyacht caught fire and sank.
The 25-meter Sunseeker 82 yacht, believed to be called ‘Time Out’, was docked on Hamilton Island, in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef, when a fire broke out on board.
Firefighters were called to the Marine Terrace marina at about 10:40 a.m. Monday and worked for more than seven hours to extinguish the engulfed vessel.
Just before 8pm, active flames were still visible on the bow when the rear of the boat sank, spilling more than 6,000 liters of diesel into the crystal clear waters.
Debris, ash and more than 6,000 liters of diesel fuel have polluted Hamilton Island Marina (pictured), in the Whitsundays region of Queensland, after a superyacht caught fire and sank
After the fire, debris, ash and oil were seen floating in the waters of the marina, fearing that the pollution would seriously affect marine life and neighboring islands.
An eyewitness vacationing on the island said massive plumes of smoke billowed from the yacht for at least 10 hours as firefighters built a base outside the island’s only grocery store.
She told Daily Mail Australia that giant fans had been installed to cool down the firefighters as they struggled to contain the blaze on a 30°C day on the humid tropical island.
The yacht was built in the UK, with an interior designed by British designer Ken Freivokh – with four suites that can accommodate eight people.
Emergency services VMR Whitsundays Skipper Mal Priday said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that VMR1 had to be moved several times to clear the acrid, thick smoke.
“On our way across, we could see smoke even in the middle of the Whitsunday Passage, more than six hours after it started,” wrote Mr Priday.
“We had permission to get the fires and their equipment as close to the burning boat as we dared.
‘Some adjacent boats had smoke and some heat damage, luckily no other vessel has suffered the same fate.
“VMR1 had to be moved a few times to get away from the acrid, thick smoke swirling around, with flames up to 5 meters high…”
The 25-meter Sunseeker 82 yacht, believed to be called ‘Time Out’, was docked on Hamilton Island when an onboard fire broke out and the ship was completely engulfed in flames, sending plumes of black smoke into the sky (pictured)
The yacht was delivered in 2003 by UK-based luxury superyacht builder Sunseeker and sold new for up to $7.5 million, with pre-owned boats selling between $2.1 million and $3.95 million (shown, stock photo by Sunseeker 82 Yacht 2003)
Mr Priday said firefighters decided to let the fire burn out despite the active flames still visibly burning on the bow of the boat as it was impossible to get to them.
Queensland Ambulance Service said some members of the public who had gone to the marina to watch the fire had inhaled smoke.
‘Time Out’ was delivered in 2003 by UK-based luxury superyacht builder Sunseeker.
Part of the Sunseeker 82 line, the yacht featured an exterior design signed by longtime Sunseeker partner Don Shead Yacht Design.
The luxury boat accommodated eight guests in four staterooms and three crew members in two cabins and was powered by two engines, giving it a top speed of 32 knots.
The model sold for up to $7.5 million in the year it was released, with pre-owned boats selling between $2.1 million and $3.95 million in 2022.
No one was on board the luxury boat when the fire broke out and there are no reports of injuries.
It took firefighters more than seven hours to extinguish the blaze with an eyewitness claiming they saw smoke rising from the yacht for at least 10 hours
Active flames were still visible on the bow just before 8pm when the rear of the boat sank and more than 6,000 liters of diesel poured into the crystal clear waters of the marina (pictured)
The fire was confined to the superyacht with smoke and heat damage affecting several neighboring ships.
An investigation is underway into the cause of the fire.
Hamilton Island is a luxury holiday destination off the coast of Queensland near Airlie Beach.
The island is 265 km from the Great Barrier Reef – approximately two hours by catamaran.