The coast guard indicated that the recovery operation was scheduled to commence on Saturday morning (Saturday evening AEST).

A representative from TMC Maritime, which is overseeing the recovery, stated that the vessel has been gradually lifted from the seabed, 50 meters deep, over the past three days. This process allowed for the steel lifting straps, slings, and harnesses to be secured beneath the keel. On Friday, for the first time, the top of the passenger area of the Bayesian, where passengers would sit, known as the accommodation area, became visible on the water’s surface, according to David Wilson, a spokesman for TMC Maritime.

The British-flagged luxury superyacht sank August 19 off Porticello near Palermo during a violent storm, killing UK tech magnate Mike Lynch, his daughter and five others.

Fifteen people survived, including the captain and all crew members except the chef.

Italian authorities are conducting a full criminal investigation.

When it resurfaced, the Bayesian was missing its 72-metre mast, which was cut down and left on the seabed for future removal.

The mast had to be detached to allow the hull to be brought to a nearly upright position that would allow the craft to be surfaced, TMC Maritime said earlier this week.

British investigators said in an interim report issued last month that the yacht was knocked over by “extreme wind” and couldn’t recover.

The report stated that the Bayesian had chosen the site where it sank as shelter from forecast thunderstorms. Wind speeds exceeded 70 knots (130km/h) at the time of the sinking and “violently” knocked the vessel over to a 90-degree angle in under 15 seconds.

Lynch had been celebrating his recent acquittal on fraud charges with his family and the people who had defended him at trial.