Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is drawing scrutiny after reports that his $300 million superyacht did not move to assist passengers stranded in Alaskan waters.
The 387-foot vessel, Launchpad, did not respond to requests for help after a 21-foot skiff ran out of fuel Monday night while traveling between Petersburg and Juneau, Alaska, the Alaska Beacon reported.
Help ultimately came from the Wilderness Legacy, a smaller cruise ship that diverted to assist the stranded boat.
During the rescue effort, the cruise ship’s captain reportedly told passengers that Zuckerberg’s superyacht had been closer to the disabled skiff than the Wilderness Legacy but had “refused” to help, according to one passenger’s account.
“There was near unanimous booing when the captain announced this,” vacationer Michael Love wrote in a Bluesky post.
The Coast Guard said the small skiff issued a call for assistance at about 9:30 p.m. Monday.
After determining the boat was not in distress, the Coast Guard issued a marine assistance request broadcast roughly 30 minutes later.
Vessel-tracking data showed the Wilderness Legacy, operated by UnCruise Adventures, was farther from the stranded skiff than Zuckerberg’s Launchpad 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.”
