Alex Trelinski
A YACHT owned by the founder of Facebook and Instagram, Mark Zuckerberg, has been docked in Palma since Friday, but there are claims that location transponders have been switched off illegally.
Zuckerberg’s yacht, Launchpad, is valued at €278 million and has been moored on the outer dock of Palma’s new Club de Mar.
The three-deck 118 metre-long craft even has a helicopter on it as well as capacity for 24 guests and a crew of 48 people.
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The Luxury Launches lifestyle web portal claims that Launchpad and its support vessel, Wingman, disabled the mandatory location transponders (AIS) in an attempt to hide where they were going.
According to the website, the AIS was turned off since they left Florida and when they arrived in Palma de Mallorca, they continued to be non-activated to ensure that no one found out about their presence in the Balearic Islands.
The IMO (International Maritime Organization) states that ‘AIS-equipped ships must keep their AIS in operation at all times, except when international agreements, rules or standards provide for the protection of navigational data’.
A Class B AIS transponder found on recreational boats transmits the vessel’s identification number, name, course, and speed.
It is an important safety device and nearby vessels receiving the signal can see the heading and avoid a collision.
Switching off the AIS is against Spanish law and technically billionaire Zuckerberg could face a fine.
Another high-roller who has done the same thing several times is Amazon boss, Jeff Bezos.
