Walter Finch
A LUXURY motor yacht burned to a spectacular crisp in Sotogrande marina last night.
The €3.75 million Elysium, which has been in drydock undergoing repairs since September, caught fire after workers had clocked off for the day.
On-call site officials noticed smoke emanating from the bow of the 31.7 metre superyacht around 6.30pm.
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Flames soon ripped through the fibre-glass vessel as firemen, Guardia Civil and port workers battled throughout the night to contain it and evacuate nearby buildings.
Firefighters resorted to blasting the flames with foam in order to bring it under control, with some reports indicating the ship had eight tonnes of diesel fuel on board.
Strong winds that have been whipping Spain’s south coast kept the flames ablaze and briefly threatened two gasoline boats on cinder blocks.
A port spokesperson told the Olive Press that ‘none of their people had been on board the ship’ at the time of the fire.
Olive Press sources said: “The shipyard themselves had been carrying out some electrical work in the engine room.”
The last of the flames were finally extinguished around 5am the following morning. The charred hull will now have to be removed and disposed of with a crane.
The Elysium, which was built in Italy in 2010, can accommodate up to eight guests in four staterooms, with space for a further five crew members.
The port told this newspaper they did not believe the fire was suspicious.
