After swallowing a luxury yacht... sailing in the Mediterranean Sea becomes more dangerous

Arab Weather - After the sinking of a luxury yacht in the Mediterranean, climate experts and ship captains confirmed that the wreckage found off the coast of Sicily is additional evidence that sailing in the Mediterranean has become more dangerous.

The accident resulted in the death of one man and the loss of six others, including British businessman Mike Lynch, after the 56-metre sailing ship "Bayzian" was hit by a violent storm that led to its sinking within minutes.

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The impact of climate change on the Mediterranean Sea

Climate scientists say global warming is increasing the frequency of violent and unpredictable storms in the Mediterranean, a sea that is popular with tourists in the summer. Among those tourists are a few wealthy people who sail on luxury yachts. The sea surface temperature around Sicily in the days before the accident was around 30 degrees Celsius , three degrees above normal , generating enormous energy that contributed to the storm, said Luca Mercalli, president of the Italian Meteorological Society.

• Warnings from sea captains

Experienced sailors have pointed to the noticeable changes in the Mediterranean. Massimo Aramo, who runs a sailing school near the Italian capital, explained that he prefers not to sail along Italy’s Tyrrhenian coast around Sicily or Spain’s Balearic Islands, because of the frequency of “critical situations” with little warning.

Meanwhile, Giuliano Gallo, a former transatlantic captain and author of several books on sailing, said the Mediterranean has become more like the Caribbean in terms of climate variability, making it less predictable.

• Severe storms in the Mediterranean

Carsten Borner, the captain of the boat that was moored next to the Baysian and escaped damage, said the storm that hit the area was “very violent and intense,” and suggested that the recurrence of extreme heatwaves in the summer months plays a major role in causing such storms. He added that the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea cause severe storms similar to those seen in the Balearic Islands a week ago and Corsica two years ago.

The storm is another sign of increasing climate volatility in the Mediterranean, where a year ago Libya experienced flash floods caused by a powerful storm, fueled by rising sea temperatures, which led to the deaths of thousands.

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Sources:

Arabic