A small skiff ran out of fuel off the coast of Southeast Alaska last week and issued a call for assistance through the U.S. Coast Guard. While a superyacht owned by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was closer to the stranded vessel, a small cruise ship called the Wilderness Legacy eventually towed the skiff into Farragut Bay and refueled it.
The situation has raised questions regarding why the Zuckerberg-owned vessel, the 387ft Launchpad, reportedly declined to help. Michael Love, a passenger on the Wilderness Legacy, stated that the Coast Guard radioed the yacht and it repeatedly refused to respond. Love noted that the captain's announcement of the yacht's refusal was met with near unanimous booing from the cruise ship passengers.
A spokesperson for the Meta CEO stated that Zuckerberg and his family were not on board the $300 million yacht at the time of the incident. According to the spokesperson, the crew did not initially hear the radio call because they were operating on a different channel. By the time the crew reviewed the contact, the Wilderness Legacy had already rendered assistance. The spokesperson added that the boat was not in distress and expressed gratitude that all parties were safe.