The ship, which has been owned by several large fortunes, including the French businessman in the 1980s and 1990s, sank after catching fire
The Phocéa, a yacht that has belonged to several great fortunes including French businessman Bernard Tapie, sank off the coast of Malaysia a few days after catching fire, authorities announced on Sunday.
The Malaysian coast guard said that the Phocéa, a sailboat of nearly 75 meters, sank on Friday morning near the tourist island of Langkawi, the day after a fire that devastated the four-masted ship.
Damage to the hull
“We think it sank on Friday, around 5 or 6 am,” said Mohamad Zawawi Abdullah, a senior coastguard official, specifying that the agent in charge of the yacht had been informed. “We were able to bring the fire under control but the fire caused damage to the hull which possibly caused the yacht to sink,” he added. An investigation has been opened.
Seven crew members were rescued by the emergency services. Built in Toulon for the navigator Alain Colas in 1976, the yacht is best known for having belonged to Bernard Tapie in the 1980s and 1990s. After the entrepreneur’s bankruptcy, she was bought in 1997 by the Lebanese Mona Ayoub for 36 , 5 million francs (7.5 million euros at the current price).
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