Mark Zuckerberg denies claim his $300 million yacht ignored distress call from nearby vessel after crew had to be rescued by another boat

Published: 13:37, 10 August 2026 | Updated: 13:58, 10 August 2026 Mark Zuckerberg has denied claims that his mega yacht ignored a distress call from a nearby vessel was stranded in Alaskan waters. The Meta boss's representatives spoke out after it emerged the 21-foot skiff was rescued by a much smaller boat after it ran out of fuel between Juneau and Petersburg. Zuckerberg's $300 million yacht, The Launchpad, was in the vicinity on August 3, although the billionaire was not aboard at the time, according to his spokesperson. The skiff initially contacted the Coast Guard for assistance, but officials determined it was not in distress and issued a marine assistance broadcast on its behalf. The Wilderness Legacy, a cruise ship operated by UnCruise Adventures, answered the call, despite Zuckerberg's 387-foot yacht being closer. However, Brian Baker, a spokesperson for the Facebook and Instagram founder, told Forbes that Launchpad was operating on a different radio channel at the time the assistance request was made. Baker added that by the time the crew reviewed the broadcast, another vessel had already begun responding. Michael Love said on Bluesky that he and his son were aboard the Wilderness Legacy when it helped rescue the stranded skiff. Brian Baker, a spokesperson for Mark Zuckerberg, told Forbes that Meta boss, was not on his $300 million mega yacht at the time it when it missed a call for assistance from a skiff stranded in Alaska. (Zuckerberg pictured in Sun Valley, Idaho in July) Baker claimed that Launchpad, the name of Zuckerberg's 387-foot yacht, was operating on a different radio channel at the time the assistance request was made Love wrote that the ship's captain announced Zuckerberg's yacht had repeatedly failed to respond to calls for assistance.  'There was near-unanimous booing when the captain announced this,' he wrote. According to vessel-tracking data cited by the Alaska Beacon, the cruise ship maneuvered around the yacht before towing the skiff to Farragut Bay. Love later responded to Baker's claim that the yacht had not intentionally ignored the assistance request. 'I do think it's notable that they don't really dispute any part of the story except to claim that they never received the call rather than ignored it intentionally. I wish they'd offered an explanation as to why their boat stopped at the moment it did,' he wrote. According to Lasicilia, US regulations require mariners to assist a vessel only when it is 'in danger of being lost.' Since the Coast Guard determined the situation was not a distress emergency, the assessment appears to support Launchpad's position in this case. According to vessel-tracking data cited by the Alaska Beacon the Launchpad was close to the Skiff before it needed to be rescued by Wilderness Legacy (pictured), a cruise ship operated by UnCruise Adventures, which was farther away at the time  Critics have accused Zuckerberg of hypocrisy for owning a mega yacht while professing to support climate change policies Zuckerberg's spokesman added that CEO of Instagram and Facebook was not on the yacht during the time of the incident  The Meta boss purchased the yacht in 2024 according to the Seattle Times. Zuckerberg faced criticism over the lavish mode of transportation after reports surfaced in December of the hundreds of gallons of fuel the ship burns hourly to power its four heavy-duty engines. The Meta boss was accused of hypocrisy since he has been an outspoken advocate for climate change policies.  However, some critics noted that Launchpad was just the tip of the iceberg. The mega yacht has been accompanied on its journeys by a 220-foot, $30 million support ship called Wingman which can carry smaller boats, a miniature submarine for exploration and even a helicopter. In just nine months between 2024 and 2025, the superyacht burned more than 528,000 gallons of diesel fuel, before docking in France’s La Ciotat shipyard in August, according to the Greek Reporter. That usage amounted to more than 5,300 tons of carbon emissions being released by the one ship alone, the same as nearly 400 US households over one year. According to the Beacon, the yacht has been spotted in Southeast Alaska for much of the summer. The Daily Mail has contacted Meta for comment.