Zuckerberg’s yacht crew did not hear call for help, says spokesperson

play Live Sign upShow navigation menuNavigation menuNewsShow more news sectionsAfricaAsiaUS & CanadaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia PacificMiddle EastExplainedSportOpinionVideoMoreShow more sectionsFeaturesEconomyHuman RightsClimate CrisisInvestigationsInteractivesIn PicturesScience & TechnologyPodcastsTravelSponsored Contentplay Live Click here to searchsearchSign upNews|Social MediaZuckerberg’s yacht crew did not hear call for help, says spokespersonA skiff off Alaska coat received help from a nearby cruise ship after Zuckerberg’s yacht didn’t respond to the radio call. xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoMeta CEO Mark Zuckerberg [File: Ryan Sun, AP]By APPublished On 10 Aug 202610 Aug 2026A yacht owned by Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg did not respond to a United States Coast Guard call for assistance when a boat nearby ran out of fuel because his crew did not hear the request in time, his spokesperson has said. The incident off the coast of Alaska provoked criticism online, but Zuckerberg’s spokesperson said on Sunday that he was not on board at the time. Under maritime law, crews are generally obligated to respond to a distress call unless doing so would put their own vessel at risk. According to the news organisation Alaska Beacon, the skiff put out a call for help via the Coast Guard and a small cruise ship nearby responded. The Wilderness Legacy towed the skiff into Farragut Bay for refuelling. Zuckerberg’s yacht, Launchpad, was reportedly closer but did not answer the call. The incident drew attention after Michael Love, a passenger aboard the Wilderness Legacy, described it in a Bluesky post last week. Love said he was on an Alaska cruise with his son when the crew rescued a stranded boat. He said passengers then erupted in “near-unanimous booing” when the ship’s captain announced what had happened. “Frankly, if I was Mark Zuckerberg I would be absolutely ecstatic at a chance to do something helpful for someone in need and maybe get some good PR out of it,” Love said. The spokesperson for Facebook’s owner noted that the Coast Guard had determined the skiff was not in distress. By the time the crew reviewed the Coast Guard’s contact, which had gone out on a different radio channel than the one they were monitoring, the Wilderness Legacy’s assistance was already under way, the spokesperson said, adding that all parties involved were safe. Advertisement AboutAboutShow moreAbout UsCode of EthicsTerms and ConditionsEU/EEA Regulatory NoticePrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyCookie PreferencesAccessibility StatementSitemapWork for usConnectConnectShow moreContact UsUser Accounts HelpAdvertise with usStay ConnectedNewslettersChannel FinderTV SchedulePodcastsSubmit a TipPaid Partner ContentOur ChannelsOur ChannelsShow moreAl Jazeera ArabicAl Jazeera EnglishAl Jazeera Investigative UnitAl Jazeera MubasherAl Jazeera DocumentaryAl Jazeera BalkansAJ+Our NetworkOur NetworkShow moreAl Jazeera Centre for StudiesAl Jazeera Media InstituteLearn ArabicAl Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human RightsAl Jazeera ForumAl Jazeera Hotel PartnersFollow Al Jazeera English: