Motor yacht Lubenico catches fire at sea

Days after news was announced of a fire destroying two superyachts at the New River Marina in Ft. Lauderdale, it has been reported that 42.6m motor yacht, Lubenico has also caught fire.

Local reports suggest that the Lubenico’s nine crew members made it off of the boat safely after sending a distress call at 12:40pm, while 4-5km out at sea. BiliranIsland.com later reported that the boat was still burning at 8pm, but a speedboat had been retrieved.

The fire, which started on board the superyacht as she was cruising off the coast of Biliran Island in the Phillipines, was reportedly carrying fuel when she caught fire, according ABS-CBN. She was sailing from Tacloban to Manilla.

During the journey, it’s thought the fire began at an exhaust pipe, although the authorities have not confirmed these claims. The smoke from the burning vessel could be seen from the shore where crowds gathered to watch. 

The superyacht has an interesting history, first built by the Kurushima shipyard in Japan in 1970 as a Japanese research vessel named Hiroshima Maru at a length of 40m. In 1997 she was then converted into a yacht, named Lady Josefina, and has remained under the Phillipines flag since then.

The yacht underwent another name change to Northern Light between 2005 and 2012, before becoming Lubenico in 2012. She has undergone several refits in her past, including modifications to her bow, stern and superstructure to give her an LOA of 42.6m.

A video of the fire can be seen here.