A video circulating on social media shows the 43.4 metre superyacht Royal Denship Baca colliding with the bridge entrance at Simpson Bay, on the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten yesterday (January 8, 2023).
The video shows the yacht hitting the bridge on its starboard side, damaging the control booth and causing the yacht to heel temporarily on its port side. No one on shore was injured during the incident and the footage shows the crew continue to operate the yacht after the collision into Simpson Bay Lagoon. She remains there as of January 9.
The cause of the incident remains unclear, but it is understood that windy weather conditions could have contributed. However, this is not the first time a yacht has collided with the bridge at Simpson Bay — in 2019, the 86m superyacht Ecstasea suffered a similar incident.
A statement released by Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority (SLAC) said that the booth incurred "severe structural damage" and "wires leading to the operations consoles" were also damaged after the incident. The yacht crash occurred at 5pm local time and the bridge was fully operational by 8.30am the next day.
The extent of the damage to the superyacht is not yet known.