At the beginning of the year, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg also became a yacht owner. His huge “Launchpad” disappeared from the radar for a while. Now it has appeared in the port of Palma de Mallorca – as one of the largest ships there.
In the world of tech billionaires, yachts are all the rage. Jeff Bezos has his “Koru,” Larry Ellison sails the seas in his “Musashi,” and Mark Zuckerberg joined them in the spring with his “Launchpad.” Only Bill Gates apparently backed out – because an environmental activist with a superyacht seems strange at first (read more here).
Zuckerberg, on the other hand, jumped at the chance to buy a yacht that had actually been built for a Russian oligarch. What he apparently didn’t like was the amount of attention that this purchase attracted. After all, the founder of Facebook values his privacy very highly.
Zuckerberg apparently wants privacy
The yacht, which is said to have cost 300 million US dollars, disappeared from radar along with the shadow ship “Wingman”. As “” reported, both ships switched off their “AIS” (“Automatic Identification System”). This is not without risk, because the “AIS” is not only used to track a ship worldwide, but also to avoid collisions. Anyone who paralyzes the system does not have to expect high fines, but experts warn that insurance companies are happy to avoid paying out when accidents occur with “invisible” ships. In theory, ships of a certain size, which exceeds Zuckerberg’s “Launchpad” several times, are obliged to switch on the system.
However, turning off the “AIS” only solves the problem of tracking via appropriate services – because anyone who happens to be near the “Launchpad” will of course still see it. With a ship that is 118.80 meters long, it is hardly possible otherwise. And so the route of the mega yacht could ultimately be tracked relatively precisely.
Mark Zuckerberg parks next to a sheikh and Michael Jordan
In the meantime, “Launchpad” and “Wingman” have reappeared on the radar. Both ships recently docked at the “Club de Mar”, a yacht harbor in Palma de Mallorca. As the “” reports, this is the ships’ first visit to the Germans’ favorite island. Photos from the harbor prove that the “Launchpad” is definitely not to be overlooked.
Zuckerberg is currently in good company: ships such as Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani’s “Yasmine of the Sea”, Barry Zekelman’s “Man of Steel”, Michael Jordan’s “Mbrace” and the cruise ship “Seven Seas Voyager” are in the immediate vicinity.
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The Mediterranean is a popular destination for the super-rich and their yachts in the summer months. In the winter months, the journey then usually continues to the Maldives or the Caribbean.
Source: Stern
I’m a recent graduate of the University of Missouri with a degree in journalism. I started working as a news reporter for 24 Hours World about two years ago, and I’ve been writing articles ever since. My main focus is automotive news, but I’ve also written about politics, lifestyle, and entertainment.
