Superyacht sinks latest: Captain speaks for first time; divers operating in ‘very small’ spaces; pictures of yacht interior before sinking

Unusually warm weather and poor nighttime visibility are key factors in explaining how the superyacht might have sunk, according to an oceanographer.

Storms and heavy rainfall have swept Italy after weeks of scorching heat, contributing to the violent storm yesterday morning.

Dr Simon Boxall told Sky News it would have been “very difficult” for Bayesian to respond to the sudden change in weather, which was “fuelled” by the warm seas.

“If you look at the temperatures from satellites for last Sunday and Monday in the Mediterranean, it was three and a half degrees warmer than the 20-year average for August,” he said.

“The really warm seas have been fuelling these waterspouts.”

The fact the storm hit at night did not help either, according to Dr Boxall.

“If the storm whips up during the daytime, you can see things coming,” he said. “You can see it on the horizon. At nighttime, you can’t see it.

“And of course, because it was anchored, the chances are there wouldn’t have been radar on. 

“You’d have the radar on possibly to avoid collisions, but [with the radar off] you wouldn’t pick up the weather coming in.”