Boat accident in Croatia: Wreck raised from a depth of 60 metres off Šolta

​The sailing yacht that sank following a collision off the Croatian island of Šolta has been salvaged. On 14 June 2026, four people lost their lives in the collision with the passenger catamaran ‘Krilo Eclipse’. The wreck can now be examined on land.

The Beneteau Oceanis 56.1 had been lying on the seabed since the accident in the Splitska Vrata strait between the Croatian islands of Brač and Šolta. According to the Dalmatinski Portal, a company specialising in underwater operations raised the yacht from a depth of around 60 metres on Sunday (27 September). Preparations had begun the day before. Kristijan Antić’s Croatia blog also reported on the salvage operation.

Wreck raised between Šolta and Brač

According to the report, the actual lifting operation took around two to three hours. Before the wreck could be loaded onto a transport vessel, around nine tonnes of water were pumped out. Waves caused by passing ships hampered the work in the busy strait. The yacht was then taken to Split’s North Harbour. Footage of the salvaged boat shows significant damage. The investigation will have to determine which damage occurred immediately upon impact and which occurred later.

See also:

• ​“‘Bayesian’: Luxury yacht salvaged from a depth of 50 metres

This paves the way for a stage of the investigation that was still pending in June: the examination of the salvaged yacht on land. According to the Dalmatinski Portal, the public prosecutor’s office and the police have continued their investigation on board the vessel; an expert has also inspected it in the meantime. The findings of the expert’s report have not yet been published. The salvage operation is therefore not evidence of a specific cause of the accident or of any attribution of blame.

What happened in June?

​The YACHT reported on the collision: There were eight people on board the sailing yacht. Four Czech nationals died, and four others were rescued. The fourth person, who was initially reported missing, was later found inside the sunken vessel.

In the YACHT report of 22 June on the progress of the investigation concerned the allegations against the first officer of the catamaran and his subsequent remand in custody. The Croatian Broadcasting Corporation (HRT) Back in June, he had already described the subsequent examination of the yacht as an important step. This examination can now take place; its outcome remains to be seen.