A yacht owned by Mark Zuckerberg didn't respond immediately to a call for help from a skiff that ran out of fuel off the coast of Alaska, but a maritime law expert said Monday the crew may not have been obligated to after the Coast Guard determined the boat wasn't in distress.
A spokesperson for the Meta CEO also said the crew didn't immediately hear the radio call for help and by the time it did, another nearby ship had already rendered assistance.
The Aug. 3 incident gained attention in recent days after a passenger on the cruise ship posted on social media that the captain had said Zuckerberg’s yacht “refused” to respond.
The U.S. Coast Guard said the 21-foot Hewescraft vessel first hailed it for assistance at approximately 9:32 p.m., using a radio frequency all boats are expected to monitor. About 25 minutes later, the Coast Guard determined the vessel was not in distress and issued an assistance request. The skiff was able to make it safely to Farragut Bay after the Wilderness Legacy cruise ship towed it there, and helped it refuel.
When another ship is in distress, everyone in the area is obligated to respond as long as doing so doesn't put their own ship at risk. But maritime law expert Ian Ralby said this situation appears different, and the crew of Zuckerberg's yacht wouldn't face that legal obligation.
“It’s the difference between calling AAA and 911. You need an ambulance on site, that’s a distress call. You need somebody to give you a jump or to tow your car, you call AAA,” said Ralby, who is president of the nonprofit Auxilium Worldwide that focuses on promoting sustainable development and ocean governance, among other goals. It is a big difference in terms of the emergency type, he said. "Both concerning, both needing assistance, but the legal obligations to respond are very different.”
Zuckerberg and his family were not on the 387-foot Launchpad yacht when this happened, according to his spokesperson, who didn't specify what the yacht was doing at the time.
“As the Coast Guard noted, the boat was not in distress, and by the time the crew reviewed the Coast Guard contact on a different radio channel from the one they were operating on, the assist was already underway. We’re grateful all parties are safe," Zuckerberg's spokesman Brian Baker said.
Retired Coast Guard Captain Aaron C. Davenport, who spent three decades with the branch of the military responsible for rescues on the water, said running out of gas simply isn't considered an emergency, and the Launchpad wasn't obligated to help.
“If Zuckerberg’s ship is there and this vessel just ran out of fuel, they’re under no obligation whatsoever to assist them. Zero,” said Davenport, who led rescues in the Bering Sea during his career. “Is it that common courtesy to help other mariners out? Yes, because someday you’re going to need assistance.”
The Coast Guard also isn't going to automatically deploy ships when a ship runs out of gas, but Davenport said that in the harsh environment of Alaska a ship that ran out of gas could become an emergency if it drifts into some rocks or a storm is brewing. The fact that this cruise ship responded saved the Coast Guard a trip.
“Alaska is a remote place so it could easily go from non-emergency to emergency and very quickly,” said Davenport, who worked as a consultant on security and maritime issues for several years before retiring.
The Alaska Beacon first reported on what happened after Michael Love, who said he was a passenger on the Wilderness Legacy cruise ship, posted on Bluesky on Aug. 5.
“Our boat rescued a stranded vessel last night and apparently we did that after the Coast Guard radioed Mark Zuckerberg’s yacht — which was closer — and they repeatedly refused to respond. (There was near unanimous booing when the captain announced this),” he said.
The Coast Guard said in a statement that they determined within half an hour of when the skiff radioed in that the small ship wasn't in distress. A marine assistance request was broadcast on their behalf, and the Wilderness Legacy responded, reaching the 21-foot vessel about an hour later.
Ralby said it's a little unusual that the Launchpad crew missed the call for help because it is common practice for ships to always be monitoring channel 16 on their radios and keep it as the default frequency to hear any distress calls or emergency notices. But typically the Coast Guard tries to keep channel 16 as free as possible so they might announce an emergency on that channel and ask anyone who can help to switch to a different channel to hear the details.
“The situation was resolved without any harm to life," said Ralby, who is a maritime lawyer with experience in more than 100 countries. "It does not seem that there was any immediate issue in terms of threat to life of mariners or concerns for the marine environment, which are the two main things that lead to that urgent distress call where all mariners no matter who they are legally obligated to try and respond.”
FILE - Mark Zuckerberg talks about the Orion AR glasses during the Meta Connect conference on Sept. 25, 2024, in Menlo Park, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez, File)
ROME (AP) — A goal and an assist from Harry Kane wasn't enough for Bayern Munich to beat Arsenal.
Kane's England teammate Declan Rice scored a second-half equalizer for last season's runner-up to secure a 2-2 draw at six-time winner Bayern in a matchup of two European heavyweights in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Rice traded passes with Viktor Gyokeres before finding the target eight minutes from time.
Kane converted a penalty earlier in the second half to increase his total to 16 goals in 23 career matches against Arsenal, having scored every season against the London club from 2014-15 to 2023-24 — mostly with Tottenham.
Kane also sent Alphonso Davies in on goal when Bayern responded to Eberechi Eze's opener for Arsenal.
It was Kane’s 10th straight Champions League match with a goal – moving within one of Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of scoring in 11 consecutive games (set in 2017 and 2018).
“We had some good moments, just not enough over the full 90 (minutes),” Kane said.
Elsewhere, Real Madrid had a more straightforward 4-1 victory over Leipzig after needing three goals in the final 10 minutes of a victory over Roma last week.
Madrid faces Barcelona in the “clasico” on Sunday.
Earlier, Manchester United’s crisis deepened after a 4-1 debacle at competition newcomer Como, leaving coach Michael Carrick at risk.
Also, Aston Villa moved second in the league-phase standings with a 3-1 win over Norwegian club Viking. Unai Emery’s team has won all three of its matches, scored 12 and conceded three to trail only two-time defending champion Paris Saint-Germain on goals scored.
In other results, it was: Inter Milan 1, Shakhtar Donetsk 0; Sporting Lisbon 2, LASK 3; Lille 2, Galatasaray 4; Club Brugge 3, Lens 0; and Real Betis 1, Feyenoord 0.
Madrid and Betis — which scored through a penalty kick from Isco — have also won all three of their matches.
Austrian champion LASK earned its first Champions League victory.
Real Madrid is involved in an ongoing battle with the Spanish league over alleged refereeing controversies but José Mourinho’s team should have little to complain about after a complete performance against Leipzig.
Bernardo Silva’s first goal for Real Madrid came just before halftime as the former Manchester City midfielder prodded in from close range after goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt couldn’t quite gather a shot from Arda Guler.
Guler added the second after the break.
Kylian Mbappé made it 3-0 with his 73rd career Champions League goal before Tidiam Gomis pulled one back for Leipzig, then Yan Diomande restored Madrid’s three-goal advantage.
United has now been outscored 6-1 in its last two European matches.
Nico Paz scored twice and also set up another score for Cesc Fabregas’ Como, which was playing in the fourth division of Italian soccer just seven years ago.
“We got outplayed for most of the game so it was a very disappointing night," United midfielder Youri Tielemans said. "It’s everything. You can be good tactically but if the effort is not good (then it won't work) and vice versa. You need to be good at everything and tonight we were poor. It comes down to that.”
United was already in turmoil, with defender Lisandro Martinez last week calling out the club’s hierarchy over its offseason recruitment, with director of football Jason Wilcox the apparent target of his criticism.
In January, Ruben Amorim had a fallout with Wilcox which swiftly led to the manager being fired after just 14 months in the job.
Now Carrick could be on the way out.
In the other early game, Galatasaray won at Lille with Victor Osimhen scoring against one of his former clubs.
Paz has been auditioning to take over Lionel Messi’s playmaker spot with Argentina and his performance against United was a case in point.
At the tiny 10,000-seat Giuseppe Sinigaglia stadium, Paz put Como ahead two minutes in with a curling shot from the edge of the area when Harry Maguire allowed him some space.
United became the first English team to concede in the opening two minutes of consecutive major European matches after Pablo Barrios scored in the opening minute of Atletico Madrid’s 2-0 win last week.
Tasos Douvikas then took a pass from Paz before lobbing in over goalkeeper Senne Lammens for his third goal in three Champions League matches.
For Como’s third, Paz went in virtually uncontested before shooting around Lammens. Center back Jacobo Ramon scored Como's fourth.
Joshua Zirkzee pulled one back for United in the stoppage time.
United has won only one of its last 11 Champions League away matches.
Como moved up to ninth in the standings, while United dropped to 20th.
See AP’s full soccer coverage here
Bayern's Harry Kane shoots during the UEFA Champions League soccer match between Bayern and Arsenal in Munich Germany, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Arsenal's Declan Rice celebrates after scoring their second goal during the UEFA Champions League soccer match between Bayern Munich and Arsenal in Munich Germany, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Bayern's Harry Kane, left, and Arsenal's Declan Rice talk after the UEFA Champions League soccer match between Bayern and Arsenal in Munich Germany, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Manchester United's Mason Mount gestures after Como scored the second goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Como and Manchester United in Como, Italy, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Manchester United's head coach Michael Carrick gestures as he leaves the pitch after the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Como and Manchester United in Como, Italy, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Manchester United's head coach Michael Carrick stands near the bench before the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Como and Manchester United in Como, Italy, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Como's Nico Paz, left, challenges for the ball with Manchester United's Mason Mount during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Como and Manchester United in Como, Italy, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Manchester United's Mason Mount gestures after Como scored the second goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Como and Manchester United in Como, Italy, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Como's Jacobo Ramon celebrates scoring his side's fourth goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Como and Manchester United in Como, Italy, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Manchester United's Mason Mount is dejected after Como scored their fourth goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Como and Manchester United in Como, Italy, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Real Madrid's head coach Jose Mourinho sits on the bench before the La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Sevilla in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya attends a press conference in Munich, Tuesday Oct. 20, 2026, a day ahead of the Champions League soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and FC Arsenal on Wednesday. (Angelika Warmuth/dpa via AP)
Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta attends a press conference in Munich, Tuesday Oct. 20, 2026, a day ahead of the Champions League soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and FC Arsenal on Wednesday. (Angelika Warmuth/dpa via AP)
Arsenal's Bukayo Saka and Viktor Gyokeres, right, attend a training session in London Colney, England, Tuesday Oct. 20, 2026. (John Walton/PA via AP)
Bayern Munich's Harry Kane attends a training session ahead of the Champions League, opening phase soccer match against Arsenal, in Munich, Germany, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (Angelika Warmuth/dpa via AP)
