A Taxing Situation For The Ghost Ship Bel Amica
Public DomainThe Bel Amica was found abandoned and derelict near Sardinia, Italy in 2006.
In August 2006, the Italian Coast Guard discovered the unmanned schooner Bel Amica just off the coast of Sardinia, Italy. The vessel appeared to have been hastily abandoned by its crew, with only some food, maps, and clothes left on board, indicating that it had once been occupied.
The ship’s owner had apparently not registered it, and the vessel’s only identification was found on a plaque that bore the words Bel Amica, likely a misspelling of the phrase for “beautiful friend” in Italian.
Eventually, Italian authorities identified Franc Rouayrux, a man from Luxembourg, as the owner of the ghost ship. Rouayrux claimed that he’d anchored the vessel after learning about an “emergency” at home.
Though Rouayrux insisted that he’d intended to return to the empty vessel, authorities were skeptical of his story. The Italian media speculated that Rouayrux abandoned the ship because he wanted to avoid paying the steep taxes that came along with owning a luxury boat.
