Accident off the coast of Brazil: “Malizia Explorer” fellow sailor had an accident

Boris Herrmann’s team acquired the approximately 26 meter long research vessel in 2025 for scientific expeditions in addition to their racing boats. Among other things, the environmental activist Luisa Neubauer took part in a four-week research trip to Antarctica with the research glider last January.

Herrmann and his team support the family of the accident victim

Herrmann, from Hamburg, was at his team’s headquarters in Lorient, France, at the time of the accident. The team and Herrmann are in close contact with the family of the accident victim and “offer their full support during this incredibly difficult time.”

At the same time, the team is working with the local and German authorities. Support will also be provided to those on board who were affected by the tragic event.

The ship arrived from Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday and was anchored in the bay of Praia do Porto in the northeast of the main island. The team had made a planned stopover there as part of a scientific project before the planned Atlantic crossing.

Sudden fainting as a possible cause

In its statement, Team Malizia points to a statement from the archipelago’s health authority, according to which the 32-year-old suffered a sudden fainting underwater. The nearby crew members of the “Malizia Explorer” “reacted immediately,” alerted the emergency services and provided first aid.

The local rescue workers also “reacted quickly, continued the resuscitation measures on site and took the injured person to hospital.” Despite all efforts, he died there. An investigation that has already begun is intended to clarify the exact course of the accident.

The victim was previously traveling as a tourist

According to Team Malizia, the accident victim had been “traveling over land and on water as a backpacker for several months”. He met the crew of the “Malizia Explorer” in Argentina’s southernmost city of Ushuaia in December 2025. Team Malizia’s statement said: “With his enthusiasm, his friendliness and his deep passion for sailing and the sea, the crew was delighted to have him on board for the Atlantic crossing a few months later, in March 2026.”