The boss of the company behind the doomed Bayesian superyacht has described the vessel as "unsinkable".
Giovanni Costantino, who heads The Italian Sea Group, insisted that boats built by his firms are "safest in the most absolute sense".
Speaking to Sky News, Mr Costantino defended the yacht's design, saying there were no flaws or mistakes in the Bayesian, which capsized in a storm off the Sicilian coast and sank within minutes.
In a separate interview with Italian TV, he attributed the wreck to "human error".
Mr Costantino, whose company owns Perini Navi, the manufacturer of the Bayesian, said: "Being the manufacturer of Perini [boats], I know very well how the boats have always been designed and built.
"And as Perini is a sailing ship... sailing ships are renowned to be the safest ever."
He claimed the boats' structure and keel make them "unsinkable bodies".
Expressing his disbelief, Mr Costantino added: "This incident sounds like an unbelievable story, both technically and asa fact."
Addressing the sinking's cause, he told Italian TV: "The ship sank because it took on water. From where, theinvestigators will say."
He added: "The dynamic of the sinking is seen and read from AIS (Automatic Identification System) data and lasted sixteen minutes."
Mr Costantino suggested the boat had been taking on water and "all it took was another guest" to turn her over."She then straightened very briefly before going down," he said.
Six bodies have been recovered after the luxury yacht sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily around 4.30am local time.
The Italian Coastguard previously did not rule out the possibility that the missing, including the British technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, might have survived, with experts speculating that air pockets could have formed as the Bayesian sank.
The other passengers on board were Jonathan Bloomer, the chairman of Morgan Stanley International bank, and his wife, Judy, and Chris Morvillo, a lawyer with Clifford Chance, and his wife, Neda.
Another body - that of Recaldo Thomas, the yacht's chef - was recovered from the sea on Monday.
