The man who had been living on a secret seastead for 13 months died in a storm off the coast of Dubai along with two employees on February 2, 2024, exactly five years to the day after XLII, the first seastead, was established off the coast of Thailand.

We're still waiting for DNA analysis to confirm who is among the dead.

What does this mean for the future of seasteading?

This tragedy is why The Seasteading Institute has been working with ocean industry professionals to establish safety standards with the First Seastead Classification Society.