Mark Zuckerberg "Disappears" Megayacht Launchpad and Shadow Vessel Wingman

Earlier this year, in what was dubbed a rather surprising move for one of the world's most un-billionaire-like billionaires, Mark Zuckerberg became a first-time superyacht owner. He didn't buy just any started yacht, either: he got himself the previous number 1 megayacht for size to launch out of the Feadship shipyard and a superyacht that would double as the shadow vessel for it.

In total, the reported price of the new buy was of an astounding $330 million – a mere drop in the bucket for a man whose net worth is over $167 billion, but a controversial choice nonetheless. The megayacht he'd bought, which now sails as Launchpad (118 meters/387 feet), had originally been commissioned by a sanctioned Russian oligarch who, because of sanctions, was no longer in a position to take delivery.

Then again, almost everything to do with Zuckerberg is bound to elicit debates, controversy, and very strong opinions. This purchase was no different, as neither was the realization that both the mothership megayacht and the shadow vessel Wingman bore the convenience flag of the Marshall Islands, which prompted reports about him wanting to dodge taxes in the U.S.

The latest move will do nothing in terms of making the rumors die down. As of early May, both of Zuckerberg's superyachts are sailing under the radar, having turned off AIS (automatic identification system), which doubles as an anti-collision measure but also makes the whereabouts of any vessel public to anyone wanting to find them.

All vessels over 300 GT are obligated by international law to have the AIS turned on at all times. Launchpad is believed to be over 5,000 GT, for the record. At the same time, as superyacht vlogger eSysman notes, while AIS is mandated by law, there's no immediate repercussion to turning it off.

Turning off AIS became common practice during the initial wave of sanctions against Russian oligarchs who were rushing their floating palaces to neutral waters, lest authorities seized them. Once that frenzy died down, the practice continued: even Jeff Bezos turned his sail-assisted megayacht Koru and the shadow vessel Abeona dark in September last year, no doubt bothered by the amount of attention they were getting.

According to the same report, both Launchpad and Wingman left Port Everglades at the same time and headed south. Launchpad had Jamaica listed as its destination, while Wingman was apparently heading to Belize. Once they reached the Caribbean Sea, both turned off AIS and seemed to have continued the journey together.

The pair has been spotted in Panama, near Boca del Toro. The fact that they're not broadcasting their location and destination is the closest thing to a confirmation we're ever going to get that Zuckerberg himself is onboard, most likely getting ready to kick off the summer season as only a billionaire can.