Canadian Coast Guard Calls Off MOB Search for One of Its Own

 

The Canadian Coast Guard confirmed that it called off an unsuccessful search for one of the crewmembers through to have gone overboard from one of its newest icebreakers. The Coast Guard issued a brief statement online saying its thoughts are with the family of the missing person as well as its crew and employees.

Few details were provided on the situation. The CCGS Vincent Massey, a midsized icebreaker commissioned into the fleet in September 2023, reported a missing crewmember on its return to base in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

The unidentified crewmember was discovered missing when the vessel arrived in St. John’s around 9:45 a.m. local time on Monday, September 16. CBC reports an extensive search was undertaken on the vessel and when the individual could not be located the Coast Guard deployed aircraft and vessels and asked for assistance from other vessels in the area. 

The individual was last seen aboard the icebreaker Sunday evening when the vessel was underway off Newfoundland’s east coast. The search was taking place near Pouch Cove, at the northernmost tip of Newfoundland.

“We are devastated to confirm that one of our own employees has been lost at sea. Crews conducted an extensive search and rescue operation at sea and in the air, which ended last night,” the Canadian Coast Guard wrote online.

The Vincent Massey, built in Norway in 2000, is 3,300 gross tons and 275 feet (84 meters) in length. It is considered to be a medium icebreaker and has a normal complement of 19. The Canadian government working with Davie Shipbuilding launched a program in 2018 to acquire three existing vessels and refurbish them for the Coast Guard. The Vincent Massey was the third vessel and completed its overhaul in October 2022 being handed over by Davie to the Coast Guard. She was officially commissioned into the fleet in September 2023. 

No further details were released regarding the circumstances of the incident. The matter has been handed over to the Mounties (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) for investigation.