Master Overboard Near Marshall Islands

The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for the master of a cargo ship reported overboard approximately 60 miles east of Wake Island, just north of the Marshall Islands, on Sunday.

Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Joint Rescue Coordination Center were notified at approximately 6 p.m. Saturday, regarding a 49-year-old male Polish national who was reported overboard from the 622-foot freight ship Toscana.

The master was last seen at approximately 8 p.m. Friday. Twelve hours passed before the ship realized the crewmember was missing.

An HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point was launched Saturday and is staging out of Wake Island to conduct the searches.  

The ship retraced its route to search for the missing crewmember, but has continued on to its next port of call in Yokohama, Japan due to fuel limitations.

The Coast Guard is searching for additional vessels in the area that could assist in the search.

Weather conditions on scene are winds of approximately 15 mph, seas of 8 feet and a water temperature of approximately 81 degrees.